Ellie Goulding is suing her former managers after alleging she paid them a 20% commission for years without being told that entertainment giant Live Nation owned their management business. The 'Love Me Like You Do' singer claims Benedict Mawson and Edward Millett failed to disclose the ownership while advising her on deals with Live Nation companies, creating what her legal filing describes as an actual or potential conflict of interest.
The claim, filed in London's High Court, centres on Goulding's relationship with Mawson and Millett at TaP Management between 2018 and 2025. Live Nation had already acquired a controlling 50.1% interest in TaP parent HNOE Ltd in 2015 before purchasing the remaining stake in 2019, according to the filing.
Goulding alleges she remained unaware of that ownership while her managers collected their commission and she entered Live Nation-related agreements involving concert promotion, merchandise and a documentary.
Goulding Alleges Live Nation Ownership Was Not Disclosed
Goulding's case argues that the ownership structure mattered because managers are expected to act in their client's interests when recommending commercial partners.
Her claim alleges Mawson and Millett worked through a company owned by Live Nation while advising her on deals involving businesses within the same corporate group.
The question at the centre of the lawsuit is whether they could provide independent advice while having ties to the company on the other side of those deals.
The filing also alleges the managers were contractually 'restrained' from activities that might 'terminate or otherwise reduce or diminish' their clients' business relationships with Live Nation or its affiliates.
Goulding claims she was never told about those restrictions, despite entering Live Nation-related agreements covering touring, merchandise and a documentary.
The allegations have sparked a wider conversation about transparency in artist management. Music industry professional David Lynch argued on Threads that artists should know who owns their management company, which affiliated businesses benefit from their deals and whether competing offers were considered.
'Follow the ownership, then follow the money,' he wrote, adding that potential conflicts should be disclosed and artists should understand whether their advisers are restricted from moving business elsewhere.
The 20% Commission at the Centre of the Claim
Mawson and Millett managed the Grammy-nominated singer for seven years, during which Goulding's claim says they received a 20% management commission. The lawsuit does not allege that the commission was secretly paid to Live Nation.
Instead, Goulding is challenging whether the managers collecting that fee could give independent advice while their company was owned by a business whose affiliated services they were allegedly recommending.
The singer's dealings with Live Nation businesses during that period allegedly extended across multiple parts of her career, including touring, merchandise and documentary work.
Goulding's claim says Mawson and Millett 'had a personal interest or duty' in dealings between her and Live Nation companies that was in 'actual or potential conflict' with her interest in securing the best available commercial terms.
She is seeking equitable compensation or damages for alleged breaches of fiduciary duty.
The Case Comes as Goulding Enters a New Era
The legal action arrives as Goulding prepares for another major chapter in a career that has produced hits including 'Burn', 'Lights' and 'Love Me Like You Do'. Her sixth studio album, I Know Too Much, is scheduled for release on 4 September, putting the singer back in the spotlight as details of her former management arrangement emerge publicly.
The dispute also lands amid wider scrutiny of Live Nation's reach across the music business. The US Department of Justice and multiple states previously pursued an antitrust case against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, reaching a proposed settlement in March 2026.
That separate case does not establish any of Goulding's allegations, but it has kept questions about Live Nation's position across concert promotion, venues, ticketing and artist management in focus.
Goulding's lawsuit will now turn on whether her former managers breached duties owed to her and whether the alleged undisclosed ownership affected the advice she received. The claims remain allegations that have not been proven in court.
At the time the legal action was reported, Mawson, Millett and Live Nation had not publicly responded to Goulding's allegations.
