Hendrix Bandmates’ Estates Lose Court Case Against Sony Music

The 2021 lawsuit sought shares in the royalty income from Hendrix’s recordings, including from streaming platforms.

American guitarist and singer Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) seated on right with, on left, drummer Mitch Mitchell (1946-2008) and, behind in centre, bassist Noel Redding (1945-2003) of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, in London circa August 1967. (Photo by Ivan Keeman/Redferns)

Redferns

The royalty lawsuit filed by the estates of former Jimi Hendrix Experience bandmates, bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, has been dismissed by the U.K. High Court. The judgement determined that the claimants were not co-owners of the copyrights in Hendrix’s recordings and therefore that Sony Music had not infringed their copyright.

The decision, handed down on Tuesday, April 28, is the outcome of a lawsuit filed over copyright and performers’ rights related to the group’s three hit albums released between 1967 and 1968. The complainants sued Sony Music, although the company’s barrister, Robert Howe KC, says that it is merely distributing Hendrix’s music under license from his estate. The albums were originally released by Polydor Records in the U.K. and around the world, and by Reprise Records in the U.S.

The London court ruled that under the Recording Agreement made in 1966, manager Michael Jeffery (d. 1973) and co-manager and producer Chas Chandler (d. 1996) exclusively owned the copyright to the group’s material.

Case Background

Rock guitar legend Hendrix died in September 1970 after an overdose of sleeping pills, and his estate remained in varying states of disarray for decades until the family-run company, Experience Hendrix LLC, gained exclusive control of his recordings and associated publishing and image rights in 1995.

Redding died at age 57 in May 2003 and had previously been paid $100,000 in 1973 in what was essentially a buyout agreement covering all future royalty claims. Mitchell died at age 62 in November 2008, and in 1973 he received a payout of $247,500.

The settlement payments received by Redding and Mitchell were crucial in the High Court’s determination that the claims made by their respective estates were invalid. The barrister representing the Redding and Mitchell estates, Simon Malynicz KC, claimed that the two musicians died in “relative poverty” after not benefitting financially from later exploitation of Hendrix’s music and image.

Sony Music Entertainment began reissuing Hendrix’s albums after reaching a 2009 agreement with his estate. According to Reuters, Sony argued that a verdict against the company could “throw the music industry into chaos.” In February 2025, the record company failed to have the case dismissed, clearing the way for a full trial that lasted for seven days in December.

The court’s judgement emphasized that the Recording Agreement’s language was “clear and unequivocal” in granting managers Jeffery and Chandler sole rights to exploit Hendrix’s work during the guitarist’s heyday. Justice Edwin Johnson who delivered the verdict remotely said that Sony has no financial obligations to the Redding and Mitchell estates.

A spokesperson for Sony Music and Experience Hendrix said the estate is “pleased to have had its chain of title to the rights in The Jimi Hendrix Experience catalog confirmed by the High Court and looks forward to continuing to work closely with Sony Music to bring this exceptional music to the world.”

Hendrix Album Sales

According to Billboard magazine, in 2021 Redding and Mitchell’s heirs issued claims that they were owed millions in unpaid royalties. Although some media reports have cited issues over music streaming rights as a central financial issue, revenues generated by the physical sales of the group’s albums during the past sixty years were also at stake.

Their debut LP, Are You Experienced reached #5 in America and #2 in Britain; Axis: Bold as Love peaked at #3 in the U.S. and #5 in the U.K.; the last album of the Experience trilogy, the double album Electric Ladyland, reached #6 in Britain, and it also became Hendrix’s only #1 LP in America.

Adding to the financial complexities of the dispute, both Are You Experienced and Electric Ladyland received multi-platinum sales certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in December 2025. Are You Experienced has passed sales of six million copies, making it Hendrix’s best-selling record, while Electric Ladyland has surpassed the three million unit mark. Axis: Bold as Love received its platinum certification in 1986, almost thirty years after its initial release.

The band’s recordings also dominate the Experience Hendrix compilation first released in 1998 and also recently certified in December 2025 for its sales exceeding three million copies. The live BBC Sessions album that was also originally released in 1998 and recorded by the Experience is now a platinum-certified release. The commercial performances of the group’s three studio albums demonstrates the longevity of the Experience catalog and the continuing resonance of Hendrix as a popular music icon.