Ex Linkin Park Bassist Sues For Alleged Unpaid Royalties

Kyle Christner of the band Nosedive is suing Linkin Park – he played bass with the group from 1998 until 1999 and featured on the recording of the Hybrid Theory EP – for alleged unpaid royalties.

According to court documents obtained by Rolling Stone and Radar Online, Christner is suing Linkin Park members Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, Brad Delson and Joe Hahn and label Warner Records for allegedly not being paid for his contributions to Linkin Park.

Christner claimed that he was in the group when Linkin Park signed their first major record deal, wasn’t paid for his work on the 1999 Hybrid Theory EP and claimed he was “abruptly” let go from the band in October 1999.

Christner alleges that he has “never been paid a penny for his work with Linkin Park, nor has he been properly credited, even as Defendants have benefitted from his creative efforts,” per the lawsuit.

The filing of the lawsuit arrived after Linkin Park released a 20th-anniversary box set of Hybrid Theory but didn’t credit Christner. A track he “played bass on and collaborated in composing”, Could Have Been, has subsequently received nearly a million plays on YouTube alone.

The former bassist allegedly had contact with a member of the group’s management, who informed him that he was owed royalties for his work on the Hybrid Theory reissue. The management representative allegedly didn’t respond after Christner asked how much he could be paid.

The lawsuit continued, “The Box set includes, among other things, rare and previously unreleased tracks on three collections (presented as compact disks in the physical edition) respectively titled Forgotten Demos, B-Side Rarities, and LPU Rarities.

“There is no other attribution to Christner in the Box Set, even though he plays on recordings on all three CDs and the EP.”

Christner is seeking royalties he’s owed and an unknown number in damages.

In September, Linkin Park rapper, singer, producer and guitarist Mike Shinoda was in Australia. Hosting a conference at BIGSOUND, he told the audience that vocalist Chester Bennington was urged to ditch the rest of Linkin Park while making their 2000 debut album, Hybrid Theory.

“Chester came and told us, and we're like, 'Well, what did you say?' He said, 'I told them to go fuck themselves.’” Shinoda explained as the crowd laughed uproariously.