Beastie Boys Cash In: The $21M Chili’s ‘Sabotage’ Settlement
Here’s a low-key wild plot twist from your dinner plans: the Beastie Boys and Universal Music Group just cleaned up with Chili’s Grill & Bar over an unauthorized blast of “Sabotage.” In a deal inked late last month, the hip-hop legends and their label walked away with a cool $21 million after Chili’s ran a version of the 1994 hit in TV spots without clearing the rights.
Let’s unpack this without getting too hyped. According to court documents filed in federal court in New York (via Variety) and playlisted by Rolling Stone, Universal Music Group bagged $5.5 million for the master‐recording rights, while the Beastie Boys received $15.5 million for their publishing share. Those figures square up against Chili’s arguments that their ad agency, BBDO, was the one who slipped up—but at the end of the day, the Tex-Mex chain signed off on every creative element before it aired.
Back in March 2023, the trio’s estates—comprising Adam “MCA” Yauch’s family, Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz, and Michael “Mike D” Diamond—hit Chili’s with a copyright suit. They claimed Chili’s built an entire campaign on the song’s driving guitar riff without permission. Universal chimed in with its own suit, saying the chain used the sound recording and the underlying composition commercially, infringing both sides of the rights coin.
Chili’s tried a last-ditch defense, pointing a finger at their ad agency, but the courts didn’t buy it. Emails unearthed during discovery show brand executives reviewing and green-lighting the ad’s final cut, complete with that “Woo-hoo!” vocal loop. Publicly, Chili’s offered an apology in a statement to Billboard, saying they thought “all clearances were in place” and that they “regret any confusion.”
By settling, Chili’s avoids a protracted trial and potential higher damages—statutory penalties in music cases can spike well above the settlement figure. And for the Beastie Boys and UMG, this outcome underscores the enduring value of legacy catalogs in an era of viral marketing and streaming.
This episode also serves as a reminder for brands: always double-check your licenses before dropping a chart-topping jam in a commercial. Otherwise, you might find yourself trading margaritas for motions to dismiss.
Anyway, that’s the deal. Do with it what you will.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and Variety, Rolling Stone
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
