Culture is the Engine. Who Owns the Car.
Every investor in EVEN’s first raise was named in a federal copyright lawsuit. They were dismissed. The platform became UMG’s official infrastructure partner. This is what the documents show.
On August 27, 2024, Babygrande Global Inc. sent a DMCA takedown notice to EVEN Labs Inc., a direct-to-fan music platform headquartered in New York. The response from EVEN’s CEO Enrique “Mag” Rodriguez, according to court filings, was three letters: LOL.
EVEN continued monetizing the catalog for twelve more days.
That catalog belonged to Aaron Scott, known professionally as Stove God Cooks. Scott was not a party to what followed. His music was.
The Platform
EVEN describes itself as direct-to-fan infrastructure. Artists sell music directly to superfans before it reaches streaming platforms. Those pre-streaming sales count toward Billboard charts. That detail is not widely reported. It is the mechanism behind three documented pilots.
J. Cole’s 2014 album Forest Hills Drive, on its tenth anniversary, returned to the Billboard Top 15. The Fall-Off debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Wale reached the top 20 on Def Jam with three hundred percent fan audience growth.
EVEN’s own investor materials, filed as a court exhibit in federal court in Maryland, describe their model plainly: “Once onboarded EVEN owns the relationship.”
That is their language. Filed under penalty of perjury.
The Investors
EVEN’s first Form D was filed with the SEC on February 13, 2023. CIK 0001965248. Accession number 0001965248-23-000001. First sale date December 22, 2022. One investor. $1.5 million. Signers: Enrique Rodriguez, Joe Kirgues, and Troy Vosseller.
Kirgues and Vosseller are connected to gener8tor, a startup accelerator.
By 2023 EVEN had completed a seed round led by CSA Partners. Participants included gener8tor, VC 414, gANGELS, Daniel Rotman, Adolf Akuffo-Afful, Ogo, and Donte Murry. Total approximately $2.2 million. Total disclosed funding across both raises: approximately $8.5 million.
On September 6, 2024, Babygrande filed suit in the Southern District of New York. Case 1:24-cv-06785. Judge Jessica G.L. Clarke. The complaint named EVEN Labs and Enrique Rodriguez for copyright and trademark infringement. It also named every investor from the 2023 seed round as Investor Defendants.
CSA Partners. gener8tor. VC 414. gANGELS. Daniel Rotman. Adolf Akuffo-Afful. Ogo. Donte Murry.
On May 5, 2025, the court dismissed all Investor Defendants.
On October 10, 2025, EVEN’s second Form D recorded its first sale date. $5.25 million raised from 14 investors of a $10 million offering. The filing lists two signers: Enrique Rodriguez and Chris Abele.
Chris Abele is affiliated with CSA Partners. CSA Partners had been dismissed as an Investor Defendant five months earlier. Abele is listed as a director of EVEN on the new Form D.
The second Form D was filed with the SEC on October 15, 2025. Accession number 0001965248-25-000002.
The 72 Hours
On February 16, 2026, Damien Washington, former Director of Business Development at EVEN, filed a discrimination and retaliation suit against EVEN in the Southern District of New York. Washington had been terminated on September 4, 2025. He alleged he raised internal warnings about unauthorized distribution of Babygrande intellectual property, was named as a defendant in the copyright case, and was refused indemnification by EVEN.
On February 17, 2026, EVEN’s counsel received recordings of three phone calls totaling more than four hours. The calls had taken place between August 5, and August 13, 2025 and involved Washington, Chuck Wilson the CEO of Babygrande, and Babygrande’s counsel Hillel Parness.
On February 18, 2026, EVEN’s counsel David Leichtman of Ellenoff Grossman and Schole LLP filed a letter to Judge Clarke describing the contents of those recordings. The letter, filed as Exhibit 44 in the Maryland countersuit case 8:26-cv-00816, alleged a scheme to extort EVEN using proprietary internal information related to a then-pending deal. The parties on the calls referred to this information as a “golden ticket.” Washington described the deal as something “EVEN needs more than astronauts need oxygen in space.” Wilson threatened that if EVEN did not settle, the information “will be on music billboard weekly.” Parness, according to the filing, was already aware of the plan and expressed concern only that it not look like Wilson “chased inside information.”
The scheme collapsed because Washington would not provide the information before being dismissed from the case and Wilson would not dismiss Washington before receiving the information.
EVEN requested dismissal with prejudice, application of the crime-fraud exception stripping attorney-client privilege from Parness-Wilson communications about the scheme, and all attorneys fees since the inception of the action. The court has not ruled. Babygrande disputes the characterization. Parness denies wrongdoing.
On February 18, 2026, the same day EVEN filed that letter, EVEN announced a multi-year partnership with Universal Music Group. EVEN would serve as the official direct-to-fan infrastructure provider for UMG labels and artists worldwide. No financial terms were disclosed.
Four events in 72 hours. All documented.
The Partnership
UMG is the largest recorded music company in the world with approximately 38 percent global market share. The Bolloré family controls approximately 80 percent of UMG’s voting power through double voting rights despite holding approximately 18 percent of equity. On April 7, 2026, Pershing Square announced a $64.4 billion bid for UMG. The Bolloré family is the real gatekeeper on whether that transaction proceeds.
Through the EVEN partnership, UMG gains direct access to superfan data that traditionally sits with digital service providers. Email lists. Purchase behavior. Community engagement. Pre-streaming sales that count toward Billboard charts. The fan relationship, not just the catalog.
Steve Stoute’s UnitedMasters, a distribution platform serving more than two million independent artists, announced a partnership with EVEN in April 2025. UnitedMasters is backed by Andreessen Horowitz. Ben Horowitz personally announced a16z’s investment in UnitedMasters in 2017 and sits on its board. a16z participated in a $50 million round in 2021 and a further $50 million round in October 2025.
The chain from independent artist infrastructure to major label infrastructure runs through documented public filings and press releases.
Where It Stands
Four federal cases remain active. The copyright case in the Southern District of New York. Washington’s discrimination case in the Eastern District of New York. EVEN’s countersuit against Washington in the District of Maryland. A sanctions motion filed by EVEN against Babygrande and counsel Hillel Parness is pending. Device forensics were ordered April 27, 2026.
Aaron Scott, Stove God Cooks, received a $500,000 advance from Babygrande. The label is seeking a $2.5 million buyout. His album is indefinitely delayed as of March 27, 2026 per court exhibit ECF 254 Exhibit 22. He was served by email on March 24, 2026 after his physical address could not be located. He is not a named party in any case. His catalog remains the center of all of them.
UMG’s Press Release
On April 29, 2026, UMG reported Q1 results showing 8.1 percent constant currency revenue growth. The company confirmed the closing of its Downtown Music Holdings acquisition on February 20, 2026, two days after announcing EVEN as its official direct to fan infrastructure partner. In its earnings materials, UMG cited direct to consumer revenue as an area of decline and identified the label and artist services sector as a fast-growing priority. EVEN was not mentioned by name. The Pershing Square proposal was not discussed.
UMG Earnings Call April 29, 2026 Details
“We just don’t anticipate changes in the market, we shape them.”
“Creating and amplifying cultural moments that activate and reactivate fan bases isn’t limited to just records or live performances.”
Above are direct quotes from UMG CEO Sir Lucian Grainge.
EVEN, UMG’s announced direct to fan infrastructure partner, was not mentioned by name. Pershing Square and Drake were both left out of this call as well.
Comment Requests
Rooms Report submitted comment requests to EVEN Labs and Universal Music Group via X on April 28, 2026 with a deadline of 10 AM ET April 29, 2026. Neither responded.
Every claim in this story is sourced to a specific document. Court filings. SEC Form D filings. Docket entries. Exhibit lists. Court exhibits filed as part of the public record.
Allegations are reported as allegations. EVEN disputes the characterization of the recorded calls. Babygrande disputes the sanctions motion. The court has not ruled on either. Both sides were given opportunity to comment.
No anonymous sourcing. No characterization without documentation. The documentation is public. Sources are held and available upon request.