Ellie Goulding is suing her former managers at TaP Management over conflict of interest claims, alleging that the company failed to disclose business ties to Live Nation Entertainment.
In the lawsuit, reviewed by Rolling Stone, Goulding claimed that TaP Management’s founders Ben Mawson and Ed Millett had frequently pushed the singer to work with Live Nation, while never disclosing that the company was a subsidiary of Live Nation. Mawson and Millett founded TaP in 2010, and Live Nation acquired a majority stake in the company in 2015 through parent company HNOE, per the lawsuit, then bought out the rest of TaP in 2019.
[E]ach of the Defendants had a personal interest or duty in dealings between Ms. Goulding and companies in the Live Nation group, which was in actual or potential conflict with the interests of Ms. Goulding in securing the best commercial terms with whichever promoter, merchandiser, or other counterparty it was most advantageous for her to deal with,” the suit said, per Rolling Stone.
Variety first reported the news of the suit.
TaP is one of the more prominent management firms in the music business, representing Lana Del Rey along with the likes of Dermot Kennedy, Erin LeCount and Duffy among others. TaP has also previously managed acts including Dua Lipa and Hailiee Steinfeld.
Mawson and Millett didn’t respond to request for comment.
TaP is one of several artist management companies under the Live Nation umbrella, as the world’s largest concert promoter is also one of the biggest artist managers, representing about 360 artists as of 2025, according to the company’s latest 10-K report. (Live Nation itself is not a defendant in the case and didn’t respond to request for comment.)
Back in June, Goulding signed with WME for touring. The pop star has her upcoming sixth album I Know Too Much set for release in September.
