Oates and Hall have attracted media attention due to Oates’ efforts to sell his share in their joint venture, Whole Oats Enterprises. This development followed reports of Hall filing a restraining order against Oates. It was later revealed that Hall was attempting to stop the sale of their stake in Whole Oats Enterprises to Primary Wave Music.
In the midst of this legal battle with his former musical partner, Oates shared his desire to change his focus in a recent podcast appearance for ‘Behind the Velvet Rope.’ Proud of his catalog, Oates said:
“You can’t ignore the fact that the Hall & Oates catalog of hits and the 50-year career will always trump almost anything that Daryl does on his own or I do on my own, which is okay because I’m very proud of that music. I’m really proud of what Daryl and I created together.”
Oates wants to move forward. Describing his feelings with an analogy, he continued:
“I don’t like to live in the past… I make the analogy of what it’s like when you go to a great museum and you’re really excited to go and see all the beautiful paintings or the exhibits or whatever it might be, and then near the end, your feet start to hurt and you say, ‘You know what? I can’t wait to get out of here.’ That’s kind of how I feel about it. It’s just a matter of living in my present.”
Hall Declared He’s Deeply Troubled
Meanwhile, Daryl Hall is not so willing to let it go and move on. Hall wrote in his court filing that the relationship between the two had broken down. He expressed being ‘deeply troubled’ by the deterioration of his relationship with Oates. He accused Oates of intending to cause him harm, particularly with the timing of the lawsuit coinciding with the beginning of his tour, leading to considerable disruption and difficulty in his life. In his court filing, Hall stated:
“There is no amount of money that could compensate me for being forced to partner with an entity that I did not agree to partner with, and whose business model does not comport with my views regarding the WOE (Whole Oats Enterprises) assets.”
Primary Wave bought a significant stake in Hall & Oates’ catalog rights 16 years ago. But in 2021, Hall told Sky News that he regretted it by saying:
“Never sell your publishing – maybe if you’re, you know, 80 years old and you decided to retire, then you can sell your publishing but I wouldn’t even suggest it then.I don’t believe in that concept – it’s all you have.”
You can read Daryl Hall’s full court filing here.
