XML 37 R22.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.24.2
Note 15 - Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2024
Notes to Financial Statements  
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]

Note 15 Commitments and Contingencies

 

Contractual Obligations

 

As of March 31, 2024, the Company is obligated under agreements with Content Providers and other contractual obligations to make guaranteed payments as follows: $6.6 million, $0.6 million, $0.5 million and $0.5 million for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028, respectively.

 

On a quarterly basis, the Company records the greater of the cumulative actual content acquisition costs incurred or the cumulative minimum guarantee based on forecasted usage for the minimum guarantee period. The minimum guarantee period of time is the period that the minimum guarantee relates to, as specified in each agreement, which may be annual or a longer period. The cumulative minimum guarantee, based on forecasted usage, considers factors such as listening hours, revenue, members, and other terms of each agreement that impact the Company’s expected attainment or recoupment of the minimum guarantees based on the relative attribution method.

 

Several of the Company’s content acquisition agreements also include provisions related to the royalty payments and structures of those agreements relative to other content licensing arrangements, which, if triggered, could cause the Company’s payments under those agreements to escalate, which included payments to be made in common stock. In addition, record labels, publishers and performing rights organizations with whom the Company has entered into direct license agreements have the right to audit the Company’s content acquisition payments, and any such audit could result in disputes over whether the Company has paid the proper content acquisition costs. However, as of March 31, 2024, the Company does not believe it is probable that these provisions of its agreements discussed above will, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on its business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

On August 4, 2022, the Company entered into a settlement agreement with a certain music partner attributed to past royalties owed. The Company issued 800,000 shares of its common stock to the music partner and settled $0.4 million of accounts payable with the remaining value of the shares attributed to prepayment for future royalties. The fair value of the shares was determined to be $1.0 million based on the Company’s share price at the date the shares were issued. As of March 31, 2024, no amount was recorded as a prepaid asset related to this transaction in order to fund future amounts owed for royalties. As required by the agreement, because the agreement was not terminated by the music partner after one year, the Company issued an additional 200,000 shares to the music partner as prepayment of future royalties.

 

In addition, the Company entered into additional arrangements with vendors to settle outstanding amounts owed in exchange for a cumulative amount of 597,918 shares of common stock with a fair value of $0.4 million. The fair value of the shares was determined to be $0.4 million based on the Company’s share price at the date the shares were issued.

 

 

 

Employment Arrangements

 

As of March 31, 2024, the Company has an employment agreement and employment arrangement with two named executive officers (“Section 16 Officers”) that provide salary payments of $0.7 million and target bonus compensation of up to $0.3 million on an annual basis. Furthermore, such employment agreement and employment arrangement contains a severance clause that could require severance payments in the aggregate amount of $0.3 million (excluding the value of potential payouts of discretionary bonuses, pro-rata bonuses, and potential accelerated vesting of equity awards granted to such executive officer).

 

The Company’s CEO agreed to forgive his salary of $0.5 million per annum for the period from August 2021 until December 31, 2022 in exchange for shares of the Company’s common stock and/or restricted stock units to be issued in the future. As of  March 31, 2024, the Company’s board of directors has not yet determined the number of shares of the Company’s common stock and/or restricted stock units to be issued to the CEO as such compensation.

 

Legal Proceedings 

 

On April 10, 2018, Joseph Schnaier, Danco Enterprises, LLC (an entity solely owned by Mr. Schnaier, “Danco”), Wantmcs Holdings, LLC (Mr. Schnaier is the managing member) and Wantickets (Mr. Schnaier is the 90% beneficial owner) filed a complaint in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York against the Company, LiveXLive Tickets, Inc. (“LXL Tickets”), Robert S. Ellin and certain other defendants. Plaintiffs subsequently voluntarily dismissed all claims against the other defendants. The complaint alleged multiple causes of action arising out of Schnaier’s investment (through Danco) into the Company in 2016, LXL Tickets’ purchase of certain operating assets of Wantickets pursuant to the Asset Purchase Agreement, dated as of May 5, 2017 (the "APA"), and Mr. Schnaier’s employment with LXL Tickets. The Company denied plaintiffs’ claims. The Company believed that the complaint was an intentional act by the plaintiffs to publicly tarnish the Company’s and its senior management’s reputations through the public domain in an effort to obtain by threat of litigation certain results for Mr. Schnaier’s self-serving and improper purposes. The Company vigorously defended this lawsuit and believed that the allegations are without merit and that it has strong defenses. On June 26, 2018, the Company and LXL Tickets, filed counterclaims against the plaintiffs for breach of contract (including under the APA), fraudulent inducement, and other causes of action, seeking injunctive relief, damages, attorneys’ fees and expenses and such other relief as the court may award. As of December 31, 2022, all of plaintiffs’ claims were dismissed or addressed by the parties or the court other than plaintiffs’ claims for fraudulent inducement related to payment of Wantickets’ audit costs, breach of contract based on Mr. Schnaier’s employment agreement with LXL Tickets, and fraudulent inducement due to plaintiffs alleged inability to sell their shares of Company’s common stock acquired pursuant to the APA. The trial was held in late April and early May 2023. In May 2023, the Company achieved a favorable outcome in this lawsuit, as the jury awarded damages to LXL Tickets in the amount of $0.23 million, together with costs and disbursements as taxed by the clerk and with statutory interest at 9% per annum from November 22, 2018, versus damages in the amount of $0.15 million, together with costs and disbursements as taxed by the clerk and with statutory interest at 9% per annum from June 29, 2018 awarded to the plaintiffs. Neither amount is material to the Company. The plaintiffs appealed certain rulings in this matter, and in February 2024, the court of appeals denied the appeal. Accordingly, other than the payment of damages awarded by the court to each party as provided above, this lawsuit has been concluded.

 

During each of the quarters ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company recorded legal settlement expenses relating to potential claims arising in connection with litigation brought against the Company by certain third parties were not material and were included in general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.

 

From time to time, the Company is involved in legal proceedings and other matters arising in connection with the conduct of its business activities. Many of these proceedings may be at preliminary stages and/or seek an indeterminate amount of damages. In the opinion of management, after consultation with legal counsel, such routine claims and lawsuits are not significant and we do not currently expect them to have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or liquidity.