Pink Floyd win EMI court ruling over online sales

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Pink Floyd win EMI court ruling over online sales

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8561963.stm

Pink Floyd tracks may be removed from digital music services like iTunes after a High Court ruling.

Their latest record deal, signed with EMI before legal downloads came along, said individual songs must not be sold without the band's permission.

They argued that the same rule should apply to digital sales as well as CDs.

EMI disagreed but a judge has sided with Pink Floyd. The ruling is part of a long-running battle between the two sides over £10m in unpaid royalties.

EMI said it had not yet been ordered to stop selling single Pink Floyd tracks. That may come at a later stage in the case, however.

In court, Chancellor Sir Andrew Morritt said the contract contained a clause to "preserve the artistic integrity of the albums".

He said the contract meant EMI were "not entitled to exploit recording by online distribution or by any other means other than the original album, without the consent of Pink Floyd".

The band largely avoided releasing singles during their career, instead preferring fans to listen to entire albums such as Dark Side of the Moon, which has sold more than 35 million copies around the world.

EMI has been ordered to pay £40,000 ($60,000) costs. The band were not present to hear the judgment at the High Court in London.

[Echo In Light]

1. k/r Set the controls...

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x27152_pink-floyd-live-at-pompeii-set-the_music

[NightWatcher]

2. by the way, which one's Pink?

Pink is best enjoyed in the complete album instead of singles anywhoosle.

[Froward69]

10. Agreed

the whole album (all of them) is a work of art. one cant fully appreciate the mona lisa if you only see her smile.

[sufrommich]

3. Money, it's a gas . nt

[n2doc]

4. They weren't opposed to selling singles in the old days...

I suspect we shall see yet another attempt to sell the same old stuff via some other seller, M$oft or Sony or the like....

[ArnoldLayne]

5. That's not a photo of Pink Floyd

I should know my moniker Arnold Layne is pink floyds first ever single. Released in England march 1967 followed by see Emily play in may 67.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

6. I know it's not...it's my signature line pic.

I didn't post a photo with the article. That photo of Jefferson Airplane is in all of my posts...like this one.

:toast:

[Birthmark]

7. Yet another reason to love PF

[eeyore]

8. Viva Albums!

Good for The Floyd! If they want people to listen to their music in album context, then that is their right as artists. EMI knows damn well who they are dealing with, and thought they could pull a fast one. I'm sure they've been dying to sell more Floyd singles for decades. They got greedy and lost.

For Pink Floyd the art has always come before anything else. The've bucked the system from day one, creating what they wanted to, not what their labels wanted them to. Just so happens that a lot of people have been happy to enjoy their art however they want it presented. True revolutionaries!

Pink Floyd fought for years to gain full creative control over their art. I'm glad their still fighting. Well done, lads!

[slampoet]

9. Finally a case of money going to Artists and NOT record companies.

Now if they can just get the money back to Chuck Berry, Leadbelly, most of Motown artists, and about 700 other major artists and songwriters i could list....