Search Results for: against the current

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – Three years after the former manager of The Killers sued the band for alleged breach of contract, the group has filed a countersuit claiming a pattern of incompetence and double-dealing. The Killers' lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Las Vegas alleges breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment as well as breach of an implied good-faith covenant by former manager Braden Merrick and his company, From the Future. Though the Killers' suit doesn't specify the amount of damages being sought, a statement from the band obtained by Billboard cites "multi-million-dollar damages in… Read more »

Bruce Springsteen has castigated Ticketmaster after it encouraged US fans to buy tickets online for one of his gigs at inflated prices. The Boss also put the boot in about any possible merger between Ticketmaster and concert promoter Live Nation, declaring that such a move would “make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan”. Springsteen, his manager Jon Landau and the entire Springsteen tour team claimed on the Brucemeister’s website that such a move would lead to “a near monopoly situation in music ticketing”. Officials in Connecticut and New Jersey are launching investigations into Ticketmaster’s sales practices, following… Read more »

The industry gets upset when anyone calls this a “tax” so I’ll use the “voluntary license” term, even though tax is much more accurate. A true voluntary license wouldn’t require everyone having a certain provider to opt-in, but that’s exactly what this plan would require. In fact, as the slides indicate, eventually it would basically require all ISPs to “opt-in” forcing all of their members to “opt-in.” Suddenly, everyone has to pay. That’s not a voluntary license. It’s a tax. However, even if we step back and pretend it’s really a voluntary license, and even if we grant the premise… Read more »

Former Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus sued a father-and-son business Monday, alleging they pocketed his investment in a venture to install automated checkout machines at McDonald’s restaurants. The lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court says Ed and Jeff Mitchell lined their pockets “to the tune of over $1.5 million.” It alleges their company – Missicom LLC of San Diego – does not have any contracts to install the machines to take orders and collect payments at McDonald’s or anywhere else. Hoppus, currently a member of the pop-punk band Plus-44, invested $600,000 in Missicom in October 2003, according to the complaint. The… Read more »

Hasidic reggae rapper Matisyahu and rock act Chiodos will join the 2008 Vans Warped Tour lineup for limited dates this July, Billboard.com has learned. Matisyahu, who joins the Vans Warped Tour for the first time, will appear in the traveling rock festival July 9-11 and on July 13 at St. John’s Country Fairgrounds in Jacksonville, Florida. Vans Warped Tour veteran Chiodos joins the trek on July 18 at Comerica Park in Detroit. Matisyahu has a handful of other summer concert appearances lined up, including sets at Milwaukee’s Summerfest (June 30) and the inaugural Pemberton Festival in British Columbia (July 27).… Read more »

Heather Mills was a less than candid court witness whose $250 million divorce claim was exorbitant, a judge said in his ruling on her divorce from Paul McCartney. The judgment by Hugh Bennett was released Tuesday, after a court rejected Mills’ attempt to block publication. On Monday, Bennett awarded Mills a $48.6 million divorce settlement after her four-year marriage to the former Beatle. Mills had sought almost $250 million, while McCartney had offered $31.6 million, including Mills’ own assets. In his ruling, the judge said Mills’ claim “is and was unreasonable, indeed exorbitant.” He also said Mills’ evidence was “not… Read more »

It may be almost 38 years since they officially split but the ability of all things Beatles to shake the world continues unabated. If proof were needed, reports yesterday that Sir Paul McCartney had given the go-ahead for the Fab Four’s back catalogue to be made available on iTunes and other digital download services “within months” made front-page news and set fans’ internet chat rooms buzzing. Official “no comments” that anything was imminent from both Apple Corps, owners of the Beatles’ legacy, and Apple, the creator of iTunes, which dismissed suggestions as “rumour and speculation,” could do little to dampen… Read more »

A teenager who suffered a breakdown on the German version of “American Idol” could end up costing its broadcaster 100,000 euros ($147,000). Germany’s Cultural Council, an official youth protection watchdog, has recommended private German broadcaster RTL be fined for broadcasting the incident, and other humiliating moments on its top-rated “Deutschland Sucht Den Superstar” or “DSDS.” The Cultural Council accused RTL of “malicious disregard” for humanity on the show, arguing that the manner in which contestants are humiliated on the show could have detrimental effects on young viewers. At issue are the early episodes of the current “DSDS” season, which focused… Read more »

Troubled British singer Amy Winehouse is the perfect poster girl for the current state of the music industry. Music isn’t her problem. Everything else is. That’s exactly the same situation that the music industry – faced with lagging sales, a lack of star power and defection from its biggest moneymakers – finds itself in these days. And when the music industry has problems, the Grammys – celebrating their 50th anniversary Sunday – do as well. Winehouse and her stunning R&B revivalist debut “Back to Black” (Universal Republic) are up for six awards; she’s the only artist nominated in all four… Read more »

Music publishers, the record labels and digital music distribution outlets began a three-way legal wrestling match Monday over just how much songwriters and the publishing houses should get paid for digitally delivered music.The case before a panel of copyright judges is different from the usual squabbles over money that pit the major record labels against new-media companies because it also features a family fight between the music publishers and songwriters and the rest of the music industry.At issue is the so-called “mechanical royalty” — payments made for copies of sound recordings, including those made by digital means, to songwriters and… Read more »