Pink Floyd Gunning For EMI

Pink Floyd’s lawsuit against label EMI was launched yesterday as the band claim unpaid royalties relating to online sales.

The lawsuit alleges that a contract negotiated with EMI in 1998 and 1999 said that Floyd’s songs would only be sold as song bundles and not as individual tracks. However, iTunes launched after the contract was signed and Pink Floyd tracks have been available as individual downloads for years.

Rupert Howe, lawyer for the band members, said "It was unclear whether record companies would be selling direct to the consumer or through retailers.

"It's a matter of fact that the defendant has been permitting individual tracks to be downloaded online and that therefore they have been allowing albums not to be sold in their original configuration."

Elizabeth Jones, a lawyer for EMI, claimed that the contract did not cover online sales of the band's music.

The case continues.

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