RECORDING INDUSTRY'S CHICKEN COMES HOME TO ROOST AS MUSICIANS SUE FOR

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REUTERS - More than a dozen recording artists, including the estates of
Count Basie and Benny Goodman, sued Universal Music on Friday, saying
they had been cheated out of more than $6 million in royalties since
1998.

The artists, many of whom signed with recording companies that were
later bought by Universal, sued the world's largest music label for
breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty in a lawsuit filed in
New York State Court. . .

The lawsuit alleges that Universal, which is required to submit at least
biannual reports of sales and earnings for each artist, provided false
information throughout the accounting period of May 1999 through
February 2007. . .

Other artists included in the lawsuit, either individually or through
their estates, were Les Brown, Richard Hayman, Dick Hyman, Woody Herman,
Kitty Kallen, Frankie Laine, Tony Martin, John Mills, Jerry Murad, Patti
Page, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and Sarah Vaughn.

http://www.artsjournal.com/artsjournal1/2008/02/prominent_music.shtml

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