Pink Floyd Win Battle Against EMI

A judge has sided with legendary, psychedelic rock band, Pink Floyd, in their ongoing dispute with former music label, EMI, but a spokesperson for the corporation said the company has no plans of adhering to the ruling. In a case that has been running for over a year now, members of the band sought to keep EMI from selling single tracks on digital musical services, such as iTunes, as they felt this compromised its integrity; Pink Floyd did not release singles as a general practice, as many of their albums were "concept" works better known as "rock operas."

To be fair, the ruling did not specifically stipulate that EMI must quit the sell of singles and EMI says they have no intention of doing so. According to a spokesperson, there are "further arguments to be heard... and the case will go on for some time."

This is probably the most clear-cut example of why young musicians should steer clear of the traditional recording industry in this digital day and age. Because sites such as iTunes and YouTube give individual artists the opportunity to distribute their own works - the very role major recording labels used to play - while retaining full control of said work, the focus should be on creating pieces aimed directly at the commercial sector, as opposed to creating pieces meant to garner industry interest ("demos" or demonstrations).

While true that major labels and music companies handle the, often confusing and overwhelming, business side of making and playing music, this is the inevitable end result of such an agreement. For further research, see also: Prince, Metallica, Madonna, et.al., ad nauseam.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010