Those most Bay City of Rollers are suing SonyBMG's Arista Records claiming the major failed to pass on millions in royalties over the last 25 years. The lawsuit has been filed with the US District Court in Manhattan on behalf of six of the band's members, (the original line up, including founders Alan and Derek Longmuir, plus Duncan Faure who was the band's frontman in the late seventies/early eighties). From what I can make out, Arista don't actually deny that they owe the band some kind of royalty payment (seemingly only one royalty cheque has ever been issued, for £133,000 in 1997) but claim that the band - who have had many line up changes over the years and who fired original manager Tam Paton in 1979 - have never suitably demonstrated who the money should be paid to. But the band's lawsuit says: "Arista's claim over the last 25 years that it does not know who to pay, is and always has been a pretext intended to deprive the Rollers of the royalties to which they are entitled". SonyBMG are yet to respond to the lawsuit.
Mar 21, 2007
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1 min read
Bay City Rollers sue Arista over unpaid royalties
Six members of the Bay City Rollers are suing SonyBMG's Arista Records for allegedly failing to pay millions in royalties over 25 years.