An unsigned band in Liverpool has been paid a reported $30,000 for agreeing to share their band name. The group were called Audioslave – the name being used by the latest project from Tom Morello, Soundgardens’s Chris Cornell and other RATM members. The Liverpool four piece were approached by US lawyers when the American Audioslave discovered their UK namesakes.
The Liverpool band’s singer Christopher Price told the NME: "We'd had a few messages posted on our website from fans telling us that an American band was trying to steal our name - but we didn't take them seriously at first. Then, one day, our manager got a call from the US to say they were interested in negotiating a deal - and it was then we decided we should get a solicitor involved. But we're all big fans of the American rock scene anyway, and we felt quite chuffed they wanted our name."
The band's manager, Dave Hession, continued: "When the Americans first contacted us they made us an initial offer of $5,000 and said they wanted exclusive use of the name, but we thought this wasn't enough for the effort for we'd put into the band. So, eventually, they upped the offer to $30,000 and agreed that both bands could use the name Audioslave - which is an indication of the respect they had for us."