Musicians File Lawsuits Against UMG and Sony for the Rights to Their Recordings
When someone produces music, their goal is normally to share it with the world. But in some cases, musicians decide they don't like royalty arrangements they've made or who they're working with. This is the case with several prominent musicians from the 70s who have filed claims against UMG Recordings and Sony Music.
Artists including John Waite, Joe Ely, David Johansen, John Lyon, and Paul Collins tried to give notices of termination to their publishers and record labels. Unfortunately, they were allegedly met with dismissals or invitations to renegotiate the deals they previously made.
Many artists in the 70s gave away the rights to their music when their careers were just taking off. The Copyright Act of 1976 gave these artists a second chance by allowing them to terminate copyright g...