Landmark ruling 'gives artists ammunition'

Musicians could be set to benefit after Pink Floyd won its legal battle with EMI.

The veteran band took their record label to court this week because they objected to individual songs being sold online, as they only want complete albums to be distributed.

According to Pink Floyd's former manager Peter Jenner, the ruling in the band's favour could have implications for many other acts.

"It will give the artists some ammunition to get the record companies to be a bit fairer with the royalty treatment they give artists for digital work," he commented.

Speaking to BBC 6 Music, he said the issue of selling tracks individually is important to Pink Floyd, because they consciously tried to record full-length albums that should be heard in their entirety.

Indeed, he noted that a song would sometimes be dropped by the band if it did not fit in with the wider album.

Pink Floyd are one of EMI's most lucrative acts, partly thanks to huge sellers such as The Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall and Wish You Were Here.

Product category: Electronic musical instruments