Pink Floyd take EMI to court in royalties dispute

One of the biggest names in the music industry is taking legal action in a dispute over royalty payments.

Veteran rock band Pink Floyd have claimed their record label EMI did not ask them for permission to sell their songs individually in the form of downloads.

Robert Howe, QC for the group, said the group want their material sold as complete albums for both artistic and commercial reasons.

However, EMI maintains that the restrictions on the sale of individual songs only apply to physical products rather than internet-based downloads.

Pink Floyd have taken their grievance to the High Court in order to seek a ruling on the matter.

"It is well known that Pink Floyd albums form seamless pieces," Mr Howe commented.

"They want to retain artistic control, ensuring exploitation of albums, not singles."

Pink Floyd first rose to prominence in the late 1960s with hits such as Arnold Layne and See Emily Play, before enjoying huge success with albums such as Wish You Were Here and The Dark Side of the Moon.

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