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Musicians group sues Sony over Michael Jackson film
By Chris Cooke | Published on Thursday 9 July 2015
If you’re a collector of Sony Music lawsuits, here’s another one for the pot. The American Federation Of Musicians is suing the major for allegedly breaking past agreements reached between the record company and the union.
At the heart of the case is the allegation that Sony hired AFM-allied musicians to work on the soundtrack for the posthumous Michael Jackson film ‘This Is It’, but did so under the record industry’s agreement with the union that covers audio recordings, not motion picture soundtracks. The distinction is important because it impacts on the residual income the musicians receive from their work on the project.
AFM International President Ray Hair explains: “A fan may wonder what difference it makes if musicians record music under one contract versus another, but it makes a huge difference to musicians trying to earn a living. Musicians have joined together to create industry standards and it is simply unacceptable for greedy corporations to knowingly violate those standards by denying residuals”.
Other disputes are covered in the lawsuit relating to covers and samples of Michael Jackson records, with Hair concluding: “We did not want to go to court, but Sony repeatedly refused to do the right thing and pay the musicians fairly”.
Sony Music is yet to respond.
