Smashing Pumpkins have filed a lawsuit against former label Virgin Records, claiming the EMI subsidiary used the band’s image and music in a worldwide Pepsi Stuff promotion in collaboration with Amazon.com and Pepsi Co., which has “irreparably harmed the group, their reputation, and goodwill with their fans.”
According to a press release, the band’s breach-of-contract suit, filed yesterday (March 24) in the Superior Court of the State of California in Los Angeles, is seeking “a full and complete accounting of all funds received by Virgin pursuant to the Pepsi promotion,” and “an award of punitive damages against Virgin in an amount according to proof.”
“It’s a frustrating situation honestly, to be treated so poorly by a label where we had so much success,” Billy Corgan said in a statement, commenting on the band’s 17-year relationship with the label. “Recently, they have ignored our pleas to give our fans special editions of our old albums, telling us they weren’t interested. So there is a tremendous amount of hypocrisy involved with them turning around and using us like this.”
Also Read
Compact Discs: Sound of the Future
As previously reported, the Smashing Pumpkins are ditching record labels altogether with their plan to release individual songs online as their career progresses.
