Couple fight for Blur royalties

Blur was the biggest signing for Food

The husband and wife team who discovered rock band Blur have launched a royalties claim against EMI Records.

David and Helen Balfe sold their record label Food Ltd to EMI for £475,000 in 1994 in a deal which included future royalties.

They now claim EMI Records should pay out an extra £250,000 in royalties for a Blur album release.

Representing the Balfes at the High Court in London, Robert Englehart QC said his clients had signed a number of bands "which had achieved considerable success".

Japanese market

Blur were the most significant of these and have achieved the greatest commercial success.

During the takeover EMI agreed to pay royalties for the first two albums released by Food artists.

The first release by Blur was The Great Escape, which sold 2.15 million copies worldwide.

EMI then released a live album aimed solely at the Japanese market, which sold 80,000 copies.

The third album, Blur, went on to sell 2.4 million copies for which no royalties were owned.

Mr Englehart said the same method had been used on another of the Balfes' discoveries, Shampoo.

The couple claim that Blur's second album should not be included as part of the deal and that royalty fees should be calculated on the third release.

Judge Boggis QC will give his ruling on Wednesday.