Skip to main content
BBC NEWS / ENTERTAINMENT
Graphics VersionBBC Sport Home
News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
Entertainment Contents:  Arts & Culture

Wednesday, 21 March 2007, 08:25 GMT

Bay City Rollers sue record label

The Bay City Rollers in 1975 Hit 1970s pop band The Bay City Rollers are suing their record company, claiming they are owed millions of dollars in unpaid royalties.

The Scottish group says Arista Records has withheld payments from album sales, merchandise, commercials, film rights and ringtones during the last 25 years.

A spokesman for Arista, now a part of Sony BMG, declined to comment.

The act were hugely popular among teen fans in the UK, the US, Australia, Japan and elsewhere from 1971-77.

They enjoyed 10 top 10 hits in the UK including Bye Bye Baby and Give a Little Love, and also made it big in the US when their single Saturday Night went to number one in 1976.

The legal action, filed in the US District Court in New York, does not specify how much the group are seeking from Arista.

Band 'deprived'

But one of their lawyers, Joshua Krumholz, said: "We know it's in the millions."

In the documents, the group said they had sold at least 70 million albums around the world but received only a single royalty payment of about $254,000 (£129,000) in more than 25 years.

The documents said Arista had promised to pay royalties over the years but claimed not to know who to pay.

This was a "pretext intended to deprive the Rollers of the royalties to which they are entitled", the group said.

The legal action has been brought by band members Les McKeown, Eric Faulkner, Stuart Wood, Alan Longmuir, Derek Longmuir and Duncan Faure.

Singer McKeown now tours small venues, while Derek Longmuir is a nurse and another former member is a plumber, Mr Krumholz said.



E-mail this to a friend
Related to this story:
Reduced fine for ex-Rollers boss (22 Jan 07 |  Edinburgh and East )
Singer cleared of drugs charges (03 Feb 06 |  London )
Bay City star in drink-drive ban (02 Dec 05 |  London )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Les McKeown
Sony BMG
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites



SEARCH BBC NEWS: 

News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
Entertainment Contents:  Arts & Culture

NewsWatch | Notes | Contact us | About BBC News | Profiles | History

^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©