Pink Floyd had argued that the band’s contract with the record label called for its music to be sold only in album form, while EMI claimed that the agreement only referred to physical sales such as vinyl, cassette tapes and CDs.
Judge Andrew Morritt ruled in favor of the band, saying the contract’s clause prohibiting the slicing and dicing of Pink Floyd albums protected “the artistic integrity of the albums.”
But “unbundling” tracks for online sales were only one of the issues the band and the label were arguing about in court. There was also a dispute about royalty payments.
According to the Press Association, that issue was absolved as well but we may not hear about those results because EMI, citing “commercial confidentiality,” successfully convinced the judge to keep those proceedings secret.
Meanwhile, Morritt ordered EMI to pay the band’s legal costs, saying he would rule later on damages and refused the label the right to appeal the decision.
Click here to read the complete Press Association report.