More Legal Trouble For Cingular
As if the allegations of terrible customer service weren’t enough, it looks like Cingular has one more reason to worry. Levon Helm, drummer for The Band, is alleging that Cingular has not properly compensated him for the use of one of The Band’s songs in a commercial for the wireless provider. The group’s signature song, "The Weight" aired in a Cingular commercial last fall. Helm maintains that Cingular did not request, nor receive, prior written consent, though he admits that they did pay a standard royalty rate. Helm is suing for an undisclosed sum of further monetary compensation. Go get em’ baby!
[Via cellular-news]
But he’s not suing Cingular (yet). He’s suing the ad company that made the commercial.
Boy, you must really hate Cingular.
Author: Check the spelling in the title.
Loving the new look.
That said, I can’t help but feel a little bit conflicted about this. On the one hand, it’s true that he wasn’t contacted before they used his likeness in the commercial.
On the other hand, they paid him standard royalty fees. I can’t help but feel like he’s being greedy. Not to say that I wouldn’t react the same way, given the same set of circumstances; I probably would. It just seems kinda greedy.
What kills me about this is that Helm gets all riled about artistic integrity and the deeper, cultural significance of the music of The Band. And then he essentially blows all credibility by filing a suite that comes down to Helm not receiving enough money. Classy.