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Specter Spector - Stolen Stones - Download Dilemma

LEGENDARY producer Phil Spector, indicted on murder charges in the death of B-movie actress Lana Clarkson, was stripped of his claim to fame in a Los Angeles courtroom last week.

Defense attorneys had argued that the chances of their client receiving a fair trail would be greatly diminished if transcripts from grand jury hearings on the case were released. The attorneys cited Spector’s “stardom” as grounds for special circumstances. However, prosecutors contended that nobody remembers who he was. The judge agreed that the defendants faded fame would not prohibit the court from compiling an impartial jury.

Spector, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, has production credits which include "Unchained Melody," "You`ve Lost That Lovin` Feelin`," "To Know Him Is to Love Him" and dozens of other classics from the 60’s and 70’s.


STILL basking in their celebrity status, but a bit poorer, The Rolling Stones have lost the right to pursue a sizable monetary claim against their former record label, Decca, for unpaid royalties.

Decca, now owned by Vivendi`s Universal Music Group, had refused the group permission to audit their financials in hopes of proving the lost income.

Last week a High Court judge in London ruled the matter will not be decided by the courts, but must instead go to arbitration for resolution.

The Stones dispute revolves around the Forty Licks CD, released in 2002 it spans the group’s complete career. Believing they are owed royalties from all the Decca label songs, the band says the amount could top millions of dollars.

MEANWHILE the record labels are claiming loss as well. A report for the National Bureau of Economic Research studied the habits of 412 students and determined that US record sales are continuing to fall due to internet downloads.

Stating the music industry lost one fifth of a sale for each album downloaded from the internet, this study conflicts with a 2002 report that indicated swapping songs online had no negative effect on music sales.

However, the new study claims each participant`s spending on music declined from $126 to $100 when downloading was taken into account.

The report also asked the subjects to put a value on the music they had bought or downloaded over time. Almost a third of the sample with albums by the Red Hot Chili Peppers said they grew more valuable to them as time went on, while over 80% of Britney Spears album owners said they had grown tired of their purchases.

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