Rapper Eminem sues Apple (again)
A dispute between Eminem and Apple Inc. has once again come to legal blows, with the Detroit rapper and his music publisher filing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the iTunes operator for alleged copyright violations.
Filed Monday in the U.S. District Court in Detroit, the formal complaint is the latest move by Eminem's music publishers to aggressively protect the rights to his music, according to the Detroit News.
At issue is is whether record labels have the right to turn an artist's CD recordings into digital music downloads on the Internet, or whether further permission is needed from the music publishers who hold the copyrights to the lyrics and sheet music.
Typically, Apple collects 99 cents each time an iPod owner downloads a song, with the company paying 70 cents of that amount to the recording label. The recording label, in turn, then typically pays 9.1 cents to the music publisher.
In their complaint filed Monday, Eminem's music publisher and copyright manager, Eight Mile Style LLC and Martin Affiliated LLC, allege that although Apple pays a portion of the revenues it collects from Eminem downloads to recording giant Universal Music Group, Eight Mile Style and Martin Affiliated have never authorized Universal to allow the downloads.
"Eight Mile and Martin have demanded that Apple cease and desist its reproduction and distribution and Apple has refused," the suit charged.
This isn't the first time that Apple and Eminem turned to the courts. In 2004, Eight Mile Style and Martin also sued Apple over its use of the Eminem song "Lose Yourself" in a TV commercial for Apple's iTunes music store. The ad, which aired on MTV, featured a 10-year-old singing the lyrics to the Oscar-winning track.
The suit was later settled out of court for an undisclosed financial sum.
Filed Monday in the U.S. District Court in Detroit, the formal complaint is the latest move by Eminem's music publishers to aggressively protect the rights to his music, according to the Detroit News.
At issue is is whether record labels have the right to turn an artist's CD recordings into digital music downloads on the Internet, or whether further permission is needed from the music publishers who hold the copyrights to the lyrics and sheet music.
Typically, Apple collects 99 cents each time an iPod owner downloads a song, with the company paying 70 cents of that amount to the recording label. The recording label, in turn, then typically pays 9.1 cents to the music publisher.
In their complaint filed Monday, Eminem's music publisher and copyright manager, Eight Mile Style LLC and Martin Affiliated LLC, allege that although Apple pays a portion of the revenues it collects from Eminem downloads to recording giant Universal Music Group, Eight Mile Style and Martin Affiliated have never authorized Universal to allow the downloads.
"Eight Mile and Martin have demanded that Apple cease and desist its reproduction and distribution and Apple has refused," the suit charged.
This isn't the first time that Apple and Eminem turned to the courts. In 2004, Eight Mile Style and Martin also sued Apple over its use of the Eminem song "Lose Yourself" in a TV commercial for Apple's iTunes music store. The ad, which aired on MTV, featured a 10-year-old singing the lyrics to the Oscar-winning track.
The suit was later settled out of court for an undisclosed financial sum.
Comments
UMG: 60.9 cents
Artist: 9.1 cents
suing the wrong person much?
Eminem should have thought about his music rights before Universal bent him over.
He certainly isn't doing himself any favors suing Apple for allowing iTunes store customers to buy his songs. I hope Apple & Universal pull the plug on him. Done.
Lead, Follow, or get out of the way.
Heck, even Metallica is selling on iTunes now.
Apple: 30 cents
UMG: 60.9 cents
Artist: 9.1 cents
suing the wrong person much?
Eminem should have thought about his music rights before Universal bent him over.
Yeah, most of that 30 cents Apple gets goes right back into the cost of distribution, Apple doesn't really make that much on it. Eminem only had to record the thing once and just sit back and watch the money come in. Oh then pay his lawyers to sue Apple for entering into a completely legal agreement with the record label Eminem signed his contract with. Is he going to come after me now for listening to his music, or maybe for NOT listening to his music.
Yeah, most of that 30 cents Apple gets goes right back into the cost of distribution, Apple doesn't really make that much on it. Eminem only had to record the thing once and just sit back and watch the money come in. Oh then pay his lawyers to sue Apple for entering into a completely legal agreement with the record label Eminem signed his contract with. Is he going to come after me now for listening to his music, or maybe for NOT listening to his music.
You should be a lawyer.
i can't see any culpability on Apple's end. Maybe Universal.
by the way, his music sucks. I am tired of his antics too. He is nothing but a bit more talented Vanilla Ice.
Apple doesn't really make that much on it. Eminem only had to record the thing once and just sit back and watch the money come in.
And how many pennies do you think Eminem gets after his agent and publisher split up the 9 cents. Would anyone be surprised if he is flat broke? He's toast.
by the way, his music sucks. I am tired of his antics too. He is nothing but a bit more talented Vanilla Ice.
I'm not a eminem fan, but I can recognize that he is talented, and about a million times more talented than vanilla ice
And how many pennies do you think Eminem gets after his agent and publisher split up the 9 cents. Would anyone be surprised if he is flat broke? He's toast.
If he's flat broke, it is his own fault, no one forced him to make any deals with any record labels, I'm sure Apple would be happy to pull his stuff off iTunes, then we can watch Eminem slip back into obscurity. I really hope the fans create some backlash on this as well.
And how many pennies do you think Eminem gets after his agent and publisher split up the 9 cents. Would anyone be surprised if he is flat broke? He's toast.
Thats what I was thinking. Spending too much money on bling and bitches.
He ought to start pairing up with people like Akon or T-Pain since they're in damn near every song anymore.
He really can't be making much. Off a new hit theres maybe 1000-2000 downloads each day and then his older stuff is probably 50-100 downloads per day.... I doubt he's pulling in the big bucks. I know many of his downloads are coming right off of LimeWire or Acquisition
Thats what I was thinking. Spending too much money on bling and bitches.
If you're not 12 years old -- or retarded -- you should be embarrassed.
And why would you brain surgeons assume that he's going broke?
If you're not 12 years old -- or retarded -- you should be embarrassed.
And why would you brain surgeons assume that he's going broke?
I should be embarassed.... why?
I should be embarassed.... why?
Bling and bitches? Really?
You're like Pavlovian dogs, working yourselves into a lather whenever someone challenges Apple -- legitimately or not.
Pixie
Bling and bitches? Really?
You're like Pavlovian dogs, working yourselves into a lather whenever someone questions Apple's infallibility.
Still don't see your point except for the fact that you can't take a joke and that you're blowing things way out of proportion. Also, what I said had nothing to do with "someone questions Apple's infallibility." It was all towards Eminem, nothing more.
Thats what I was thinking. Spending too much money on bling and bitches.
He ought to start pairing up with people like Akon or T-Pain since they're in damn near every song anymore.
He really can't be making much. Off a new hit theres maybe 1000-2000 downloads each day and then his older stuff is probably 50-100 downloads per day.... I doubt he's pulling in the big bucks. I know many of his downloads are coming right off of LimeWire or Acquisition
ummm...2000 a day? Where are you getting those numbers? 2000 a day times 365 days is 730,000 a year. They are selling more than 2000 a day.
The Marshall Mathers LP sold over 20 Million Copies. if they'd all been sold on iTunes. at 9 cents a track 20 million times 18 tracks on the album times 9 cents comes to: $32,400,000
The Eminem Show sold over 20 Million Copies, there are 20 tracks on that for $36,000,000. If sold as individual tracks on iTunes.
Obviously the pricing structure on albums are a little different, but those numbers don't seem very small to me.
They also get a lot of advances from the labels and what not. Anything he is spending on alimony, lawyers, agents, the mob and so forth is his own doing.