They Fought the Law: Rock Music Goes to Court

From management problems to copyright infringement suits and merchandising deals gone sour, rock musicians have been plagued by legal troubles since the genre's earliest days. Here, rock critic and attorney Soocher profiles some of the industry's most seminal--and flamboyant--courtroom battles. In pithy detail, he revisits the bitter disputes that artists such as the Beatles, the Shirelles and George Michael have had with their record labels; the dramatic trial in which the heavy metal band Judas Priest was accused of inciting two teens to commit suicide; and the landmark Supreme Court case involving the First Amendment rights of the rap group 2 Live Crew. What emerges is a cautionary tale about the uneasy intersection between art and commerce in which musicians who lack business savvy are ripe for exploitation. More noteworthy is Soocher's exploration of the ways legal wranglings can have an impact on an artist's creative output, often permanently altering the dynamics of the artist/record industry relationship. A copyright infringement suit filed against Michael Jackson in 1992, for example, has left record companies increasingly hesitant to accept unsolicited material from new artists, making it harder for unknowns to break into the business. Readers unfamiliar with legal jargon may at times get bogged down in the details of courtroom proceedings, but Soocher's account of the financial and legal pitfalls into which an unsuspecting musician can stumble is an eye-opening reminder that where there is money to be made, lawsuits are sure to follow. Foreign rights, Jennifer Hayes. (Nov.)