Peter Frampton Suing Label Over Royalties From Digital Sales

Peter Frampton is the latest star to take legal action against a record company over payments for digital sales.  Nashville's "Tennessean" says thatPeter filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group last Friday. He's seeking 500-thousand-dollars in unpaid royalties along with additional damages. Peter is working with Nashville-based attorney Richard Busch, who tells the paper the issues "go beyond simply breach of contract."  The lawyer is also representing the sister of The Knack's late drummer Bruce Gary and producers for rapper Eminem in a similar cases.  He says his clients "allege the wrongdoing here is a part of deliberate effort to deprive the parties of their royalties."  The artists say they should receive their licensing fee -- 50-percent -- on downloads since there is no physical packaging and other expenses that justify the labels taking 80-to-90-percent of the revenue from album sales.

According to Frampton's suit, once Universal learned that Peter was taking legal action, the rocker received a check from the label for 212-thousand-dollars, which his complaint says is "hundreds of thousands of dollars" less than he's due.  The lawsuit further alleges that Universal sent the money "with the hope that Frampton would be deceived into cashing the check and thereby potentially relieving UMG Recordings from further liability."