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Smashing Pumpkins Sue Virgin Over "Artistic Integrity"Pitchfork: News

LOLz

Photo by Matt Ziegler

Okay so this is just kinda funny. According to a Billboard.com report, Billy Corgan and his Smashing Pumpkins are suing former label Virgin Records-- with which they put out Siamese Dream, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Adore, and Machina/The Machines of God-- for damaging their "artistic integrity" and undoing the "considerable amount of goodwill in the eyes of the public" the band has "worked hard for over two decades to accumulate." All because of a little promotion.

Hmm, was it the promotion where the Pumpkins milked their hardcore fans by issuing four different versions of Zeitgeist to four different big money retailers? No? How about the one where they released a second Best Buy-only edition of Zeitgeist with a bonus DVD? Nope! Wait, that wrestling thing? No sir. Zeitgeist came out on Reprise, which falls under the Warner Music Group umbrella; the label taking the heat here is EMI Group-allied Virgin.

Turns out the Pumpkins are peeved over a promotion with PepsiCo and Amazon.com to push "Pepsi Stuff", which I guess is like Kool-Aid points for people who consume mass quantities of carbonated soft drinks.

Corgan and Co. claim they never granted Virgin permission to use the band in such a manner, and demand that the label hand over all profits from the Pepsi promotion as recompense. They're also seeking an injunction prohibiting use of the band's name for such purposes in the future.

While you ponder all that, know that the Pumpkins have expanded their latest "goodwill" mission some since our last dispatch, adding gigs in Mexico and Costa Rica, plus more in Australia. [MORE...]

Full post as published by IP Law Daily on March 25, 2008 (boomark / email).