On Friday [March 6], a federal jury ruled against former Eminem producers’ request for increased royalty rates for songs sold online. Mark and Jeff Bass, collectively known as the Bass Brothers and owners of F.B.T. Productions, initiated a suit against Aftermath/Interscope Records in 2002 [click to read]. The suit stated the Bass Brothers wanted 50% of all proceeds for works sold through online stores, such as Apple‘s iTunes and various ringtone providers.
As producers and co-producers of works from Eminem‘s Aftermath debut, such as “97 Bonnie & Clyde” [click to read] and “Just Don’t Give a Fuck” [click to read], as well as later works from the 2002 album, The Eminem Show, the Bass Brothers were entitled to a standard royalty rate of 12% from the sale of any physical album. The suit was filed on the grounds that songs provided to online retailers should be treated as digital master copies, and subject to a 50% royalty rate split.
In a move that likely sets a precedent for the music industry the jury agreed with the current interpretation that online music purchases are no different from physical ones bought in a store.
“We are very surprised by the jury’s verdict,” said Richard S. Busch, an attorney representing the Bass Brothers. “We don’t understand it, and the fight’s not over.”
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The suit was not a total loss for the Bass Brothers. The Los Angeles Times reports that they were awarded $159,000 of underpaid royalties from previous recordings.
