Being a musician comes with many perks: fame, success, money, and obtaining most material things in the world quicker than other people. Celebrities come from nothing mostly, and with their talents, they rise to the public’s attention and enjoy their prosperity. However, this may come with a price.
Their career also involves business, and when that surfaces to the celebrity’s attention, the arts get mixed up with bureaucratic and contractual difficulties. This situation frequently results in a lawsuit that countless musicians suffer from, like The Eagles’ Don Henley and Hole’s Courtney Love.
Courtney Love And Don Henley’s Battle With Record Labels
The Hole’s Courtney Love and the Eagles’ Don Henley faced a business difficulty with their record label back in 2001. They took it to court to settle their wants and needs from the company. Joining them was also the singer and songwriter LeAnne Rimes. Their complaint was to free musicians from long-term label contracts.
Once a musician is signed to a label, they must accomplish its contractual requirements. When artists initially agree with them, they usually have to force their creativity to actualize these requirements. For example, Love’s contract, a standard one, was impossible to fulfill because of the album creation, release, and touring programs. She had complained that she could not make ‘seven albums in seven years.’
Eagles’ Don Henley also stated his frustration about record companies that expect the artist to follow their contractual duties while the companies do not fulfill their own. He indicated that it’s ridiculous that they can fire the artists, but the artists cannot fire them.
Here is what Love complained about:
“I don’t care what the industry says to you today; they lied to you. I cannot make seven albums in seven years. They will not let me.”
Henley’s statement follows:
“Record companies can fire us, but we can’t fire them, even if they fail to perform their duties.”
Eventually, Love had targetted 1987 California labor code known as ‘De Havilland Law.’ However, regardless of the support from many artists, this lawsuit didn’t result in a radical happy ending as far as the news is concerned.
Recording Industry Association of America’s Cary Sherman had also commented on these disagreements. Because the labels tend to take a chance to hire musicians, provide them with equipment, and are responsible for their entire album releases, the musician’s failure is a considerable risk.
