Friday 2 October 2009

Edwyn Collins’ Manager Angered by Myspace and Major Labels

Scots pop legend Edwyn Collins has been stopped from putting his own music on the internet by Warner Music Group, even though they do not own the rights.

Collins wanted to put his 1995 hit single ‘A Girl Like You’ on his Myspace page for fans to enjoy and download for free. However, the social networking site would not allow this, because Warner Music Group claimed it was their song.

Grace Maxwell, wife and manager of the former Orange Juice frontman has detailed her "running battle" with MySpace and Warner, who she says are "claiming the ownership" of the song, despite Collins owning the copyright for it – on her blog.

"I was told Edwyn was attempting to breach a copyright and he was sent to the Orwellian myspace copyright re-education page," she wrote.

After writing to MySpace she was put in touch with a Warner Music Group rep who "promised to get it sorted" some months ago.

She added that "MySpace are not equipped to deal with the notion that anyone other than a major can claim a copyright".

She also went on to vent her frustration that 'A Girl Like You' is being sold elsewhere on the internet rather than being offered for free.

"'A Girl Like You' is available for sale all over the internet. Not by Edwyn, by all sorts of respectable major labels whose licence to sell it ran out years ago and who do not account to him," she wrote.

The track propelled Collins to new fame during the 90s, when it hit number 4 in the chart and stayed in the top 40 for 14 weeks.

To read in full, go to the blog at http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=81170767&blogId=512410712

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