November 3, 2004
The Rolling Stones have taken their former record label to court in a bid to get more cash.
The legendary rockers say they are due royalties from Decca, their label from 1963 to 1971, following the success of their '40 Licks' 40th anniversary album.
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood say the album was a worldwide success and included '60s tracks 'Paint It Black' and 'Sympathy For The Devil', which Decca still owns.
The band's lawyer, Richard Meade, told the court: "Artistes are not happy with 'trust me's' from record labels." He also asked permission for the group to scrutinise the label's accounts, adding: "It is crucial that a band should be able to independently audit a record company."
According to legal papers, the Stones could get a four-fifths cut of the Decca tracks on the '40 Licks' album - which could run into millions of pounds.
Meanwhile, Decca's lawyer, Robert Howe, described the case as nothing more than a "fishing exercise".
  
 
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