Smashing Pumpkins sue Virgin for damaging their cred

Smashing Pumpkins sue Virgin for damaging their cred

If you've recently found yourself questioning the credibility of Smashing Pumpkins, blame Virgin Records: In a breach-of-contract lawsuit filed yesterday, the band avers that its former label has "threatened their reputation for artistic integrity" by using their name without permission in a Pepsi promotional campaign. Besides the fact that Virgin didn't ask nicely first, the band alleges that the use of their name in the ads "hurts their credibility with fans," a devastating blow considering they have "worked hard for over two decades to accumulate a considerable amount of goodwill in the eyes of the public." (Oh, you mean like releasing three different versions of Zeitgeist, so that your fans could only get all the songs by buying multiple "exclusive" copies from Best Buy, Target, and iTunes? That kind of goodwill?) Of course, Smashing Pumpkins' music has appeared in commercials before—most recently it was mentioned in the same company of "credible" acts like Michael Bolton, Tiffany, and Korn—so all talk of "integrity" aside, the real issue seems to be (as always), "Where's my money, bitch?" But, you know, most lawyers advise against phrasing it like that.

 
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