Ron Nelson estate sues Capitol Records

Singer-actor Ron Nelson's estate has prosecuted Capitol Records for millions in delinquent royalties, alleging common accounting sleight-of-hands. The experience, filed in California Superior Court in L.A. on March. 3, alleges fraud, breach of contract, along with other abuses, and seeks actual and punitive damages to become determined at trial. Nelson, who died inside a 1985 plane crash, grew to become a rock 'n' roll star after he was featured on "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," the most popular ABC sitcom starring his parents, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson. He was signed to Imperial Records in 1957, and tallied up 39 chart singles, including two No. 1 smashes and 15 some of the best-10 hits, before exiting the label for Decca Records in 1963. Imperial was later offered to Liberty Records, which subsequently grew to become a part of Capitol, flagship label of EMI Music. EMI is presently up available by Citigroup, which required charge of the troubled company captured. Action states, "Today, Capitol is crippled and operated with a skeleton crew because it prepares itself to become offered off." Suit notes that in May 1992, Capitol informed its "legacy" artists from the '50s, '60s and '70s that the new, greater royalty rate, of 10% from the retail list cost for those full-cost albums, had been implemented. The Nelson estate audited Capitol's catalog account this season, and alleges the label was accounting incorrectly, declining to supply crucial specifics of Nelson's royalties and neglecting the '92 royalty increase. Action claims Capitol is owning $100 million-$250 million in "unmatched earnings" that can not be associated with any particular artist, and it has "stonewalled" tries to determine just how much the Nelson estate arrives from that cache. Echoing recent suits filed against Universal Group by its legacy functions regarding digital royalties, the Nelson action states that because the singer's agreement didn't anticipate digital distribution, it might be "grossly inequitable" to pay for the estate in line with the old rates. An EMI spokesperson didn't immediately react to a request comment. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com