Royalties battle over Blur

The former owners of BLUR's record label FOOD RECORDS have taken EMI RECORDS to court in a £250,000 royalties battle.

David and Helen Balfe owned 75% of Food Records before they sold the label to EMI in April 1994. As part of the sale, EMI agreed to pay royalties on two more albums from each artist, including Blur. After that, no more royalties are paid.

Representatives from EMI claim that in the case of Blur, the albums which qualify are 1995's 'The Great Escape' and 'Blur - Live At The Budokan', which was given a limited international release and sold 80,000 copies worldwide.

However, the Balfe's claim the second qualifying album should be 'Blur', which was given a full release worldwide and sold 2.4 million copies.

Their QC, Robert Englehart said: "To the ordinary member of the record buying public in the UK, 'The Great Escape' would be the first and 'Blur' the second album...

"Such a person would hardly describe 'Blur - Live At The Budokan' as the second Blur album when he would never have had the opportunity of buying it in a record shop here."

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