Los Angeles – Many of veteran rock band Pink Floyd’s classic
albums have been pulled from digital retailers, after a distribution contract
with EMI expired on June 30, Billboard reported.
The takedown affects albums
including "The Wall" and "Animals," but not earlier
material — "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" through "Dark Side
of the Moon" are still available, as are CD versions of the later albums.
Sources told Billboard the band’s management has been
seeking a new distribution deal, but asking prices were too high.
Billboard
notes that EMI has sold nearly 1.5 million copies of "The Wall" in
the U.S. since 2000, when it took over distribution, 107,000 of which were
digital downloads.
During the two months preceding the expiration of EMI’s deal
on June 30, 41% of sales of that album were in digital format.
Separately, the
band has been embroiled in litigation in the U.K. over the unbundling of its
albums for digital single sales, with the High Court there ruling in March that
EMI could not sell individual tracks from the band.
Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/28m6y6d
(Billboard)
Just found out Pink Floyd have pulled out of online distribution due to refusal to supply singles. Fair play really as its all about the albums but are they missing out on sales? Good story at this Music Blog http://bit.ly/8Xul5K