Veteran rock act Boston has filed a breach-of-contract suit against New York-based indie label Artemis Records and CEO Danny Goldberg, seeking damages in excess of $1 million, Billboard Bulletin reports.
Artemis last year released Boston's album "Corporate America." The action, filed Tuesday in New York Supreme Court, claims that Goldberg assured Boston the album would be "the highest priority" for Artemis, but the company "[provided] more smoke and mirrors than commitment to its artists."
The suit claims that a round of layoffs at Artemis eliminated key staff members necessary to fulfill the label's obligations to the group. It also says Artemis "[failed] to execute almost every element of [the Boston marketing] plan," and claims that the success of the band's summer tour is in jeopardy due to the label's failure to properly promote the album.
An Artemis spokesperson had no comment at deadline, saying the label had not yet seen the suit.
"Corporate America," Boston's first Artemis album, was released Nov. 5, 2002, and has sold 119,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. Boston's self-titled 1976 debut is one of the best-selling albums of all time; it has been certified for U.S. shipments of 16 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Boston's suit marks the second time this year Artemis has been hit with litigation by one of its acts. In March, female rock act Kittie lodged a breach-of-contract action against the label in federal court in New York.
Boston leader and guitarist Tom Scholz has a long history of litigation: in 1983, he began a protracted legal battle with CBS Records over unpaid royalties. A federal jury awarded Scholz $20 million in 1990.
Artemis last year released Boston's album "Corporate America." The action, filed Tuesday in New York Supreme Court, claims that Goldberg assured Boston the album would be "the highest priority" for Artemis, but the company "[provided] more smoke and mirrors than commitment to its artists."
The suit claims that a round of layoffs at Artemis eliminated key staff members necessary to fulfill the label's obligations to the group. It also says Artemis "[failed] to execute almost every element of [the Boston marketing] plan," and claims that the success of the band's summer tour is in jeopardy due to the label's failure to properly promote the album.
An Artemis spokesperson had no comment at deadline, saying the label had not yet seen the suit.
"Corporate America," Boston's first Artemis album, was released Nov. 5, 2002, and has sold 119,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. Boston's self-titled 1976 debut is one of the best-selling albums of all time; it has been certified for U.S. shipments of 16 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Boston's suit marks the second time this year Artemis has been hit with litigation by one of its acts. In March, female rock act Kittie lodged a breach-of-contract action against the label in federal court in New York.
Boston leader and guitarist Tom Scholz has a long history of litigation: in 1983, he began a protracted legal battle with CBS Records over unpaid royalties. A federal jury awarded Scholz $20 million in 1990.
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