The Smashing Pumpkins’ integrity battle

What happened

The Smashing Pumpkins filed a lawsuit against Virgin Records on Monday, claiming that the record label illegally used the band’s name and music in promotional deals with Amazon.com and Pepsi Co. The suit states that the group has “worked hard for over two decades to accumulate a considerable amount of goodwill in the eyes of the public,” and that Virgin’s actions threaten the band’s reputation for “artistic integrity.” (AP)

What the commentators said

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It’s pretty “funny” that the Smashing Pumpkins are complaining that their integrity has been damaged, said Matt Ziegler in Pitchfork. Isn’t this the same band that “milked their hardcore fans by issuing four different versions of” their latest album Zeitgeist “to four big money retailers,” and “released a second Best Buy–only edition” of the record “with a bonus DVD?”

This is the best thing that could have happened to the Smashing Pumpkins, said David Gianatasio in AdFreak.com. The lawsuit is “generating more press than their last five albums combined,” so it’s “probably well worth the price of filing.” And who knows—“maybe Virgin sued itself in an effort to build buzz and move some Pumpkin’s product.”

The Smashing Pumpkins are doing the right thing by suing Virgin Records, said the Brock N’ Roll Blog. The band owns the copyright, so “they have every right” to file a lawsuit if they feel they have been misrepresented. You can’t blame a band for “going on a suing rampage” when they’ve been disrespected by their label.