MCA To Pay Additional Royalties To Buddy Holly's Heirs
MCA Records is agreeing to pay more money to Buddy Holly's heirs. Holly -- who dropped an "e" from his last name when he entered show business -- died in a 1959 plane crash leaving behind a catalog of hits like "That'll Be the Day" and "Peggy Sue." MCA announced on Thursday that Holly's widow and siblings will receive a, quote, "modest amount" of additional royalties as ordered by the Los Angeles Superior Court. MCA Records filed a lawsuit against Holly's heirs in April 1999, claiming the rocker's family had made "unfounded contentions" that the record label had, among other things, hoarded royalties and illegally produced albums without the family's consent. The claims were made in a lawsuit that the Holleys filed earlier in Lubbock, Texas.
Holly's widow Maria, his sister Pat Holley, and his brothers Larry and Travis Holley alleged at the time that MCA had, quote, "grossly underpaid the fair market value of the royalties" and had exploited agreements made with Holly before he died. In their countersuit, MCA asked a judge to determine the rights between the parties. |