LOS ANGELES (Top40 Charts) -
Aimee Mann has filed suit against Universal
Music Group (UMG) and Universal
Music & Video Distribution, alleging the unauthorized release of the "Aimee Mann Ultimate Collection," a compilation of previously unreleased songs and promotional singles.
The five-count suit, filed Sept. 10 in California Superior Court in Los Angeles, seeks more than $2 million in damages. The suit contends that "Ultimate Collection," released in 2000, was never approved by Mann and breached her 1992 contract with the Imago Recording Co., which was subsequently acquired by Geffen Records and UMG.
The suit says that in 1999, Mann terminated her Geffen contract, with the agreement that UMG could not assemble a compilation of her material without her consent. The suit reads, "The packaging for [Mann's] record, and the narrative and biographical information contained in the liner notes, including a 'thanks' section, are designed to convey the false impression that the ['Ultimate Collection'] is endorsed by [Mann]."
Writing last year on her official Web site, Mann said she had initially offered to provide the artwork and assist with song selection for the album, but was "flatly refused .. [I was] basically barred from being involved in any way on a project that had my name on it."
"And the very title - 'The Ultimate Collection' - implies at the very least a comprehensive collection, when it doesn't contain anything from [Mann's 2000 album 'Bachelor No. 2'] and only one song from [the Mann-heavy] 'Magnolia' [soundtrack] (and not the Oscar-nominated song)," she continued. "Yet it does contain several things I personally consider to be absolute crap, including a rough mix of one song from just one of two reels of tracks, a song recorded live off the radio 10 years ago and never authorized by me to be recorded at all, much less released, a song I recorded for a movie as a favor to a producer friend that I didn't even write, etc."
UMG says it does not comment on pending litigation.