EMI Sues Streaming Music Service Grooveshark

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 18, 2009 - 10:26am.

London - Major record label EMI has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Grooveshark, a site that streams free music from all four major labels, All Things D reported. Launched in 2006, Florida-based Grooveshark initially offered a peer-to-peer file-sharing application, but has since switched its focus to providing a free streaming music service.

In a statement published by All Things D, Grooveshark said that it has been in licensing talks with EMI for the past year, but that the label "chose to abandon the template we've built with the help of other major copyright holders and opted for their traditional intimidation tactic of ﬁling a lawsuit as a negotiating tool."

"We hope that EMI Records eventually follows the lead of the many forward-thinking labels we are already working with, who would rather get their artists exposure and a fair share of our revenue than block content access and force customers to illegal networks," the company said.

To date, Grooveshark has not announced licensing deals with any of the three other major labels, but did sign a licensing deal with classical label Naxos in 2007.

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/keae0 (All Things D)

http://www.grooveshark.com