Jared Leto responds to label lawsuit

30 Seconds To Mars singer Jared Leto has responded on his band's website to a lawsuit brought against the group by Virgin/EMI to the tune of $30 million.

Opening with the news that his band have no intention of breaking up, Leto went on to describe the lawsuit as "ridiculously overblown" and says that the group are happily recording their new album in Los Angeles.

Of the lawsuit, Leto wrote: "As you may have heard we are being sued by our former record company for the ridiculously oversized, totally unrealistic and pretty silly (but slightly clever) sum of $30,000,000. Insane? Yeah, that's what we said too."

Leto says California law states an artist or act cannot be bound to a record label deal for more than seven years, and that 30 Seconds To Mars have been in theirs for nine years.

He added: "It is a law that protects people from lengthy, unfair, career-spanning contracts. This law also gave us the legal right to explore other possible opportunities."

The star then said it is because the band tried to extricate themselves from the contract that they are being sued.

He continued: "Yes, we have been sued by EMI. But NOT for failing to deliver music or for 'quitting'. We have been sued by the corporation quite simply because roughly 45 days ago we exercised our legal right to terminate our old, out of date contract, which, according to the law is null and void."

Leto then went on to talk about the fact that his band are still in debt to the label, after selling two million albums.

He said: "If you think the fact that we have sold in excess of two million records and have never been paid a penny is pretty unbelievable, well, so do we. And the fact that EMI informed us that not only aren't they going to pay us AT ALL but that we are still 1.4 million dollars in debt to them is even crazier. That the next record we make will be used to pay off that old supposed debt just makes you start wondering what is going on. Shouldn't a record company be able to turn a profit from selling that many records? Or, at the very least, break even? We think so."

--By our New York staff.
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