Former Busted members sue for £10m in unpaid royalties
Two members of the boy band claim they were forced out
Two original members of the boy band Busted have gone to the High Court, claiming £10 million in unpaid royalties.
Ki McPhail and Owen Doyle say they wrote songs including 'Year 3000' and 'What I Go To School For' with Matt Willis and James Bourne, when the band was called The Termites.
In October 2001, the pair claim they were kicked out of the band and coerced into signing an agreement relinquishing their credits on the group’s songs, through undue influence and misrepresentation.
The previous March the band had signed with a management company and had changed their name to Busted, reports BBC News.
McPhail and Doyle’s lawyer, Tim Penny, said: “The pressure placed on the claimants consisted of repeated advice and threats.
"[They were told that] unless they released their claims in relation to the group members’ songs and in particular the four songs, they would be sued, Ki McPhail's parents would lose their home and the claimants would never work in the industry again.”
The Shockwaves NME Awards 2008 take place this Thursday (February 28) at a special ceremony in London. Follow all the action here, head to NME.COM/awardsvote for full details.
Ki McPhail and Owen Doyle say they wrote songs including 'Year 3000' and 'What I Go To School For' with Matt Willis and James Bourne, when the band was called The Termites.
In October 2001, the pair claim they were kicked out of the band and coerced into signing an agreement relinquishing their credits on the group’s songs, through undue influence and misrepresentation.
The previous March the band had signed with a management company and had changed their name to Busted, reports BBC News.
McPhail and Doyle’s lawyer, Tim Penny, said: “The pressure placed on the claimants consisted of repeated advice and threats.
"[They were told that] unless they released their claims in relation to the group members’ songs and in particular the four songs, they would be sued, Ki McPhail's parents would lose their home and the claimants would never work in the industry again.”
The Shockwaves NME Awards 2008 take place this Thursday (February 28) at a special ceremony in London. Follow all the action here, head to NME.COM/awardsvote for full details.
More News:
Busted...
Listen to full tracks now. Users outside the UK can hear 30-second clips of each song.











Comments (8)
Add a comment
AdamShanklyUK
Feb 26, 2008
wonkeykong
Feb 26, 2008
croquet
Feb 27, 2008
Kaila
Feb 27, 2008
wilsonio
Feb 27, 2008
geoff hayward
Feb 27, 2008
cassie-x
Feb 27, 2008
Heather2007
Feb 27, 2008
Add your comment
Please sign in to add your comments or register to have your say.