WORTH, Robert F. (18.10.2002), URL:
www.nytimes.com/2002/10/18/arts/18RONE.html
New York State's highest court ruled yesterday that the Ronettes, the 1960's singing trio known for worldwide hits like "Be My Baby," do not have the right to share the money earned by their producer through the use of the group's songs in movies, television and advertising.
Citing a 1963 contract signed by the singers, the court also substantially reduced the amount they stand to gain from royalties on sales of records and compact discs.
The decision reverses two lower court rulings and ends a 15-year court battle that pitted the three singers against Phil Spector, the producer and songwriter who helped make them famous with his signature musical style, the "Wall of Sound."
In its ruling, the State Court of Appeals said it found the Ronettes' plight sympathetic, because they have earned less than $15,000 in royalties from songs that topped the charts and made them famous. But the judges found that the Ronettes' 1963 contract gave Mr. Spector unconditional rights to the recordings.
The judges also reversed a lower court's ruling that the singers were entitled to the music industry's standard 50 percent royalty rate on sales of records, tapes and compact discs. The lower court ordered Mr. Spector to pay almost $3 million in damages and interest two years ago, a judgment later affirmed by a state appeals court.
Yesterday, the Court of Appeals disagreed, ruling that the singers' royalties on recordings should be based on rates dictated in the contract