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Pumpkins to Virgin -- You Sold Us Out!

Posted Mar 25th 2008 9:55AM by TMZ Staff

Billy Corgan The Smashing Pumpkins are slamming Virgin Records in a lawsuit, claiming that the label killed their credibility with fans to help sell sugar water.

In a breach-of-contract lawsuit filed in L.A. Superior Court, the band alleges that they've "worked hard" over two decades to build cred with their fans, and that Virgin's use of the Pun'kins in a "Pepsi Stuff" promotion with Amazon.com and Pepsi Co. is damaging their "artistic integrity." The SP's "That's The Way" was recently featured in a Ford Focus commercial.

The band wants the profits from the promotion, and asks for an injunction against using their name or music in the future.

Virgin did not return calls seeking comment.

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16. I used to be this guys biggest fan. Keyword: used to. They sold out probably right after he started smiling in videos and standing in front of a blue screen for Batman Forever. I will never forget the old pumpkins. I would like to delete the new ones.

Posted at 11:15AM on Mar 25th 2008 by Local Reporter

17. They should be glad anyone wants anything from them these days. I am not sure anyone has even thought of them in years. Billy has always been a whiner.

Posted at 12:45PM on Mar 25th 2008 by ChaCha

18. I was a HARD CORE fan for years. Smashing Pumpkins lost credibility w/ their fans ages ago, they didn’t need Virgin Records to do that. They lost credibility when Billy Corgan started writing CRAP pop music, and that’s when fans said "Hell with them". I love how Billy Corgan likes to blame everything that goes wrong with this band on everyone else, when in reality it's him that's the problem...he strayed his band mates with his Mr. Know-it-all bi-polar attitude. Then the fame/money tarnished his talent...he now had a normal romantic relationship and money and fame...he had no more demons/hardships to inspire him meaning there was NOTHING left to write good music about...so there you go, all that was left was Billy Corgan and CRAP sugar pop music, which equals to me = LOST CREDIBILITY WITH FANS!

Posted at 12:26PM on Mar 25th 2008 by Not a pumkins fan anymore

19. Hey Billy-Have you ever heard of a contract?

Posted at 12:30PM on Mar 25th 2008 by SoulSister.SmugMug.Com

20. I was a fan in the beginning ("Siamese Dream" is a classic, but they lost me after "Machina") ....his solo career went nowhere, his band Zwan was around for 5 minutes.....so now the only way to remain relevant is to be a whiny ass beeatch?......come on Billy, have some pride and just go away......

Posted at 12:52PM on Mar 25th 2008 by Fernando Valenzuela

21. I've never noticed the Pepsi campaign until the Pumpkins brought it up- thanks Pumpkins for ketting us know you sold out!

Posted at 1:26PM on Mar 25th 2008 by CoolGirl2008

22. I agree academically with artists protecting and having ownership of the integrity of their musical legacy. Virgin is a huckster here, IMHO. The artists are also free to decide to twin their music for profit should they so wish or need. Copyright laws etc will come into play here; did they read the small print when signing/recording with Virgin? Even if they signed their life away, the court can still agree with them on any point.

Posted at 2:35PM on Mar 25th 2008 by ExFVocals

23. i lost complete respect for billy corgan after he released 15 different effing versions of the new album at like 15 different stores AND STILL won't stop. i mean, i'm still a really big fan of everything pre-reunion, and kudos to him for releasing machina II the way he did, but any and all support i had for the "reunion" was lost when i was forced to buy 5 different versions of the CD just to get a complete freaking album and a crappy one at that. he has every right to profits from the pepsi commercial, yes, fine, but to try to say that the commercial was the cause of the loss of credibility is assinine and totally misguided and typical of him to place the blame on something/someone other than himself.

nevertheless, i can't give up the music or the man that helped me through most of my life thus far even if he sucks now.

Posted at 5:47PM on Mar 25th 2008 by Diane

24. Who said they were artists in the first place?

Posted at 11:31PM on Mar 25th 2008 by Rocco

25. You lost your street cred when you started making sux-key music. When your band mates did drugs, when the disappeared from the spotlight. You need when you thought that you were all that. You and other artists should know that we live in the A.D.D. generation, your fans blink and you're no longer a star. You should have checked yourself because you wrecked yourself!

Posted at 12:54AM on Mar 26th 2008 by SAxlerod

26. Wow, I'm amazed I have to explain this, but here goes:

"OMG, is that whiny B*tch ever gonna stop complaining! He thinks his life if so hard and so awful all the time! Yeah, I'm sure it is Billy. All the girls and cars and money must be so terrible. Get over yourself!!!

-Whatever you think of Billy and his "whiny voice" is completely irrelevant here. The band had a contract with a record company, which did not authorize use of their music/image for commercial purposes/profit without the band's permission. In effect, Virgin stole and profited from their creativity, without legally obtaining permission, and the band has every right to sue! Legal justice is(or should be!) based on concepts like fairness, contracts, etc...not your irrelevant opinion of what constitutes good music!

-You're projecting your own shallow ideas of success here, as in "all the cars, girls, and money". If you really believe that's what brings ultimate satisfaction, then I feel sorry for you. As a Pumpkins fan, I've read Billy's personal journals, in which he talks about a time in his life when he was sporting fancy cars, hobnobbing with celebrities, etc...and yet felt empty, unsatisfied, like a fraud. "All the cars" are merely resource-draining, uneccessary status symbols to assuage a weak ego. "All the girls" could never replace one great love. And, while enough money can purchase a sense of security, and freedom to pursue worthwhile goals, "all the money" is stupidly excessive, can be a burden, and is a shoddy replacement for real happiness. Fortunately, Billy and the Pumpkins always return to something that brings genuine satisfaction to us fans.

-Not that I'd ever get through to you. This is more addressed to some intelligent, aware person who happens to be reading...

Posted at 1:01AM on Mar 27th 2008 by StellaMaris

27. Im a pumpkins fan, always havebeen but THIS will damage his credibility with me. How come no one can take it as a compliment when their stuff gets used instead of suing? pathetic!! just like the underwear guy suing m &m's cuz they used his "likeness" in their commercials, lame!

Posted at 4:44AM on Mar 26th 2008 by hater

28. Im glad The Smashing Pumpkins took action. There is mos def too many lawsuits filed in this country but I imagine if I was one of the members of The Smashing Pumpkins I would just be pissed. This would be the only logical way to fight back.

Posted at 10:37PM on Mar 26th 2008 by Shak

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