Billy Corgan Sues Distributor over Royalties

Photo: Fil Zuzarte

BY Gregory AdamsPublished May 29, 2014

While Smashing Pumpkins are currently putting work into their upcoming Monuments to an Elegy and Day for Night albums, band leader Billy Corgan has also been filing legal paperwork, alleging in a lawsuit that he's not been paid properly by a Los Angeles distribution company over song revenues.

As the Hollywood Reporter reports, Corgan filed the suit against Rocket Science Inc./Skyrocket Holdings, LLC in Los Angeles Supreme Court yesterday (May 28), alleging a breach of contract from a deal signed January 1, 2010, that gave the company and its principal Kevin Day the exclusive rights to distribute some Smashing Pumpkins recordings.

According to Corgan, around September 2011 the company stopped providing accounting information for revenue racked up by his songs. It's unclear at present how deep a catalogue Rocket Science Inc./Skyrocket Holdings, LLC was representing.

The suit also alleges that Day had not been observing proper business practices, was handling the funds in separate bank accounts, and had been using monies for personal expenses. Corgan is suing for breach of contract, but without the business receipts being made available it's hard to determine how much he'll be suing for in damages.

Day has not responded to the claims publicly.

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