The lawsuit over the rights to the master recordings of grunge supergroup Temple of the Dog's lone self-titled album has been settled, with the tapes now being in the possession of vocalist Chris Cornell.
News of the settlement came via Temple of the Dog vocalist Cornell's Twitter account, which presented a photo of the master tapes, along with a caption confirming that they had been returned by Seattle recording facility London Bridge Studio. The tapes are expected to be passed on to A&M Records.
The settlement seems to be amicable, as a Facebook post from the studio noted that the business was "incredibly excited to learn that the original #TempleoftheDog tapes are back home with Chris and the band."
The studio statement added: "We are beyond honored this history took place within our walls, and we're in awe imagining those reels on our Tape Machine 25 years ago!"
As previously reported, A&M had filed a lawsuit against London Bridge Studio's co-founder Rajan Parashar last year, demanding the immediate return of the Temple of the Dog recordings. The band, which comprised members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, had entered the studio in the early '90s to record what would become their 1991 debut.
Parashar's brother Rick, who passed away in 2014, co-produced the sessions. A&M had claimed that Rick Parashar backed out of a 1993 business deal that was to have him give up physical tapes and rights of the recordings to A&M for $35,000. After his death, his brother Rajan took possession of the tapes. He had claimed at the time that since he was not part of the original deal, he was not contractually bound to give the tapes over to A&M.
The plot thickened once Cornell weighed in on the situation to note that A&M was the rightful owners of the recordings, having "paid for the recordings and the use of the studio."
"To pretend he has a right to keep the recordings makes no more sense than the owner of a laundromat claiming he owns the clothes you washed in his washing machine," Cornell argued in 2015.
Though A&M's plans for the tapes are unclear, it's worth noting that the record celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
News of the settlement came via Temple of the Dog vocalist Cornell's Twitter account, which presented a photo of the master tapes, along with a caption confirming that they had been returned by Seattle recording facility London Bridge Studio. The tapes are expected to be passed on to A&M Records.
Temple of the Dog masters returned today. History made whole 25 years later! pic.twitter.com/4A54Q67pXV
— Chris Cornell (@chriscornell) May 24, 2016
The settlement seems to be amicable, as a Facebook post from the studio noted that the business was "incredibly excited to learn that the original #TempleoftheDog tapes are back home with Chris and the band."
The studio statement added: "We are beyond honored this history took place within our walls, and we're in awe imagining those reels on our Tape Machine 25 years ago!"
As previously reported, A&M had filed a lawsuit against London Bridge Studio's co-founder Rajan Parashar last year, demanding the immediate return of the Temple of the Dog recordings. The band, which comprised members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, had entered the studio in the early '90s to record what would become their 1991 debut.
Parashar's brother Rick, who passed away in 2014, co-produced the sessions. A&M had claimed that Rick Parashar backed out of a 1993 business deal that was to have him give up physical tapes and rights of the recordings to A&M for $35,000. After his death, his brother Rajan took possession of the tapes. He had claimed at the time that since he was not part of the original deal, he was not contractually bound to give the tapes over to A&M.
The plot thickened once Cornell weighed in on the situation to note that A&M was the rightful owners of the recordings, having "paid for the recordings and the use of the studio."
"To pretend he has a right to keep the recordings makes no more sense than the owner of a laundromat claiming he owns the clothes you washed in his washing machine," Cornell argued in 2015.
Though A&M's plans for the tapes are unclear, it's worth noting that the record celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
