Many an argument has been had about the quality of music on rereleased albums, but most of them are about whether the remasters suck, or if the original content has been compressed beyond recognition. A lawsuit launched by New Jersey's Celeste Farrell accuses record label TUTM Entertainment of deceptively offering an inferior product.
How did TUTM draw Farrell's ire? The company released a compilation album titled Hits of The 80's and Hits of the 90's, featuring tracks such as "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice, "Cult of Personality" by Living Colour, and "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tiffany. The problem: The tracks featured on the set weren't the original recordings.
Artists such as Vanilla Ice often go back into the studio to essentially release the same exact version of songs they already made. By doing so, they can avoid handing over fees to the original labels, and in the process companies such as TUTM can sell compilations for cheaper prices.
Farrell however, was not pleased with the discount. No doubt there's probably minor differences in audio between the two versions, but probably not enough to bother those who invest in '80s/'90s greatest hits packages. Farrell could apparently tell.
"Instead of conveying the source of the recording to allow the consumer to make an informed purchase decision, Tutm provides no information on the Albums' cover or back label to indicate to the consumer that the songs are not the original songs," the lawsuit states.
She's looking for $5 million. There's no word on if or how Farrell is looking to share this among the other purchasers victimized by their purchase of Hits of The 80's and Hits of the 90's.
