Smashing Pumpkins Sue Music Publisher

Chicago rock superstars Smashing Pumpkins filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Chrysalis Music in Los Angeles Superior Court, declaring their music publishing contract with the firm void. The band alleges that it entered into a four-album song-publishing deal with Chrysalis in 1992, but after meeting the requirements of the pact, discovered it was unenforceable. There is speculation in the music industry that Smashing Pumpkins could wind up inking a new deal with upstart Trauma Records-affiliated Twism, whose music publishing division is run by Tom Sturges, a former Chrysalis executive with close ties to the rock act. The group received seven Grammy nominations this year.