Music Feud Is Same Old Song

I’ve been an admirer of Dick Clark ever since he was a 40-year-old teenager hosting American Bandstand in the late 1800s, but I’m not sure he’s got a winnable case, [“Dick Clark Sues Head of Grammys,” Dec. 20].

Clark is suing Michael Greene and the Grammys for allegedly preventing Michael Jackson from performing on both Clark’s American Music Awards show and the Grammy broadcast. Sue him? I think a bouquet of roses would be more fitting for anyone who restricts Jackson to just one performance this winter.

Greene, in his defense, says the embargo is merely part of “standard industry practices.” That’s an unbeatable strategy for an industry known for perfecting the art of payola and for forcing songwriters to share royalties with record company execs.

John Corcoran

Calabasas

*

For Dick Clark to claim that he has “the best interests of recording artists, the recording industry, and ... music fans” in mind while he files a $10-million lawsuit against the president of the Recording Academy is pure chutzpah.

If Mr. Clark honestly wanted to help musicians and the record industry, he would long ago have moved his show’s broadcast forward to November or December, when it could have promoted artists at the key time of the year for their commercial exposure. This simple adjustment would also avoid any conflict with the Grammys.

Mr. Clark’s sour-grapes lawsuit is driven by only two things: his ego and his greed.

Hank Neuberger

Chicago

*

Get out the 10-ounce gloves and let Clark and Greene beat each other senseless. True music fans won’t be happy ‘til both are seeing stars.

David Weiss

Tarzana