Ronettes denied song royalties

The Ronettes can’t collect movie and advertisement royalty rights to music they recorded for Phil Spector in the 1960s, New York’s highest court ruled.

A contract that members of the pop group signed with Spector and his Philles record label in 1963 gives him the right to sell the songs for use as background music, the Court of Appeals decided unanimously.

The ruling threw out a $3-million judgment lower courts had made in favor of the Ronettes. The group has been in court seeking royalties since 1988.

The judges ordered the case back to a trial court to determine how much the Ronettes are entitled to for use of their music in compilations and reissues. The Ronettes have royalty rights to that music, the court concluded.