ARTICLES - ROBBIE WILLIAMS Daily Telegraph, 27 February 1996 Pop star faces £200,000 bill in court humiliation

Pop star faces £200,000 bill in court humiliation 

Daily Telegraph, 27 February 1996

An out-of-court settlement, thrashed out between lawyers for Williams and BMG on Sunday night, will allow him to launch a solo career but will stop him from signing to another record label. The singer must also pay BMG's legal fees estimated at £200,000. Williams had claimed that the terms of his contract, which gave BMG control over the career of Take That members even after they left, constituted an unreasonable restraint of trade and so unenforceable.

During the 90-second hearing before Mr Justice Lightman, the judge described the settlement as "very sensible". John Preston, chairman of BMG Records (UK), said the company was "delighted" Williams had accepted the validity of its contract. "It is a shame that Robbie didn't come and talk to us before he started litigation," he said in the statement. "We still want the best for him and all the other members of Take That." Williams also dropped his claims against Arista Records in the United States and withdrew his objections to Take That's Greatest Hits album, due out next month. "Contracts are there for a purpose, for the good of both parties, and are not there to be abused" Williams, who had been unhappy remaining with a record company still representing his former colleagues, now faces an uncertain future trying to carve a solo career with a record company with which he has fallen out so publicly.


He is tied to making two more albums with the company. BMG's success represents a significant victory for the music industry, which regarded the case as the biggest challenge to its system of binding young artists to strict contracts since George Michael tried to escape Sony two years ago. David Hughes, EMI corporate affairs director, said: "Contracts are there for a purpose, for the good of both parties, and are not there to be abused."

He added: "It sounds like common sense has prevailed." Williams was sacked by Take That's other members in July because he refused to abide by the company's insistence on a clean-cut image. He is estimated to have earned about £1 million from his time with the group, which has had seven number one singles and sold 10 million albums. He is also likely to make £500,000 from the upcoming Greatest Hits compilation. The remaining four members, who have announced they are to split up, yesterday released their last single, How Deep Is Your Love.

Anxious to show the extent of their own love, at least 40 girls turned up at the courts to cheer their support. Amanda Colton and Zoe Pickett, both 16, from East Ham, east London, had been sitting outside the court since 3am. Miss Colton said: "It was freezing last night. But it would have been worth it if he had shown up." Two 21-year-old Italian fans had travelled from Sardinia to catch a glimpse of him. Marcella Atzori clutched a poster claiming that "nobody else could love you like Italian people" but admitted that she did not understand the court case.