Dick Clark has filed a $10 million against Michael Greene, president of the Recording Academy (the folks who bring us the Grammy Awards). In the suit filed Wednesday, Dec 19th, Clark accuses Greene of the unfair practice of banning artists who appear on Dick Clark’s American Music Awards from later appearing on the more widely viewed Grammy broadcast. 

The lawsuit was touched off when Greene reportedly talked Michael Jackson into canceling his planned appearance on the American Music Awards broadcast on January 9th and appear instead on the Grammy television broadcast on February 27th. 

``Mr. Greene has caused me a lot of pain and a lot of stress,'' Clark told the press Wednesday. ``I've known Michael Jackson since he was a kid. ... To have another party interfere in that relationship makes me very, very angry.'' 

This is not a new problem, according to Clark, Academy President Michael Greene previously convinced Britney Spears not to appear on the American Music Awards and also prevented Sean ``p. diddy'' Combs and Toni Braxton from appearing on the Grammy broadcast after they had earlier appeared on the AMA’s. 

Clark is seeking not only $10 million in damages for these alleged actions but he wants the court to bar the Academy from these type of strong arm tactics in the future. 

The Recording Academy was quick to issue a statement denying Clark’s allegation.  ``It clearly is the nature of the entertainment business to offer your audience something exclusive,'' said the Academy in their statement. ``We do nothing outside normal industry business practices.'' 

A veteran of the music industry himself, Clark told reporters he understands the desire for exclusivity but takes exception to Greene’s allegedly pressuring artists to not honor their agreements to appear on the American Music Awards. This after Clark said that Greene has assured him in the past that these practices would not occur again. 

antiGUY’s perspective. Faced with dwindling ratings, perhaps Clark might want to change tactics in the future and go outside the box and ask artists to appear that have compelling music instead of going after the same dozen “safe” and often times stale chart topping pop artists?  Over the past few years, these award shows have become more and more a popularity contest having nothing to do with the quality of the music. Many of the record buying public are young and these see enough of “popularity” politics at school and in social circles why would they need to watch a television program that further perpetrates something most of them loathe?  Who needs Michael Jackson? Want to make headlines? Ask Slayer to play, just imagine tuning into to Prime Time TV and seeing Slayer on, that would capture people’s attention! Then again these awards shows were never about the music to begin with, so the same people who lineup to buy the chart topping CD’s will tune into see if their favorite “act of the week” will win this popularity contest. 
 

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