A spokesman for SAG, however, said there has been no official contact between the guild and the singer. Artists need representation, as there are many issues affecting them that have yet to be resolved, including web site ownership, and royalty collection from downloadable music sales and webcasts.
Love faces hurdles in forming an artist advocacy group.
Artists are factionalized, and often don't want to move outside their affiliated genre base, said Jenny Toomey, executive director of independent music lobbying group Coalition for the Future of Music. Love claims that Hole signed a contract with Universal's Geffen Records in 1992, and therefore by 1999 the band should have been allowed to terminate the deal. Owned by Paris-based conglomerate Vivendi Universal, UMG argues that Hole's recording contract was extended in 1997, meaning it wouldn't expire until 2004. In filing the suit, Love painted the entire mainstream music industry as corrupt, practically guaranteeing that when her UMG contract is terminated, she'll not be welcome at any major label. Her suit accuses Universal of withholding fees collected from record clubs, and says other labels do the same.