QUEENSRYCHE NAME DISPUTE SETTLED; JACKSON, ROCKENFIELD AND WILTON RETAIN THE RIGHTS TO THE BAND’S MONIKER
The Seattle Times reports:
Queensryche members Eddie Jackson, Scott Rockenfield, Michael Wilton and Geoff Tate have released the following joint statement:
“We wanted to let Queensryche fans around the world know that an amicable settlement has been reached between Eddie Jackson, Scott Rockenfield, Michael Wilton and Geoff Tate with regard to the future of the Queensryche name. According to the agreement, original members Eddie Jackson, Scott Rockenfield and Michael Wilton along with recent members, Todd La Torre and Parker Lundgren, will now be the sole entity recording and touring as Queensryche, performing selections from their entire musical catalog that spans over 30 years of material. Original lead singer Geoff Tate will continue to record, perform and pursue a variety of other creative endeavors and, as part of the agreement, will have the exclusive rights to perform Operation: Mindcrime I and II in their entirety as a unique performance. Both sides wish each other well and are excited about what the future holds. We want to thank the fans for standing beside us through this ordeal and look forward to sharing our music with you for years to come.”
The Queensryche corporate assets will be evenly divided among Wilton, Jackson, Rockenfield and Tate.
Tate will do a brief Queensryche “farewell” tour this summer before launching a new chapter his career.
Both sides say they are relieved to settle the dispute and look forward to moving on.
“It’s the rebirth of Queensryche and the way it used to be,” Wilton said by phone last night. “We’re rebuilding the Queensryche name.”
Tate is especially pleased that the case was settled outside of a courtroom.
“One thing that’s really important for people to understand is that this never went to court,” he said by phone after returning from a show in Louisiana.
“They (Wilton, Jackson and Rockenfield) bought the name from me. But I retain ‘Operation Mindcrime.’ It’s sort of similar to the Pink Floyd situation where Roger Waters retained ‘The Wall.’ ‘Mindcrime’ was my thing and my story, so it’s appropriate that I keep that. So they will continue on as Queensryche, and I will continue on as me.”
With the lawsuit resolved, Tate is now free to reinvent himself.
source: seattletimes.com
so this is like yet another rock soap opera where 2 bands tour(ed) playing their own version of past songs/albums? so original.. like Deep Purple/Rainbow/Whitesnake the 2 versions of Foghat,
Dokken and Lynch Mob, Kiss/Ace and Peter tours , Sabbath/Ozzy/DIO and well you get it by now :/
Just as it should be. Tate has tainted the name long enough and the new cd and live shows by Todd and the boys smokes anything Geoff has done in EONS!!! Glad this is settled!
Glad this is resolved and that the name will remain with the co-founders.
Is There any band that’s held it together longer than ZZ Top? I mean they’ve stuck together.
More power to artists and bands like them
You are correct. Great music and cool theatrics and you can get married by Billy at a show.
Fine, no one really gives a rats ass to be honest. Geoff Tate is a douche bag of the highest order. He can continue to run Operation Mindcrime into the the ground for the next 20 years. Nobody cares anymore. It was over when DeGarmo left that band.
What is there to split up? The mountains of debt that they share from poor ticket sales and no one buying the albums in 25 years? Have at it.
Try telling that to the dreamers who posted on this article. No future here.
Hey Jack, correction, it was over when they put out hear in the now frontier and that was when degarmo was still in the band and he wrote most of that flaming pile of shizzit!