HOW MUCH RECORD COMPANIES LOOK OUT FOR THEIR ARTISTS

Interesting lawsuit just been filed in New Haven, where agent James L Walker claims Sony-BMG duped gospel acts into firing him. Walker - who seeks recompense in the millions - claims Sony-BMG's gospel subsidiary Verity got tired of his skills in negotiating good deals for his acts, and so simply strong-armed singers into signing up with max Siegel instead. Siegel, besides being a music agent, is also president of Verity. So, at the very least, there's some sort of conflict of interest right there.

"When someone tells you, 'You're not going to be able to do any music anymore,' it leaves a bad taste in your mouth," said David Frazier, a gospel songwriter who has written music for a number of hit records. "I changed legal counsel just so I could continue to make music."

Sony-BMG says it hasn't seen the lawsuit yet, and so is unable to comment.

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