SANCTUARY WOES

Struggling megaindie Sanctuary appears to have been keeping itself afloat by not doing all its homework - a decision which has turned round to bite it in the butt.

Back in 2003, the label signed a deal with the 5.1 entertainment group , promising to release its albums in tatty new dualdisc format. Only it's so far not got around to putting anything out on the double-sided discs, and so 5.1 is now suing Sanctuary for breach of contract:

"To date, Sanctuary has failed and refused to deliver to 5.1 for release on DualDiscs ... any of the top-line albums in its catalog, including those of Journey,
Alison Moyet, Morrissey, Robert Plant, Meat Loaf, Black Sabbath, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and Eric Clapton, among others," 5.1 said.

"Sanctuary, for its own financial reasons, including but not limited to the reporting of its financial results and/or conditions to its shareholders, intentionally defrauded" 5.1 by making the promises and representations set forth in the complaint, 5.1 claimed.

The 5.1 group claims that Sanctuary sealed the 2003 deal, under which 5.1 agreed to pay 6.1 million dollars for use of all albums in Sanctuary's vast catalog, with the intention of never fulfilling it.

But as 5.1 prepared to roll out albums in the new DualDisc format nine months after the deal was sealed, "Sanctuary had not made available to 5.1 a single album for release in DualDisc format," 5.1 claimed in a statement.

Sanctuary are keeping quiet at the moment.

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