No Rock And Roll Fun

"WE ARE PLEASED TO PUT THE MATTER BEHIND US": Clear Channel have settled a lawsuit it was facing in Colorado, although, oddly, it is refusing to admit any wrongdoing. The entertainment conglomerate had been facing legal action from a promoter in Denver who claimed that Clear Channel's radio stations wouldn't play music by bands playing at Denver venues not owned by Clear Channel. A federal judge had ruled the promoter, Nobody in Particular, had enough of a case to allow a full trial. Strangely, Clear Channel - who accept no wrongdoing - decided it would make more sense to settle the matter out of court, rather than go to trial and demonstrate that it wasn't doing anything wrong. We've said it before, but we do find it incredibly generous of these big companies that - although, of course, they're doing nothing wrong - they'd rather pay cash sums to rival companies than go to the trouble of showing how good and ethical they are under oath. Still, Clear Channel's executive vice president and chief legal officer says that he's happy: "We are pleased to put the matter behind us." Let's just hope there aren't promoters in, say, San Diego, or New York, or Tuscon who have a similar problem with them.