LONDON—Some rock bands have long argued that their artistry can only be appreciated as a full-length album rather than as individual songs. Now, a U.K. High Court judge has given the legendary progressive-rock band Pink Floyd the right to enforce that ideal. As part of a broader lawsuit over royalty payments, Andrew Morritt, chancellor of the U.K. High Court, ruled Thursday that Pink Floyd's 1999 contract with its record label, EMI Group Ltd., prohibits EMI from selling the band's work song by song online without the band's permission. The contract dates from before the advent of digital music, when the arrival of online music retailers like Apple Inc.'s iTunes gave consumers the ability to pluck individual tracks without purchasing the whole album. EMI argued in court this week that the 1999 contract language only applied to physical albums or CDs, not downloads. Pink Floyd's attorneys said that the band wanted its work sold online only as complete albums, not as individual tracks On Thursday, according to the Associated Press, Sir Andrew sided with the band and ruled that EMI is "not entitled to exploit recordings by online distribution or by any other means other than the complete original album without Pink Floyd's consent.[Read more...]