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The Beastie Boys have revealed that they promised the late Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch that they wouldn’t make any more music after he passed away, nor agree to license any of their past music for promotional use.
Long-time Beastie Boys member Michael Diamond, aka Mike D, commented on the band’s future during court proceedings relating to their ongoing USD$2 million lawsuit against Monster Beverage Corporation, who they claim used their songs without permission in a promotional video called “Ruckus in the Rockies”.
According to NY Daily News, Diamond, 48, told the Manhattan court, “We have not been able to tour since MCA, Adam Yauch, died… We can’t make new music.” Diamond also noted that he and bandmate Adam Horovitz, aka Ad-Rock, told MCA that they wouldn’t make any music without him.
In relation to Monster Beverages, Diamond said that had Monster asked for the rights to the group’s music, the answer would have been “absolutely no”. Monster have acknowledged that they infringed on the Beasties Boys’ copyright, but are hoping to pay only USD$125,000 in damages.
During the court proceedings, Diamond also revealed that the Beastie Boys were offered “a lot of money” for the use of their song Sabotage (below) in the 2014 Arnold Schwarzenegger movie of the same name, but turned it down.
“It felt like too much of an endorsement,” Diamond said. “We weren’t fans of Mr. Schwarzenegger’s recent . . . work,” he said.
Watch: Beastie Boys – Sabotage
