Musicians' Attorneys|Awarded $2 Million

OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) – Attorneys for Sister Sledge and Ronee Blakley were awarded $2 million in fees for a class action royalties complaint against Warner Music Group.     The musicians claimed that Warner cheats artists on royalties for digital downloads.     Warner miscalculated the royalties by treating downloads of MP3 files and ringtones as sales of physical records, rather than as licenses, according to the lawsuit.     Warner agreed in April 2014 to pay an $11.5 million settlement.     U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg on Monday awarded plaintiffs’ attorneys $2 million in fees, plus $97,400 in expenses.     Seeborg also granted incentive awards of $10,000 each to class representatives Sister Sledge (Kathy Sledge Lightfoot), Ronee Blakley and Gary Wright, and the same awards to three former class representatives.