Duran Duran sue own fan club for breach of contract

It turns out being a Duran Duran fan comes at a price. The 80s pop band are said to be suing their own fan club, which is based in a town about 20 miles north of Chicago, for approximately $40,000 (£23,500) in damages.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper, a lawsuit was filed on Monday in the Cook county circuit court. The band reportedly signed a contract with Worldwide Fan Clubs Inc in 2010, entitling Duran Duran to 75% of all profits from a fan club that the company would create and manage. However, the Chicago paper says that Simon Le Bon and his bandmates have taken the matter to court because they claim that the fan club has not upheld its end of the agreement.

The lawsuit alleges that Worldwide Fan Clubs failed to keep complete records of fan club memberships, collect membership fees and maintain accurate financial accounts. It also states that the company was also meant to store and sell merchandise on the band’s behalf, and make payments to Duran Duran once that revenue was accounted for.

Worldwide Fan Clubs has yet to comment.

Beyond the courtroom, Duran Duran are working on new material with former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, as of late April. “We are all such big fans of John’s work and are honoured to have him adding his magic to the record," the band wrote in a short post on their website. "There are no current plans for John to tour with us, but his guitars sound incredible on the tracks.”