Here’s the Real Reason Bishop is Now Bishop Briggs
Threatened with an injunction by the hard-rock band Bishop, the "Wild Horses" singer was forced to back down
The keen eye may have noticed that female singer Bishop is now going by Bishop Briggs, or at least the surname-addendum transformation has begun. And, no, Bishop isn’t tacking on Briggs because her first name got lonesome, and no Briggs isn’t even her real last name. In fact, Bishopbriggs is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, from where Bishop allegedly derives. We say allegedly because not much is known about Bishop Briggs as she has no official website, no Wikipedia page, and her publicist, manager and attorney ignored repeated requests for comment for this story.
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And the real story is that Bishop—most known for the come-hither alt-hit “Wild Horses,” also featured in an Acura commercial—is becoming Bishop Briggs for no other reason than another Bishop—a hard-rock trio from upstate New York—threatened to file an injunction against the band if the female Bishop didn’t make a change. You see, the group Bishop—which has a website, four albums to their credit and a Woodstock’ 99 gig on their resume—didn’t take kindly to the confusion the new Bishop has caused so they reached out to the female Bishop’s camp to find a resolution.
At first, an attorney for the female Bishop offered the trio Bishop—who trademarked the name about 15 years ago—a paltry $5,000 to change their name. They passed. As is often the case, there was a period of silence between the two parties, this as “Wild Horses” was moving up the alt-charts and limiting the female Bishop’s negotiating power. “Everything has a price,” drummer Rocco Semeraro said prior to threatening an injunction.
Bishop (the band)
That said, Semeraro actually suggested to the other Bishop’s camp that they save their money, tack on Briggs and be done with it. “[Briggs] is actually better,” Semeraro says. Nevertheless, the negotiations continued. At one point, bassist Vinny Padula—who, incidentally is brothers with Semeraro and singer Tom Semeraro—said one of Bishop’s lawyers “basically told us we were just some ‘little metal band’ with ‘no money’ and that we should simply comply with their demands and [change our name].”
The female Bishop’s camp eventually came up with another dollar figure that well exceeded the original $5,000 offer, but the band balked at that, too. Fed up, Bishop began the process of filing cease and desist orders with every music service under the sun, as well as some radio stations. Spotify and Soundcloud immediately complied, which forced Bishop Briggs to take to Twitter and partially explain the reason:
So, in the end, Bishop, the band, won, albeit without receiving restitution for the months of confusion and misappropriation of the Bishop name. “We have no problem with the artist herself,” Padula says. “We hope that she is going to have a great career and be a big star. Our problem is with her management and the way that they tried to steamroll us into giving up our name to them. It seems to me like they rely so much on the marketing side, and having a one word name such as ‘Bishop’ is more important than the music itself.”
Bishop (the band):
Bishop Briggs:
Kevin
May 12, 2016 at 2:36 pm
Well-reported, lads. Further elucidation here: http://bit.ly/221A6L8
Steve
May 25, 2016 at 10:58 am
I’m brand new to her music, so I never knew her simply as Bishop. I think the new name is better, more marketable, and memorable.
Audra Dore
July 16, 2016 at 9:30 pm
I like the addition of Briggs. It has a great ring to it and before I though she was part of a group named Bishop. Now I know that she’s a single artist.
LA-TONIA WILLIS
June 6, 2017 at 4:16 pm
I love her big voice because it has such an in-your-face impact, even the really mellow songs! I’m listening to Bishop Briggs now on Spotify and her music sends chills down my spine. I remember when Fiona Apple made me excited way back when on the “alternative” music scene. Bishop Briggs has a blend of music genres in her soulful indie rock leanings and I’m digging every song so far. My favorites are: Dead Man’s Arms, River and The Way I do. I gotta take a listen to the Wild Horses that people mention was part of some kind of commercial (?). I’m willing to be the farm that it’s awesome, too. That woman can sing her ass off!