Eagles Music Group

Three songwriters who helped compose some of the Eagles' most popular tunes accepted a settlement Friday to resolve allegations that their music publisher shortchanged them out of millions of dollars in royalties. Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther and Jack Tempchin had alleged that Warner-Chappell Music, the publishing arm of AOL Time Warner Inc., had underpaid them for co-writing such hits as "Peaceful, Easy Feeling" and "Take It Easy." Terms of the settlement could not be determined late Friday.

Three musicians who composed some of the Eagles' most popular songs--"Peaceful Easy Feeling," "Take It Easy," "Best of My Love" and "Already Gone"--contend in a lawsuit against their music publisher that they have been shortchanged millions of dollars in royalties from a 1975 album that "is now the largest-selling record of all time." Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther and Jack Tempchin's suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeks punitive damages from Warner/Chappell Music Inc.

Looking forward and back at the same time, venerable California rockers the Eaglesplan to distribute a dozen songs from their new boxed set for free over the Internet. The four-CD boxed set, "The Eagles: Selected Works 1972-1999," goes on sale Nov. 14 at a list price of nearly $60.

It's easy to predict when the Eagles will step onstage for the final time in the 20th century--right down to the minute. The band's New Year's Eve set at Staples Center is scheduled to begin at 10:15 p.m. But the band members can't predict even what year they'll launch another tour. It is clear, however, from talks with primary songwriters Don Henley and Glenn Frey, that the chances of another album and tour are increasingly good.

Unlike last year, when two key artists, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, stayed home, all the living honorees showed up here for the 13th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction dinner. Yes, all seven of the sometimes feuding past and present members of the Eagles stood side by side at the podium Monday night and then joined--all smiles--for a pair of songs, including the landmark "Hotel California."

In what may have been their final performance together, the Eagles sang their first hit, 1972's "Take It Easy," and their most celebrated hit, 1977's "Hotel California," during the closing moments of the 13th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies here Monday night.

For the Eagles, tonight's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in New York will mark a first and, quite possibly, a last. If things go as planned, all seven of the musicians who have been members of the classic Southern California band since it was formed in 1971 will perform together for the first time.

This won't give Michael Jackson a peaceful easy feeling: The Eagles have snatched a piece of the crown from the King of Pop. The band's 1976 album, "Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975," has been certified for sales of 24 million copies by the Recording Industry Assn. of America, pulling it into a tie for first place on the all-time U.S. sales list with Jackson's once-thought-uncatchable "Thriller."

They flew in from as far as Kentucky and Alaska. Some came prepared to drop $500 for a seat. And just about everyone was stoked for a trip down memory lane as the Eagles launched their historic reunion tour Friday at Irvine Meadows, their first show in 14 years. "Their lyrics have just keyed in to special times in my life.