Tension between Radiohead and EMI was highlighted again when the band’s former label removed a misleading ad for the group’s back catalogue from the internet.

Until the end of last week, anyone typing in Radiohead into Google would be met with a paid-for ad at the top of the search results reading: “Radiohead – New Album ‘Rainbow’ now available as boxset“.

If you’ve noted Radiohead’s “name your own price” internet ploy – or heard John discuss it – you know they’ve waltzed away from EMI. But –

Despite appearances, the ad led not to the special “discbox” edition of In Rainbows but to a website where EMI subsidiary Parlophone is selling a box-set of the seven albums Radiohead recorded while they were still signed to the label.

After hollering from fans – and the Guardian’s music editor – a cryptic, one-sentence email arrived from EMI publicist Chris Latham:

“Parlophone were aware of the data source glitch and removed the link immediately,” it read. When asked to confirm that this meant that the label had indeed placed the Google Ad and then removed it, the company spokesman twice declined any further comment or clarification.

The sleazy bastards were caught – and like any of the RIAA thugs – refuse to own up to their deceit.