Subject: Re: Why are you using dmusic if it's royalty-free?
Date: December 20, 2002 @ 8:15 AM
In addition to being a musician, I have represented many well known entertainers in litigation related matters over the years. I have come to the following generalizations, which seem to hold up from generation to generation:

1. Most famous musicians over 35 are broke or near broke. How do you think they get all those "Behind the Music" episodes?

2. Most record company execs are not broke. They need money to buy all those stupid tech stocks that become worthless. Example UMG purchasing MP3.com for 385 million. Hell, I would have sold them DMUSIC for half that!

3. Record exces have been screaming about record piracy for years - it didn't start with the internet. It just ended with the internet. Example: Now artists can get a listing of fraudulent record company releases that haven't been sending royalty statements. Just go to Amazon.com and search your name!

4. Incremental falsehoods have been foisted upon the artists for years. Example -"This letter shall confirm that artists gave record company the right to reproduce his masters on Compact disk at one half the rate of vinyl records since it is an experimental format." - No lie.

Here's another one - Artist has the right to audit record companies but record company is under no obligation to show artists pressing plant records. Duh!

5. Clive Davis doesn't have ears - he has a wallet only. Thats why Whitney Houston is so thin!! No money for food! (see number 1 above). I CHALLENGE CLIVE DAVIS TO A VIOLIN DUEL - the loser has to strip naked (or is that the winner?) If he just paid her half as much as they paid Mariah Cary to NOT SING!

6. I feel sorry for anyone who signs a deal with the majors that isn't represented BY A LAWYER WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOIUT THE MUSIC BUSINESS, SO THAT NORMAL, FAIR, NEUTRAL AND ETHICAL BUSINESS AND LEGAL PRINCIPLES APPLY, INSTEAD OF MUSIC BIZNESS LOGIC. How would you like to find out that your own lawyer is on a secret record company payroll! No lie.

7. If your typical famous or fame seeking artist was put in charge of homeland security, all Al Queda need do to win is offer him/her a record deal. "Where do I sign?"

8. Its better to be a songwriter than a musician. That's why the Coasters is about two jewish teenagers from new Jersey who wrote these great songs....

Got any others????? Post em here.....

8. Its better to be a songwriter than a musician.

I've heard that. Many times. I can sort of understand why, but still, could someone please clarify it for me?

Wasn't it whitney houston who was also charged with a bunch of drug charges not too long ago? And then somehow got out of the child abuse charge, even though she did drugs in front of her kids? Maybe some of these people wouldn't be so poor if they didn't foolishly spend their money. Just because your famous doesn't mean you can't be frugal. Of course, the musicians should still be getting their fair pay, not way below it.

Frawg the songwriters get 8 cents everytime a song is played on the radio (split with their publisher, the performer gets nothing. On webcasting the performer and songwriter gets paid.

Being a singer songwriter on a major label means that 1) you have to give them publishing which means you give away 1/2 of your radio income 2)You will be told to sing songs that the label has the publishing to. 3) the record company will appoint a producer who will then suggest a change in a lyric or two or an arrangement, the add his anme as a co-writer of the music. Next thing ya know, your 8 cents is now down to 2 cents. Label (publisher) gets 4, producer gets 2, you get the shaft. The largest publishers are the labels taking their cue from Morris Levy who was the forefather of todays music biz and outlined in the book "Hit Men' who was sentenced to jail but died before he had to serve his term.

http://artists.dmusic.com/books/ Look for "Hitmen"