Funny Money
Published September 25, 2002
The acrimony between the record labels and the artists is flaring up again. The artists say:
At a state hearing in Los Angeles, the musicians said they had sold millions of songs or albums only to receive sparse royalties or to be told they actually owed their respective record labels money to recoup advances.
In their own defernse, the record companies say:
Charles Ciongoli, senior vice president finance for Vivendi Universal's Universal Music Group, the world's largest record company, said "the facts tell a far different story than some of our detractors would like to admit, and are not nearly as headline grabbing as the acrimonious accusations of a few who irresponsibly label us criminals and thieves."
Much as I hate to agree with "the Chuckster," he does have a point. While it is true that both sides would benefit from clearer and cleaner contract language, the recording artists get far better press than they deserve. There is plenty to be critical of the RIAA member companies for, especially on the legislative front, but there are two sides to every story. The record companies do much worse on the Royalty end than most people realize.
To illustrate this I will re-post an item I wrote in July. It sparked quite a bit of debate when I originally posted it on my site, so I figured I'd re-post it here to piss off a whole new audience. I've edited it slightly from the original.
Yup, it sure is a great rant that Courtney Love wrote. Her thoughts on where the music industry is going are really interesting, and some sections are quite heartfelt:
Artists will make that compromise if it means we can connect with hundreds of millions of fans instead of the hundreds of thousands that we have now. Especially if we lose all the crap that goes with success under the current system. I'm willing, right now, to leave half of these trappings — fuck it, all these trappings — at the door to have a pure artist experience. They cosset us with trappings to shut us up. That way when we say "sharecropper!" you can point to my free suit and say "Shut up pop star."
Here, take my Prada pants. Fuck it. Let us do our real jobs. And those of us addicted to celebrity because we have nothing else to give will fade away. And those of us addicted to celebrity because it was there will find a better, purer way to live.
- Funny Money
- Published: September 25, 2002
- Type:
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: News
- Writer: Martin Devon
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Comments on this articleComments
Anyone wanting to know where the money *really* goes should look no further than MixerMan's diary. For the uninitiated, MM is a recording engineer who's basically blogging the recording process of the first album for a big-hype major label group, with the names and some details changed to protect the guilty. Regardless of how clueless Courtney is, it's clear the labels are the cause of their own current slump.
OK, Ian, I followed your link and read a couple of entries. What is your point? If you think that by just reading MixerMan's diary "all will become clear" you are mistaken. Please explain your question/comment.
How disgusting that a man (Courtney had a sex change, there is viable proof) claimed to be married to this icon, after they (the COG cult) murdered him in 1990. Geffen (and his boyfriend Pitt, who was snogging Love too) helped "it" steal Cobain's songs and record them with her group. It is a mockery of talent and goodness. Courtney Love, your life is in ruins and soon you will be dead. As will everyone involved in the sacrafice of Kurt Cobain.
This is not Kurt Cobain's child, he had no children! Frances Bean belongs to Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt (yes, they knew each other long before they married). She is idenical to her parents, and strangly, ever whore Hollywood has ever produced. She is hideous.
Kurt had unearthly crystal colored eyes, that demon's eyes are grey just like it's real father, Brad.
Kurt Cobain was murdered in 1990, later Courtney Love (whose real mother is actually "Wendy" who falsly claims to be Cobain's mother) was paid-off to pretend to be married and have a child, all so that the Hollywood 3 could share in the reported 6 billion Nirvana has thus far grossed. Geffen was delighted by all of this, helping Courtney with her transgendering (She was once a male). The hundreds (no doubt thousands) that were and are involved in this horrid Sacrafice are paying-with their lives! Oh, how they shall pay for those crimes.
We love you Kurt.
Kurt Cobain was murdered in 1990, later Courtney Love (whose real mother is actually "Wendy" who falsly claims to be Cobain's mother) was paid-off to pretend to be married and have a child, all so that the Hollywood 3 could share in the reported 6 billion Nirvana has thus far grossed. Geffen was delighted by all of this, helping Courtney with her transgendering (She was once a male). The hundreds (no doubt thousands) that were and are involved in this horrid Sacrafice are paying-with their lives! Oh, how they shall pay for those crimes.
We love you Kurt.
It is just another Cult admission of guilt, a silly one at that (there is no G-d, and no jesus, but those are the cults false idols).
Just a hyme, a crust of bread thrown on the trail of murderers...
Ladies and gentlemen, Dave Grohl. Thanks, Dave. I always thought you were a funny guy in interviews :)
That is all.
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Nice job eagle eye business dude.