I received this email from Jim Pugliese.
To:
jim@xcellarrecords.com
From: Jim Pugliese
Subject: Knitting Factory Artist
Hi all,
Sending this at the request of some of the Knitting Factory Artists:
This is so important, about legal help for a group of musicians - please
pass it on to any Knitting factory artists, anyone on Instinct Records, or any musician
sympathetic to our cause.Read below or go straight to:
http//:
www.takeittothebridge.com
Thanks!
Rebecca
Dear fellow Knitting Factory/Instinct recording artists, past and present:
In the past year, Knitting Factory Records underwent a change of management
and ownership that has left many of us feeling even more confused, disgusted
and fed-up. Instinct Records has simply been incredibly incommunicative and
misleading. The destruction of untold amounts of CD stock in the first week
of June, and the subsequent inability by so many artists to find out the
truth of what happened to their work, stands now as a galvanizing force.
While our experiences vary from artist to artist, we recognize this as a
good opportunity to come together and finally hold the label accountable for
honoring provisions in our contracts that have been neglected for years.
As we have found, approaching management individually has produced no
satisfactory results. We are now mobilizing to take action as a group. We
have sought assistance from Local 802, the New York musicians' union, WHICH
IS WILLINGTO PROVIDE FREE LEGAL ASSISTANCE TO PURSUE A GROUP INQUIRY AND SMALL
CLAIMS ACTION FOR ANY ROYALTIES OWED. If we decide that it's
necessary, Local 802 will also help us plan and execute a demonstration-they
are even willing to donate their inflatable rat to our cause!
We are seeking to set things right for Knitting Factory/Instinct recording
artists, and also feel that our actions will have a broader impact for
musicians signed to other independent labels in this city.
Read the petition and sign at:
www.takeittothebridge.com
------We are a vast, eclectic and highly respected group-if we come together,
we can be an impressive force for getting musicians some accountability, and
maybe a force for change in the future music
biz.-------------------------------
We have started a petition to demand a full and fair accounting of our work,
an honest account of destroyed and discarded CD stock, the payment of all
publishing and artist royalties due, and the return of masters for those
artists whom Instinct Records is no longer actively printing, selling, or
promoting. Local 802's lawyer will request accurate accounting records from
KnitMedia/Instinct records on behalf of all those who sign the petition.
The more of us there are, the harder it will be for Instinct to continue to
ignore its artists.
To sign, go to:
www.takeittothebridge.com
Sign the petition if you are a Knitting Factory artist or collaborator on a
CD!
Sign the petition if you have always found your royalty statement to be
incomplete or confusing (or if you rarely have gotten statements at all)!
Sign the petition if you believe you are due royalties of any kind!
Sign the petition if you have had trouble getting your masters back, or have
been told your masters were lost completely!
Sign the petition if your CD stock was destroyed in the recent office move!
Sign the petition if you were recently let go from the label and feel you
deserve a complete and final accounting of your work!
Sign the petition to support your fellow musicians and recording artist
colleagues past, present, and future!
Viva la musica!
Linear Mode
