Re: Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Pocket full of Soul Kickstarter appeal

[Ken Deifik <kenneth.d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Elizabeth wrote:
>You have a different perspective as a Pro and I respect that, but I think
>you're comparing apples to oranges withyour examples and mistaking these
>guys for big-time movie producers when they're not.

I know these guys aren't big-time movie producers. From the first time I 
read their request for free music I knew they were just amateurswith 
"trust me" smiles.

After I posted my previous bit I remembered that I only got totally 
pissed off back when I read to the end of the first request for free 
musicafter Iread the conditions of submission.

I kindof understood trying to get free music. Iwas in the movie business 
for a long time, and I never met a producer who didn't try to get as 
much for free as possible.

I vaguely understood that they wanted to retain the rights to the music 
that was synche'd. Why pay back-end if people are gullible enough to 
surrender their rights?

A very bad smell wafted up when I saw that that music belonged to them 
forever, for all uses. That is pure sleaze.

It was when I saw that you had to surrender all rights JUST TO SUBMIT 
your music that I saw red.

That is just plain disgusting, no matter how nicely these guys smile.

If they love harmonica players as much as they think they do, why did 
they demand that people who are dying for a break surrender all their 
rightsunder all conditions?

Even Colonel Tom Parker only got 50%.

Elizabeth, I'm nota sourguy.  You won't find many rants in my many 
posts, just good cheer. I'm not saying these mean things about your nice 
friends because I love making nasty posts on harp-l.

When newer players join our community, they don't pose their questions 
to other newbies.  They want to learn from what the strong, experienced 
players have learned. If somebody makes a post with totally wrong 
information about a technical issue, advice that would send newbies down 
a very frustrating road, ten people jump in and explain how the original 
post was mistaken and misleading.

Saying nice things about the PFOS filmmakers is mistaken and misleading, 
no matter how well-intentioned those guys they think they are.

I am not posting my disgust at the PFOS filmmakers because other 
professional musicians need to know. They've learned the hard lessons.

I'm posting to make sure the younger players learn to see a sucker game 
early on. I am here to tell them that niceness and smiles and good 
intentions sometimes mask odious behavior.

I used to work trade shows in Las Vegas.  I never put a quarter in a 
slot, never gambled a nickel.  Nor did I ever go up to a single person 
in a casino and said "Hey buddy, let somebody else be the sucker."  It 
wasn'tmy place.

But it absolutely IS the place of older musicians, those of us who have 
seen the smiling faces and the scams, to tell the younger ones the score 
here on Harp-l.

I bet these guys are just terrific people, and that they believe they're 
doing the world a favor. I doubt that they even realize what a 
disgraceful proposition they made when they posted to our list 
originally. If you like these guys and believe it's okay to ask 
musicians to work for free, and to get them to contribute money to the 
suppliers who refuse to work for free, go ahead,give give give.

But young musicians should not be misled by all the sunnyhappy talk. 
Tune your BS detector to go off when smiling people ask you to work for 
free - or to help them pay for the people who won't work for free.