[Harp-L] A quick look at the archive



Here's a Deifik post from 2008 discussing the rights request:

harp-l.org/mailman/htdig/harp-l/2008-December/msg00394.html

Apparently they did withdraw the original terms and conditions after Richard Hunter, Emile D'Amico, I and evidently several others exposed those terms for what they were. Good for PFOS. I doubt they realized just how unprofessional they were being until we pointed it out to them. They then did the right thing.

Have a look and you'll see why I remembered what I remembered and what pissed me off then and now.

Scrolling down you'll see Mr. Sloban's quoted post, the one I'm responding to at the top of the page. He's clearly bitter that I mentioned all that inconvenient stuff about not paying the harp players, having granted himself vindication based on the nobility of his endeavor otherwise.

Take note that he sincerely hopes the harmonica players who participated in the film get paid for other things. Says so right there in his response. I believe he means it, too. (To be fair, he hopes they get a 'benefit' from having appeared in his movie. I don't doubt his sincerity for a nano-second.)

Below that sits my previous post, the one he's responding to. In that post I say

> Does anyone else find it remarkable that the filmmakers are able to shell
> out for promotion (and prints of the film and tools to make the film) but
> somehow they couldn't pay the harp players?

So I'm still whining about the same stuff in 2013. I feel consistent.

So, sorry, no apology for saying you demanded all rights for the privilege of entering your contest, Mr. Slobin.

HOWEVER - BIG, HUGE, BIG TIME PUBLIC APOLOGY FOR HAVING FORGOTTEN THAT YOU CHANGED THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, AND REMOVED THE WORST OF IT. You did the right thing, and you probably would have never ever have dreamed of putting those terms and conditions in the original invitation if you had realized how offensive they were. Hats most seriously and sincerely off.

That was a very big deal, changing that was, and I should have remembered it.

I repeat: Todd Slobin did the right thing in the end about the Terms and Conditions to enter his 'contest'. Actually, since those nasty bits were removed I'll remove the quotes around the word contest. There, I did it.

My other main point still stands, though I'll remove the producers of PFOS from my complaint. This no longer refers to anything they did:

If everyone is working for free, and I mean everyone, it's a labor of love. But if other people are getting paid and you are not, if caterers and film stock suppliers and musicians who like to make a living are getting paid and you are not - well then that happened, didn't it?

It doesn't have to.

And if you say you don't want to work for free and the other guy replies "Fine, I know people who will" then you will begin to understand why I find such behavior detestable.

Sure, play on your friends' demos for free. They are friends. However, before you begin to play make sure you say "I know you will return the favor someday when I ask." That's very important. Say those words. They really work. You will need help moving someday or painting your kitchen. Your friend now owes you.

If none of us worked for free, we would all get paid for our work. That's not as much of a tautology as it might sound like.





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