[Fmpro] FMPRO Digest, Vol 24, Issue 1

[Les Mizzell]

> Two points from Les M's communication. Composers do seem to have run 
> out of steam, both in their interest and their desire to 'follow the 
> dollar.' The suits, by their constant procrastination and ineptitude 
> have won the day. Composers do the work and the suits get the money. 
> Reminds me of an earlier period in American history!


I'll be honest, I don't know what else to do as an individual. If you're 
an "A" list composer or have a song in the top 40, then you seem to have 
it made.

Otherwise....

Nobody at ASCAP will answer my emails with questions.
Nobody at ASCAP will return a written letter.
If I call on the phone, they keep referring me to different departments 
until I finally get a voice mail somewhere and then nobody ever calls back.

It's us "fringe" folks that have a few things out there, but not tons, 
that REALLY need fairness in reporting and payments. We can use every 
single dime we can get our hands on to try and continue our art.

My best example is still the one thing that just makes me furious each 
time I think about it (and I posted this before)

Station ID package for the entire SC Educational Radio network.
---------------------------------------------------------------
  8 Stations total, covering all of South Carolina, bottom
    1/3rd of North Carolina and eastern 1/3rd of Georgia.
16 plays each day on each station
  3 years total run
---------------------------------------------------------------
140,160 airings (approximately)
$0.00 royalties received

It took several months of phone calls and letters to finally get a 
response as to why I never got anything.

"We don't survey any of those stations"

Yea, but they pay YOU every year!

"Sorry. No survey."

...and that's the only response of any kind they'd give.

....so I applied for a "special award". I got a check for somewhere 
around $25.00.

Give me a break.

 From MY point of view, as a "little guy":

1. My voice isn't important
2. They've set up a system where I can't see:
    a. any accounting of any kind
    b. any accountability of any kind from board members
       (hell, we can even tell if they attend meetings)
    c. if I have a bad year and don't get any royalties at all,
       then I can't even vote for anybody to improve my situation.
3. I see great opportunity to get music out on the net in
    various places. I see zero opportunity to every collect a single
    dime beyond what I've been paid up front by the client for any
    of it.

Basically, it looks like communist regime at this point to me.

So, yea, I've run out of steam.