[Fmpro] Doug Wood: FMPRO list = "misinformation"

[Mark Northam]

I guess when the level of frustration with the ASCAP Board gets to a certain
point it becomes Doug's "job" to jump on the list and try and relieve the
pressure a bit (private phone call offers, etc), but that hardly addresses
the big issues that need to be addressed.

The bottom line is that on his watch and campaign rhetoric notwithstanding,
things in many ways have gotten worse at ASCAP (elections, secrecy, etc) and
for composers who suffer under some of the world's most punitive royalty
rules, things have not gotten much better.  It's great that he stops by
every few months with some nice words, but what about some real activism?

The "old" Doug Wood made quite a public stir when ASCAP attempted to put a
cap on royalty payouts for CPA music, then he got elected to the board (as
an independent candidate after gathering the then-required 25 signatures),
and since then very, very little publicly. Now of course, it takes over
1,000 signatures to do what he did with 25 - get on the ballot, much less
get elected. No term limits, a board that indirectly chooses its own
"opponents" and nothing but secrecy when it comes to disclosing their
activities, attendance records or agendas has created a self-perpetuating
board where the election is little more than a cynical sideshow with a very
predictable result.

And of course, not a drop of disclosure from Doug even on the simple matter
of whether he has observed the other board members flying First Class (on
our nickel, of course) or not.  That speaks volumes.

Bottom line, Doug is a loyal ASCAP Board Member and we shouldn't expect
anything more from him. That being said, as a loyal ASCAP Board Member he
deserves just as much scrutiny and is just as accountable for the acts of
the Board as any and every other board member. He should be held just as
responsible as the rest of them for the outrageous actions they have
undertaken, especially since 2001, towards composers and the membership at
large by gutting the election process to protect their own positions. He and
his pals on the board share equally the blame and responsibility for the
prejudice and discrimination maintained by ASCAP towards instrumental
composers, and all the nice words and campaign promises and conference calls
can't change the harsh, bitter truth of ASCAP's punitive policies towards
instrumental music.

In my book, if DW wants to be treated differently, he's going to have to
prove to us that he has acted differently than the rest of the board once
the doors have closed. As they say, actions speak (much) louder than words.

Best,

Mark Northam



On 7/20/07 10:35 PM, "Tracey Larvenz" <tlarvenz at gmail.com> wrote:

> I was hoping that this exchange wasn't going to be like similar "drive-by
> emailings" that we've seen in the past from DW, where he posts and then
> drops out of sight for about 8 months.