[Fmpro] Announcement from the Film Music ProList Administrator

[Pete]

ASCAP Board Member Doug Wood wrote on Thu Jun 19 17:24:04 GMT 2008:

>I urge readers of this list to be wary of some of the angry anti-
>ASCAP diatribes posted here, and to take some of the vague
>insinuations, wild accusations and snide "insider" information with
>a grain of salt.

I agree 100%. This list is often anti-ASCAP, and what Mark Holden himself calls "bad data, fuzzy logic, and unreasonable assertions" should be taken with a grain of salt. If you need examples, please check the archives. There is only so much time I am willing to spend correcting the false assertions that keep getting re-posted here. Believe what you read at your own risk.

Banning ASCAP Board Member Doug Wood from posting to the list as punishment for not posting to the list is silly, childish and disrespectful. It does a diservice to the list members who are trying to get a balanced PRO education.

Pete Surdoval


--- On Mon, 7/7/08, Mark Holden <markholden at aol.com> wrote:

> From: Mark Holden <markholden at aol.com>
> Subject: [Fmpro] Announcement from the Film Music ProList Administrator
> To: fmpro at nxport.com
> Date: Monday, July 7, 2008, 5:08 AM
> Announcement to all FMPRO subscribers:
> 
> Via this email discussion list, we encourage the free and
> open discussion of
> all topics relevant to film & television music. In such
> discussion, you are
> allowed to say, for instance, "that the sun revolves
> around the Earth,"
> should that be your honest assertion.
> 
> However, if another subscriber challenges your statement,
> proclaiming "that
> the Earth, if fact, orbits the sun," you are
> encouraged and even expected to
> provide some reasonable defense of your post, perhaps
> citing quotes or
> examples in support of your conclusion, or to clarify that
> it was only
> pre-1000 A.D. pipers living near Stonehenge that really had
> the POV you were
> expressing.
> 
> In so doing, we minimize misunderstandings and try to keep
> bad data, fuzzy
> logic, and unreasonable assertions off these threads. That
> is our intention.
> 
> The FMPRO list is a unique resource in our industry and we
> intend to keep it
> reliable. Human as we all are, we've found this policy
> to work in virtually
> all instances.
> 
> List member Doug Wood wrote on Thu Jun 19 17:24:04 GMT
> 2008:
> >I urge readers of this list to be wary of some of the
> angry anti-
> >ASCAP diatribes posted here, and to take some of the
> vague
> >insinuations, wild accusations and snide
> "insider" information with
> >a grain of salt.
> 
> Doug was asked to provide some kind of clarification to his
> post or cite
> examples in support of his rather harsh and sweeping
> statements against the
> credibility of unnamed posters on this list. The
> allegations were just too
> vast to simply let them pass without notice, and a second
> missive was posted
> in challenge to his remarks.
> 
> As Doug has chosen not to respond to the list in defense of
> his statements,
> I have little choice but to suspend his subscription to the
> FMPRO list for
> 30 days. 
> 
> While we acknowledge that Doug has the right to make any
> assertions under
> the sun, he does not have the right to blow smoke and walk
> away from
> invalidating and unsubstantiated remarks.
> 
> In declining to cite quotes, attributions, reasons, or
> other specificity to
> his indictments, Doug is employing the same vagary and wild
> accusations he
> levels against unnamed subscribers on this list. Such
> behavior will not be
> tolerated.
> 
> At the end of this suspension, however, Doug may
> reestablish his
> subscription to the FMPRO list without prejudice.
> 
> The complete list thread leading to this decision follows
> this missive.
> 
> Thank you for your attention,
> 
> Mark Holden
> FMPRO Admin
> 
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
> 
> markholden at aol.com wrote on
> Thu Jun 19 22:47:00 GMT 2008:
> 
> >Hi Doug,
> 
> >Welcome back to the FMPRO list. Especially during an
> ASCAP election year!
> >I know our subscribers appreciate your input and
> accessibility.
> 
> Doug Wood wrote on Thu Jun 19 17:24:04 GMT 2008:
> >>I urge readers of this list to be wary of some of
> the angry anti-
> >>ASCAP diatribes posted here, and to take some of
> the vague
> >>insinuations, wild accusations and snide
> "insider" information with
> >>a grain of salt.
> 
> >Making unsubstantiated claims is not okay here. Indeed,
> your claim of
> >"wild accusations" of unnamed FMPRO
> subscribers is in itself a wild
> >accusation. Remember, the grain of salt can be applied
> to you as well.
> 
> >Please be specific, not vague, before casting
> insinuations in these
> >pages. While the ASCAP board operates in secret, we do
> not.
> 
> >I'm not aware of ANY of our 800+ subscribers who
> could be construed as
> >"anti-ASCAP." As you know, there are certain
> of ASCAP policies that fall
> >under criticism because of disparate treatment of score
> compared to
> >song-- unlike any royalty system on the planet. But
> that's a VERY FAR CRY
> >from being against the institution itself.
> 
> >For you to paint this so divisively is misleading and
> wrong. As the
> >FMPRO administrator, I respectfully request that you
> substantiate your
> >accusations with specific instances or withdraw your
> remarks above as
> >ill-considered.
> 
> >Most sincerely,
> 
> >Mark Holden
> >FMPRO Admin
> 
> _________________________________________
> 
> markholden at aol.com wrote on
> Sat Jun 28 22:36:51 GMT 2008
> 
> >ASCAP board member Doug Wood posted here last week and
> mentioned that
> >his responses might be deferred until a project was
> completed. We
> >understand time constraints!
> 
> >Sufficient time has now elapsed and I am re-issuing to
> Doug my
> >missive as list administrator, challenging him to
> retract certain of
> >his unsubstantiated statements posted to this list.
> That, or to document
> >his accusations with specifics.
> 
> >We have not heard back from Doug on this matter of
> trashing on the FMPRO,
> >cited [above], and it's time that we did. His
> personal credibility and that
> >of our posting membership hangs in the balance.
> 
> >Very best,
> 
> >Mark Holden
> >FMPRO Admin