[Fmpro] ASCAP's Shameful Treatment of Fred Karlin's Legacy

[Mark Northam]

Hi All -

Below is a letter I've sent to ASCAP today, and I welcone any comments,
especially from those who knew Fred Karlin.

The link to ASCAP's release is here:
http://www.ascap.com/press/2008/0708_tfsw.aspx


Best,

Mark Northam

--------------------------------------

July 8, 2008

Mr. John LoFrumento, CEO
ASCAP
One Lincoln Plaza
New York, NY

Dear Mr. LoFrumento:

I read with amazement your celebratory press release about the 20th
Anniversary of the ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop that completely omitted the
name and any credit at all for the man who founded and built that workshop
into much of what it is today, the late Oscar and Emmy-winning film and
television composer Fred Karlin. Fred was a friend of mine, and built up
that workshop and much of what it became with tremendous amounts of his
time, energy and passion. For ASCAP to utterly avoid any mention of him in
this historical retrospective is outrageous and wrong, and is a slap in the
face to Fred's historic legacy as a great composer and educator.

1,326 words in that press release about the workshop, yet not a single
mention of Fred Karlin, its founder and creator. And did the current host of
the workshop, touted by ASCAP in the release as "legendary composer" Richard
Bellis, mention Fred even once? Nope. Same for ASCAP's Nancy Knutsen and
Mike Todd, who didn't mention Fred in their quotes in the release either. 

Fred Karlin founded and built up the ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop (previously
called the ASCAP/Fred Karlin Film Scoring Workshop on ASCAP's website, but
his name was eliminated from the workshop by ASCAP as soon as he passed away
- another classy move by ASCAP) with his own personal industry contacts, and
he spent a great deal of his own time - unpaid, I'm sure - developing that
workshop into what it is today. Indeed, the format used today including the
recording sessions and industry VIP speakers were pioneered by Fred through
his energy and love for film music and up and coming film composers. As a
participant in the Workshop myself in 1994, I found it to be an invaluable
experience, as so many others have, and being selected for that workshop was
the primary reason I and others I know moved to Los Angeles to pursue a
career in film scoring here.  That's why ASCAP's actions in this regard are
especially painful for those of us who benefitted so much from Fred's love
of film music and film music students.

Even your NYU workshop incorporated "in memory of Buddy Baker" into the
title after his passing, so why would ASCAP deny that honor to Fred Karlin
who founded and created the LA workshop?

For an organization that is supposed to honor, respect and value the
creative works of others, ASCAP's behavior in this matter has been nothing
short of shameful. I urge you to value and respect Fred Karlin's years of
hard work and dedication to up and coming film composers by restoring the
name of the workshop he founded to The ASCAP/Fred Karlin Film Scoring
Workshop and honor his work and creative energy just as you did with Buddy
Baker. Frankly speaking, Fred Karlin deserves nothing less, and today's film
scoring workshop participants as well as the industry deserves to know the
true legacy of the workshop that Fred built.

Best,

Mark Northam 
ASCAP Writer and Publisher Member