Post by darkstar2 on Aug 27, 2008 13:49:17 GMT
Starving Artists Or Greedy Icons? You Decide
By Brendan Butler: 2006-12-20 00:00:00
Wolfgang’s Vault launched three years ago as a prestigious seller of music memorabilia accumulated by the late concert promoter Bill Graham. But it wasn’t until this November when their website began streaming concert footage Graham shot during what is hailed as “the glory days” of rock.
Such 1970 rock sensations as The Doors, Led Zeppelin, The Grateful Dead and Carlos Santana filed suit against the San Francisco company for not letting them in on the action. The complaint filed by the plaintiffs to the District Attorney on Monday claimed the sales of music memorabilia and the streaming of live concert footage without the artists’ consent are clear exploitations of their intellectual property.
The complaint describes the plaintiffs as being, "among the most legendary recording and performing artists of all time." Ok, I’m sure most of us would agree with that, but a little modesty, please.
The lawsuit calls out a guy named William E. Sagan as the defendant, who acquired the warehouse stacked with Bill Graham’s relics after his untimely death from a helicopter crash in 1991. The musician’s attorney Jeff Reeves told The LA Times, "Sagan simply doesn't have the legal rights to exploit and profit from the extraordinary success of these musicians ... Graham himself did not have the right to sell, reproduce or otherwise exploit these materials as a promoter, and neither does Sagan, who was not authorized to purchase these materials and who has absolutely no connection to the artists or their music."
The lawsuit asks for an injunction to be placed on Wolfgang’s Vault to prevent them from selling any more memorabilia. As always, that's not all--the plaintiffs demand that all merchandise bearing the artists’ names, voices, likenesses, photographs, identities, trademarks or copyrights be handed back to them. On top of all that, they think it would be dandy if all profits made off the selling of their goods could be paid over to them in full.
Sagan said he had been contacted by one or two of the plaintiffs, withholding any names or any other remotely interesting information regarding the lawsuit. "They wrote us a letter, we wrote them a letter, and we never heard back," he said.
Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek said he, the other two surviving members of the group, Robbie Krieger, John Densmo, along with the Jim Morrison estate believe they deserve a hefty payday from Sagan for exploiting their legacy. I guess Jim simulating masturbation while making animal noises on stage in Miami wasn’t enough to do that, but what we have here must have been it? I know, we loved that about him.
Manzarek went on to say, "That's how artists make money, and it's OK for artists to make money and they should make money when people are selling their name and their image. If people are buying something because it says the Doors on it then, you know, you should give the Doors some of the money. Look, I need to pay my electric bill. I play an electric keyboard."
Well Ray, if you’re really having trouble paying your electric bill, then I suggest doing what most of us do when times are rough and we wish to avoid freezing through the night: just find a pretty thing and ask her to come and light your fire.
www.cinemablend.com/music/Starvin....ecide-2086.html
By Brendan Butler: 2006-12-20 00:00:00
Wolfgang’s Vault launched three years ago as a prestigious seller of music memorabilia accumulated by the late concert promoter Bill Graham. But it wasn’t until this November when their website began streaming concert footage Graham shot during what is hailed as “the glory days” of rock.
Such 1970 rock sensations as The Doors, Led Zeppelin, The Grateful Dead and Carlos Santana filed suit against the San Francisco company for not letting them in on the action. The complaint filed by the plaintiffs to the District Attorney on Monday claimed the sales of music memorabilia and the streaming of live concert footage without the artists’ consent are clear exploitations of their intellectual property.
The complaint describes the plaintiffs as being, "among the most legendary recording and performing artists of all time." Ok, I’m sure most of us would agree with that, but a little modesty, please.
The lawsuit calls out a guy named William E. Sagan as the defendant, who acquired the warehouse stacked with Bill Graham’s relics after his untimely death from a helicopter crash in 1991. The musician’s attorney Jeff Reeves told The LA Times, "Sagan simply doesn't have the legal rights to exploit and profit from the extraordinary success of these musicians ... Graham himself did not have the right to sell, reproduce or otherwise exploit these materials as a promoter, and neither does Sagan, who was not authorized to purchase these materials and who has absolutely no connection to the artists or their music."
The lawsuit asks for an injunction to be placed on Wolfgang’s Vault to prevent them from selling any more memorabilia. As always, that's not all--the plaintiffs demand that all merchandise bearing the artists’ names, voices, likenesses, photographs, identities, trademarks or copyrights be handed back to them. On top of all that, they think it would be dandy if all profits made off the selling of their goods could be paid over to them in full.
Sagan said he had been contacted by one or two of the plaintiffs, withholding any names or any other remotely interesting information regarding the lawsuit. "They wrote us a letter, we wrote them a letter, and we never heard back," he said.
Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek said he, the other two surviving members of the group, Robbie Krieger, John Densmo, along with the Jim Morrison estate believe they deserve a hefty payday from Sagan for exploiting their legacy. I guess Jim simulating masturbation while making animal noises on stage in Miami wasn’t enough to do that, but what we have here must have been it? I know, we loved that about him.
Manzarek went on to say, "That's how artists make money, and it's OK for artists to make money and they should make money when people are selling their name and their image. If people are buying something because it says the Doors on it then, you know, you should give the Doors some of the money. Look, I need to pay my electric bill. I play an electric keyboard."
Well Ray, if you’re really having trouble paying your electric bill, then I suggest doing what most of us do when times are rough and we wish to avoid freezing through the night: just find a pretty thing and ask her to come and light your fire.
www.cinemablend.com/music/Starvin....ecide-2086.html