Cc-au mailing list

["Jamison Young" <jam AT jamyoung.net>]

hi CC people,

i thought to let the mailing list know that even though Brett Cottle CEO of APRA said to me when i left APRA in May 2007.

In relation to the issue of co-writes of your works registered with us, we will inform the relevant co-writers and seek their views of the information you have provided to us. If they are in agreement, we will remove their registrations. If not, we will contact you regarding further action.

APRA decided to leave all co-writes in place and did not contact me regarding further information. In effect this means that APRA was issuing licenses for use of 10 percent of my content and then sending back the other 90 percent back to the rights organizations that issued the license for use of the song. The reason why the co-writes were not seen to be valid was because they did not create the co-write agreement until the production work was finished, in effect using the recording to extort co-write out of me and in the same breath telling me that i could re-record the songs and they would always belong to me. 

In effect this means that EMI music and Mushroom publishing control the album "shifting sands of a blue car". No amount of money on the planet is able to buy a license from EMI or the producers, to separate the song from the recording, so the works can fit into my publishing admin in the US. 

 EMI have gone at fox films for a share of the license fee and are now are in pursuit of my writer share (that i gave within the APRA system) within the ASCAP system. Imagine that i presented my music with hi-rotation on JJJ radio to both EMI music and Mushroom publishing and they did not even want to meet up to say hi. "What is it that you do". 

This is warning to any artists that steps foot into a "professional" recording studio. Make sure you have an agreement in place to guard your song against theft. EMI music licensing in "Australia" have told me that they shall ask that no creative commons license be issued for their share of the license fee. 

I strongly advise that creative commons Australia does not work on any terms that relate to APRA. I have instructed that fox films not use my songs anymore, if BMI go for writer share within the ASCAP system, i shall cancel with ASCAP. Who needs this kind of shit, imagine that i can't even play the songs i wrote for free of an EMI parking meter.

legal advice is must for artists when they join any rights organizations, and according to EMI publishing Australia. It seems that APRA is forever. Yet of course EMI want send anything in writing, they are not human. 

And the artist with a rights organization thinks they have rights and creative commons wants the CC license to integrate into the rights organizations system. The right for the artist to make something free that he paid to create is a long way from the bells of freedom. I refuse to take any legal action against APRA or anyone else or change the way i do my music... how can EMI music have anything to do with the way i distribute my songs if i have no contract in place with them.

Its only if you want something from this system that you can get burned. if anyone wants a copy of the letter that Brett Cottle sent me, mail me.

happy thoughts CC...

jamison