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Pure L wrote:

Mark Hansen wrote:This is why.....you actually read and have a lawyer look over a contract BEFORE urinating on it.

Exactly.

Thank you for correcting my statement.

kevinhidden wrote:I can't overemphasize enough that Jonah is a very intelligent and ethical guy himself. He was just a naiive kid who got suckered--- the typical story.

He ended up spending 10 years under contract to three major labels. During this time only two albums actually saw the light of day.

I only speak from nearly-similar circumstances. Things never got as far, thankfully.

(For the record, I don't think Jonah is a "dumbass". Yust a yoke!)

I think one real, tangible benefit from this board is the fact that these stories can actually help people who might be in similar circumstances. The music-business seems to run on blood-sucking.

And unfortunately, it's rare that desparation leads to anything better than more despair.

I knew Jonah when I lived in Boston and remember Miltown. Sorry to hear of his troubles. Tell him Graham from The Gersch says hello.

Pure L wrote:

kevinhidden wrote:I can't overemphasize enough that Jonah is a very intelligent and ethical guy himself. He was just a naiive kid who got suckered--- the typical story.

He ended up spending 10 years under contract to three major labels. During this time only two albums actually saw the light of day.

I only speak from nearly-similar circumstances. Things never got as far, thankfully.

I think one real, tangible benefit from this board is the fact that these stories can actually help people who might be in similar circumstances. The music-business seems to run on blood-sucking.

And unfortunately, it's rare that desparation leads to anything better than more despair.

This is why I'm passing it along. I often keep a printed copy of this along with a copy of Steve's article and hand them to people who keep asking me when my band will get "signed" and "make it". Your average Joe is completely in the dark about this stuff.

BadComrade wrote:The best part of all this is that I've never heard of this guy's bands, and as "I'm sure you all know", I've been working in record stores since 1989...

60,000 copies eh?

Haha. I heard "Miltown" and my brain automatically went here:





Major labels can't rape the willing, and you can't tell me these guys don't look willing.

Here's a couple of links. The first band, Raw Radar War is his current thing. The second is the band he had after Miltown.
www.myspace.com/septicyouthcommand
www.myspace.com/milligram

the$inmusicisallmine wrote:indy method

Like...hating snakes?

kevinhidden wrote:Here's a couple of links. The first band, Raw Radar War is his current thing.

This palindrome band name thing is getting way out of hand.

El Protoolio wrote:I knew Jonah when I lived in Boston and remember Miltown. Sorry to hear of his troubles. Tell him Graham from The Gersch says hello.

Sure thing. It's all water under the bridge now, he's doing fine.

Here's where I mention that contracts are of no value to a rock band.

Contracts can only be enforced by the party with enough money to go to war. Such a contract is a liability to the weaker party and a weapon for the stronger party. A contract offers no protection without enforcement, and a band has no means to effect enforcement.

Contracts are of no value to a rock band, and in fact they are a liability.