I have a friend (who shall remain nameless) who's former groupmates have split and formed their own group. before they left, they got a hold of all my friend's contact lists. they have been soliciting old contacts and telling them that the group no longer exists (untrue) and that they (the new group) will do gigs for a fraction of the price.
this displays multiple problems. 1 - undercutting, common and more easily handeled. and 2 - missinformation from a seemingly reliable source (ie. the group is disbanded when it is not).
the undercutting thing is not that hard to handle. if this new group wants to offer 6 people for 8 showes for a total of $800, that's their problem. they get what the deserve.
the biggest problem lies with the misinformation and the new, splinter group using the highly polished press kit of their former group and then saying that group doesn't exist (which it does), but have reformed as this new and improved group.
ok. so we all know that's just wrong. it's obviously unethical. but my question is....how does one handle the obvious lies?
looking for so ideas. (personally, I want to take out a big stick and let my Piece do my talking.....but...there has to be another solution)
mab
this displays multiple problems. 1 - undercutting, common and more easily handeled. and 2 - missinformation from a seemingly reliable source (ie. the group is disbanded when it is not).
the undercutting thing is not that hard to handle. if this new group wants to offer 6 people for 8 showes for a total of $800, that's their problem. they get what the deserve.
the biggest problem lies with the misinformation and the new, splinter group using the highly polished press kit of their former group and then saying that group doesn't exist (which it does), but have reformed as this new and improved group.
ok. so we all know that's just wrong. it's obviously unethical. but my question is....how does one handle the obvious lies?
looking for so ideas. (personally, I want to take out a big stick and let my Piece do my talking.....but...there has to be another solution)
mab
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Washington, D.C.
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Re: group fission
Fri, April 29, 2005 - 7:05 PMLying is rampant in the entertainment biz. The difficulty comes in with who started what, when, where and how. When an act starts out, I thnk that it is important to keep things friendly by putting it in writing up front. I TURKU, we have an attorney who is responsible to make sure that what is Turku's stays Turku's. Anyone who wants out can, but they leave with what they came in with. the group retains ownership of all press materials, equipment, recordings, etc. It is so hard to anticipate future problems. This documentation, upfront, tries to address that potential problem.
As to what to do with your situation, all I can advise is to use your network and get the word out that a split has occurred and that whatever others are saying is not so. Be careful, though. It is easy to cross the line into slander or libel. Even if you are not at fault for the shit, they can come back and say that have a right to the material. Maybe they paid for it, they produced it, etc.
There is an organization called "Volunteer Attorneys for the Arts". These folks are in most major cities. They provide free or low cost legal advice for artists. Check it out on-line and see what you can find out. OR if you have a attorney friends, ask them.
Hope that helps...Daveed
