Robert Fripp's Diary

Room Enjoyable Hotel Enjoyable U

08.43

Room Enjoyable, Hotel Enjoyable, U District, Seattle.

Today is the first anniversary of DGM Live.

A lie-in, rising at 05.30. Instead of Starbucks & a morning e-frenzy, a brief visit to the hotel’s continental feeding-trough & back in the room for online excitements.

The skies over Seattle have been changeable this morning already. Left…

Centre…

Right…

Is that a bird? I...

II...

10.47  Left…

Centre…

Right…

A conversation with Director Rieflin of Slow Music infamy. Bill was just about to leave his hotel room in NYC, where he was playing Conan O’Brian with Robyn Hitchcock, and fly home to Seattle on the busiest traveling day in US history. Bill lands around 21.00, so we won’t be about to meet up on this trip. Pooey pooey.

15.30  The skies continue to change. Left…

Centre…

Right…

Downtown lunching with Jeff Fayman & then an excellent Chinese tea with Trey at chez Gunn.

Conversing with Trey on the issues confronting the professional player. Nearly all issues come down to this: it is not possible to earn much of a living playing music. This may not be The Absolute Truth, but to all extent & purposes, it’s close enough. We might add a qualification: it is almost impossible to play music that we know to be true for us, and simultaneously earn a full-time living from it.

16.31  Packing at 97% & an e-frenzy has begun.

Sid has asked what I’ve been up to with Jeff Fayman, and also on the Guestbook…
seattle:: Posted by martynear on November 22, 2006
What the heck is this fripp/fayman projekct in seattle?  One time?  Epitaph?  Schizoid?  Inquiring minds want to know...Sid?

Jeff is one of the two founding partners of Immediate Music. Let’s go to their site & find out the background…

Started in 1992 by composers/producers Jeffrey Fayman and Yoav Goren, Immediate Music LLC is now a growing collection of composers who currently work daily in film and television music. In the competitive market of motion picture advertising, the quality of the compositions as well as high production levels, have to hold up against the finest motion picture scores available.

Some of our most recent campaigns include:

X-Men 3

Spiderman 3

The Da Vinci Code

Harry Potter 4

Ghost Rider

Superman Returns

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Talladega Nights

We currently compose and produce music licensing from our production library to almost every motion picture and trailer production company in North America, as well as to many in Europe. At any given point during the year, our cues are being utilized in promotional campaigns by 70-80% of the 50 top grossing films in Hollywood. We try not to license our music to any other commercial advertising areas in order to maintain as much exclusivity to the film studios, but we do see a real desire in many areas of television product advertising campaigns to capture the same dramatic and emotional appeal as film advertising… That is the music service that we can provide

A selection of trailers...

Jeff was originally involved in the early 1990s’ 10 Seconds project with Bill Forth, and it was through Bill that Jeff & I met, becoming pals. In his professional world Jeff has used me on Immediate sessions (in California, London & Nashville); and has a particular interest in developing Crimson music & Soundscapes within his area of endeavour. Jeff’s hit on Soundscapes was well ahead of the game, and he flew to NYC for the WFC performances (1990). One result of Jeff’s feel for Soundscapes was the Fayman & Fripp Temple In The Clouds CD.

Jeff’s latest hunch is to re-arrange several Crimson songs, ones that particularly sing to him, in abbreviated formats with string orchestra. The possibilities for release, placement & licensing are various, and all of these I leave to Jeff. What I am doing is supporting Jeff’s sense. There’s no one else right now that could persuade me to strap on an acoustic in the OST and play the original lines to Epitaph. Or plug into a Marshall set to 11.5 & rock out on Schizoid. Or flail metallic shards of terror on a reworking of Realside (from 10 Seconds) with an energy that reduces my lifespan.

Jeff is also a drummer. So, maybe that explains it all.

Inquiry about King Crimson copyrights?
:: Posted by seakeeler on November 22, 2006

I have just noticed that on the newest KCCC release, "Live in Munich", that the copyright credits to the music have now changed from King Crimson to Robert Fripp. Since Robert is such a stickler for giving credit where credit is due, I was wondering why the change has occured?

After personally reading his diary for almost 5 years now, it seems strange to me that Mr. Fripp would own the copyrights completely and not continue to give the rights to the band, King Crimson.

Any innocent audient taking an interest in downloading, Digital Rights & copyright violation (whether they read this Diary or not) is most likely aware of growing concerns regarding online piracy & theft. But, before piracy & theft online was an issue, piracy & theft offline was an issue. For me, pretty much a daily issue on both counts.

Where copyright ownership is unclear, or ambiguous, there is almost no defence against someone minded to improperly use the copyrighted material in one form or another (downloads, t-shirts, coffee mugs, DVDs, CDs).

Where copyright ownership is secure, this is no inevitable protection against anyone who has the mind to use the copyrighted material in an illegitimate fashion, particularly if the operation is outside the playing field. But there is a some measure of protection against violators within the playing field.

Endless Grief was appalling & took 6.5 years of my life. It was also an opportunity to act in accordance with the aphorism…

turn a seeming disadvantage to your advantage;
the greater the seeming disadvantage, the greater the possible advantage.

One result of the litigation was that, at the end of it, the complete KC catalogue was/is owned/controlled by RF. This is the legal position. So, whenever a dud suggestion for a witless use of classic material arises, there is only one place to go to ask permission and/or get a license. Whenever there is piracy or theft, there is one place that unifies & co-ordinates a response (and fortunately, we have a growing team of partners whose assistance is invaluable in this).

The moral position is different. Does Ian MacDonald’s work belong to Robert? Does Adrian Belew’s work belong to Robert? Does the work of any Crim belong to Robert? Clearly not.

Regrettably, attempts at committee consensus & discussion related to various copyright matters, on a practical day-to-day business-like basis, proved to be impossible; mainly because of unresolved personal concerns held by some within the Greater Crim.

Day-to-day decisions are taken at DGM HQ on behalf of the catalogue, such as our legal responses last year to CRP & the illegitimate KC Inside The Music DVD & CD. For this privilege, we foot the bill. But, it comes with the territory: we have a professional duty of care (at the very least) towards the Crim catalogue. If there is an item to be discussed, then consultations can be made with the other Crims of goodwill.

So, the question:       Does RF own the KC copyrights?
The answer:               Yes & no. Who’s asking?

20.40  325 e-mails later… 2 left. Enough. Lobby call at 05.15.