Robert Fripp

Robert Fripp's Diary

Monday 14 January 2013

Hotel Friendly amp Acceptable Canterbury

08.41

Hotel Friendly & Acceptable, Canterbury.

Rising at 07.00 and down to the trough…

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… for morning reading.

Some of the loudly-forecasted snow has landed I…

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II...

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08.53 A significant development: Rough Music is underway...

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The Vicar’s Diary 3jan2013


Record label Breaks Contract.
Artist Breaks Wind

I continue to follow the ongoing dispute between King Crimson and UMG with astonishment. It is sadly quite easy to believe that a record label can be this incompetent (repeatedly selling downloads and stock to which they do not own the rights, "forgetting" to request a license for the inclusion of tracks on compilations, failure to pay royalties etc etc). It is, however, difficult to undertand their shame-faced refusal to apologize and offer a reasonable settlement.

At the beginning of this dispute, had they apologized, offered a reasonable explanation, and a small but meaningful sum (perhaps £5,000) - much of this dispute would have long been settled. Instead of which, they offered no explanations,. no apologies and paltry sums - with no justification as to why these should have been correct. If a company of UMG's stature does not instantly offer £5,000 or even £10,000, then they do not take their infringement seriously.

So perhaps this is a case for The Vicar.

I have been hearing strange eruptions from one of the DGM offices - and these, combined with a video by Punk - may yet force the two parties into serious talks. To misquote Monty Python, It is time for a campaign in which "we fart in your particular direction".

Punk’s Diary 5january2013…

All you Need is Wind

Just when you think that you have done it all - The Vicar has another "bright idea". This one involves me standing outside UMG's offices in Kensington, and waving placards while pretending - wait for it Punksters, you'll never guess - yes, to fart (thankfully those are being "overdubbed" later - I'm not sure who is supplying the smelly sound effects).

His Hairyness, in his role as scourge of the record labels (I assume at least some of you have read The Vicar Chronicles) has decided to join DGM and King Crimson's ongoing campaign to persuade Sanctuary/UMG to take their copyright abuses more seriously.

Hopefully, it won't be landing me a jail. Hey ho. It won't be the first time.

Posted yesterday: 13january2013…

FART FOR YOUR RIGHTS
Record company breaks contract. Artist breaks wind.

How can one small, mobile and not-very-intelligent unit fight the blast-door of lawyers that protect the world's largest media company?

Many musicians and artists have faced the same problem, but few have worked their butts off quite like this to find a solution - fart outside the offices of their nemesis and post the video on YouTube.

Punk Sanderson, author of a series of semi-fictional exposes of the music industry, has filmed his protest: Fart For Your Rights!

"It's like the Occupy Movement, only smellier. We've called bankers, politicians and 'phone-hackers to account - now it's time for major record labels. They trample over musicians' rights and rather owning up and offering fair settlement, reach for expensive lawyers. It would cost over £300,000 to fight them in the courts - who's got that kind of money?"

So, armed with a battery of slogans - "Fart For Farts Sake," "All You Need Is Wind," "With A Little Fart From Your Friends" - the intention is to encourage Dinosaur Inc to own up, get ethical and improve business practices.

"The major record labels are happy enough chasing college kids who infringe their own copyrights. This campaign blows them towards taking their own copyright abuse seriously. Any artist can join the protest, get the iFart app on their 'phone, and blast away in meetings with their record label. Or just trigger it anyway. We are on the scent of something big."

All Punk's found-sounds are of organic origin.

09.43 The Minx has a day off.


19.04 Driving T to a morning meeting, then lunch at one of our two favourite Canterbury eateries: Deeson’s

A very polite female serving-person approached:
Mr. Fripp…
A:   No.

Years of hard experience confer immediate recognition of this particular tone of voice. The Minx interceded, explaining that her husband does not sign autographs; even for the young boyfriends, of very polite serving-persons, whose youthful failings include strange affections for music of a category that does not dare to speak its name.

I was also polite in return, not raising the fetishisation of inherent and delineated meanings of such music forms the fetishisation of inherent and delineated meanings of music

Lucy Green

Music On Deaf Ears
28th October 2008

An excellent lunch. MinxWalking I…

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… and returning T to the hotel.

On the High Street shopping I…

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II...

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II...

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… at The Shrine Of St. Benji’s.

Early supper in the second of our two favourite Canterbury restaurants…

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… and early gentling.

The non-industry dispute continues on, distressingly.
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