THE USUAL SUSPECTS: PART I

[ras2thebone]

The cool and deadly “Rhythm Killers” declared war on the weakhearts in 2013 with a likkle help from Bitty McLean and a few friends, even grabbing a Grammy nod as the clock tick-tocked down to zero. There is panic on the streets of Babylon. Can anyone stop them in 2014?

http://midnightraverblog.com/2014/01/08/the-usual-suspects-part-i/

[ras2thebone]

THE USUAL SUSPECTS: Part II

http://midnightraverblog.com/2014/01/09/sly-and-robbie-part-ii/

[kalcidis]

Great pt. 1 and 2. Would really like to know more about that court case. Looking forward to the next one.

[guillaumebougard]

Great pt. 1 and 2. Would really like to know more about that court case. Looking forward to the next one.

Spedidam and Adami (google them to know what they are) refused to pay royalties to JA musicians and performing artists for bogus reasons. It took years to get them to the table and years to take them to pay a settlement and recurring royalties. We won because we found out that French musicians who had recorded in Jamaica during sessions were getting money from Spedidam whereas the JA musicians who had recorded during the same sessions for PierPolJak were not. So armed with that, we destroyed their arguments one after the other. We still had to get a newspaper publish an article about their methods to get them to settle out of court.

Andre Bertrand and I were later sued by the French government when we tried to set up an independent copyright society on the grounds that we did not have enough moral credentials to operate a copyright society. We lost in the first trial and I was condemned to pay about 8000 Euros in moral damages to the ministry of culture. I appealed it of course and of course won.

France's copyright societies are semi-public entities which have been financing the communist party and a communist affiliated union, CGT, and the least threat to decrease this huge pie is very badly considered by some people here, to say the least... The way they do it is that their bylaws enable them to fund special artistic events. So it is very easy for them to decide to co-sponsor events organized (directly or not) by the Commies. Like Fete de le l'Humanite, which is huge, or smaller events organized by Communist municipalities.

France has been infiltrated by communists since 1945 and many large companies which used to be or are still partially owned by the government pay huge sums of money (far beyond what French law mandates) to communists led unions. For instance EDF, the national electricity company, pays triple what it should normally pay to support its Workers committees, which use the funds to organize summer camps for children of employees, etc... That amounts to about 1.6 billion euros / year. Despite being flush with cash, EDF's workers committee, superbly managed by these corrupt motherfickers filed for bankruptcy last year and demanded that EDF fill up the loss... Same at Air France, RATP, etc...

But when one starts to investigate the cesspool that France's public sector has become, they get harassed, sued, etc... We are the last Soviet state in Europe!

[lankou]

Oh,it had been a long time!Back to your good old anti-commie rants? Come on, that's old hat!
I wouldn't deny that a big part of what you write is definitely correct and well-informed, as more often than not. Still, there are heaps of people who beg to differ from your usual ultra-liberal views, which are nothing new. You have every right to believe in them, mind you.
It just doesn't feel right when you put our whole public sector in the same bag, you could at least draw the line where it has to be drawn or everything ends up as a caricature. How many countries wouldn't dream of benefitting from the same basic (to us) rights?
As much as you do, i hate certain practices which have been going on for ages, yet a lot of them are not just connected with the lefties. There are large-scale examples of corruption and squandered money right, left and center any day and every day.Besides,I don't believe tax evasion that costs the countries so much more money is due to unions. That's another side of the rotten pie which you clearly elude.
As for the performing rights and mechanical rights societies, you are indeed very well informed and struggled to help certain artists we like but there are also a number of private interests who benefit from it (especially a pool of selected french artists - some of them could hardly be described as "leftists" who live off those societies while many others don't get much or nothing).

[jb welda]

*

[Donovan]

Well, I don't know anything about French politics or the intricacies of Midnites recording methods, but I do enjoy ras2thebones interviews. Keep them coming Raver

[guillaumebougard]

Oh,it had been a long time!Back to your good old anti-commie rants? Come on, that's old hat!
I wouldn't deny that a big part of what you write is definitely correct and well-informed, as more often than not. Still, there are heaps of people who beg to differ from your usual ultra-liberal views, which are nothing new. You have every right to believe in them, mind you.
It just doesn't feel right when you put our whole public sector in the same bag, you could at least draw the line where it has to be drawn or everything ends up as a caricature. How many countries wouldn't dream of benefitting from the same basic (to us) rights?
As much as you do, i hate certain practices which have been going on for ages, yet a lot of them are not just connected with the lefties. There are large-scale examples of corruption and squandered money right, left and center any day and every day.Besides,I don't believe tax evasion that costs the countries so much more money is due to unions. That's another side of the rotten pie which you clearly elude.
As for the performing rights and mechanical rights societies, you are indeed very well informed and struggled to help certain artists we like but there are also a number of private interests who benefit from it (especially a pool of selected french artists - some of them could hardly be described as "leftists" who live off those societies while many others don't get much or nothing).

First, since this discussion is in English, I'll use American meaning for the word "liberal". n American English, a liberal can be defined as follows:



So, I am not a liberal in the American sense of the word (or a Republican, and of course NOT a democrat): I am a libertarian. In France, not a single political party represents me.

Having said that, I find it funny how some people get all hyper when someone denounces the corruption of the communists. And then go on denouncing the horrible capitalist system's flaws. As if it somehow was an excuse for the (far bigger) flaws of leftist thought and politics. I am not in some sort of relativism game, but more into slaying dragons no matter what their color is.

What I particularly dislike about the left is their propensity to lecture from their moral high ground and yet steal, lie and deceive.

And, mind you, France's left is not limited to socialists, greens and commies and ultra left: it includes National Front and their marxist economic policies, UMP with their "jacobin" approach. France is a nation of leftist nanny state addicts totally devoid of any sense of individual initiative and personal accountability for 99% of them.

For your information, I am not limiting myself to denouncing socialists/commies/greens: I have petitioned against the UMP mayor of my town a few years ago. Same reason: lack of transparency, lack of democratic process, heavy handed methods.

My personal view, and I am going to get flamed for that, is that if there is tax avoidance, it is because countries from which taxpayers are trying to escape are overtaxing citizens and corporations and wasting the money raised (at French rates it is no longer raised, it is confiscated) on unnecessary stuff that doesnt help the population at the end of the day. Just look at France!!! 5 million unemployed, as much income inequalities as less taxed countries, no future for the youths, and one would want to support THAT??? So-called tax heavens are actually a good thing, because they help limit the abuses of administrations that want to continue increasing taxes and public spending. Tax rate competition between countries is good, and long live Ireland for that matter.

To get back on the subject of French copyright mafias, yes you are right, French artists do benefit unduly from the current system. For instance, ALL royalties (including those paid to non French payees) are subject to a 10% withholding to pay for a medical insurance. BUT only French members are entitled to the insurance coverage. So since SACEM pays out 60% of its royalties to foreigners, those foreigners are subsidizing French authors/composer. When Justin Hinds was sick and we tried to get Sacem medical insurance, we were told that he wasn't entitled. I dont want Jamaicans to finance communist (or any other party, by the way) formations like Sacem does and I dont want them to pay for French composer's healthcare.

Although Brussels decided to end Sacem's monopoly, the French authorities continue to fight the creation of alternatives which could serve authors/composers better than Sacem. Why do you think this is happening? It's because the French authorities/media/institutions are infiltrated to the hilt. I'll keep denouncing this soviet until I'm fed up and go live in Texas or some other state where they dont hassle people as much as here.

[Donovan]

Texas?!? Trust me, you don't want to live there if you tend toward Libertarianism. It's a freaking police state.

[guillaumebougard]

Texas?!? Trust me, you don't want to live there if you tend toward Libertarianism. It's a freaking police state.

compared to France Texas is F(iretr)UCKING freedom land. France has the largest number of cops per inhabitants in the Western World.

[Peacemakeya]

“nah take sides … take di front” (Brother Ini)

and since we speaking about France here is a few quote from sons of the soil of France

………
“The need to be right is the sign of a vulgar mind”

“I know of only one duty and that is to love” (Albert Camus)
………..

“We are not humans having a spiritual experience. We are spirits having a human experience.” (de Chardin)

…………..
“What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly - that is the first law of nature.”

“Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.”

“God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh.”

“Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices.”

“Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game.” (Voltaire)

And perhaps most importantly to all us self-important men

“all the reasonings of men are not worth one sentiment of women” (Voltaire)