Minimal Wave Records

Your contract with the band is expired, is it not?

The band agreed to a release with Anna Logue Records.

Sounds like a clean deal to me, with no guilt felt by either party. Nor should there be.

Wow, you have the obscure identities record label contract.  Is it expired?

Can you tell me since you are so on the inside. Last I recall there are several more releases

of the bands All the Madmen / Red Fetish / Decades by Night / Tiger Club / Dedkatz that are coming out on

obscure identities.

Marc should obviously feel guilty for bad mouthing obscure identities, and chasing the bands on

obscure identities at the same time.  It makes him look like a conniving jealous hypocrite.

He knows it to, and that’s why he has shut up on the forum. 

Mike and Neale did tell me about the Red Fetish 7” release earlier this year, but they are definitely

guilty of not telling me what label they would put it out on. They both know that I am very opposed to bad

reissue labels, and that one in particular. I’m sure they didn’t tell me because of guilt.

I am guilty of introducing Anna logue, and the rest of the minimal synth community to the band Red Fetish

via the All the Madmen release. The purpose was not to introduce the band so they could be used to

put out a crappy release.  I did not think any record label would be ugly enough

to go after the bands on my label as it would not make their record label look very good. I am

guilty of being wrong about that.

Obscure, to be honest i dont know you neither who you are, but im really sorry to tell you that you dont know at all how and which are the rules and the legal facts in term of running a label.

i can contact a band and if they dont have any contract with a label, they can do what they want with their OWN music. so you’ll better shout on the band than on Marc…i guess u havent paid for their recordings session…(yes here im ironic cause we are talking about music from 25 years ago). also are u a publisher under ASCAP or alike? is the material you publish protected by any publishing copyright?

i really would like that people understand and separate 2 aspects while “having a label”

1) doing a label as an hobby, contacting bands i like and repressing them without any contract or proper label shape.

2) doing a label as work, contacting bands and doing contracts, paying recordings, mastering, press agency, finding licensing possibilities etc etc etc

Marc has really not any reason to ‘ask’ the permission to you. The only permission he must ask is to the band. and if they are agree, well you have nothing to complain or to shout. isnt your music.

No papers, no party ^_^

Sorry man!

Peter, Marc has every reason to contact me about releasing a Red Fetish record. I introduced him to

the band Red Fetish, and I have a record label that is releasing All the Madmen / Red Fetish records. It

would be an intelligent move to contact the record label that introduced your label to the band to see

what the contract with the band states, and even more so it is common courtesy used by someone who is

polite, and forthcoming.  The alternative, is being sneaky, and conniving which in essence equates to

acting like a prick.

also as far as i understand, we are talking about a 7’‘, normally they will be 2 tracks. If they werent included in your release (supposing u have a contract) and you havent an option (written option) for the tracks, i guess you can do really nothing.

I can expose Anna logue records for being guilty of chasing the bands on my label after bad mouthing my

label.

“everyone is trying to steal my preciousssss…”

“Not everyone, only one. And her name is Anna. She’s jealous and mean. Watch out for her”.

Your answers next Oystein. Sorry Minimal Wave has a text limit.

so Stephen,

in light of neale’s post on the matter, where we learn that a) the red fetish lp on obscure identities was released after your contract with him had run out and b) he told you about the 7” several months ago and you didn’t have a problem with it…

Will you acknowledge a slight discrepancy between the matter at hand and the discussion you invited to in your first post?

Oystein, Neale and Mike both know I plan to do 2 All the Madmen LPs, 3 Red Fetish LPs, a Tiger Club LP, a

Decades By Night EP, and a DedKatz 7”.  That is very clear to them. 

They both told me about the Red Fetish 7” release several months ago while the 1st Red Fetish LP was being

pressed which I had been working on since last fall when Neale sent me all the Red Fetish tapes. It did

bum me out because I was in the middle of pressing the 1st Red Fetish record, and I was sad that there

would be a bad Red Fetish record released through another label. However, I didn’t ask anymore questions

about it. When I saw Neale in San Francisco he said that other label had gotten very quiet about releasing

a Red Fetish record and at the time I thought probably because that label is going to look bad to

go after the bands I’m releasing.  The last I had been told was that Neale and Mike were releasing a

record of new Red Fetish material in the coming year after they begin recording again. They both know I am

very outspoken about not liking the Anna-logue records label, and neither of them told me the Red Fetish

release was on Anna-logue for I’m sure that very reason.  I seriously did not intend for there to be any

terrible releases be put out by Neale or Mike, and it makes me sad that there is going to be. 

Especially an Anna-logue release.  Nothing could be worse.  “A Transparent Illusion LP on Anna-logue

records”.  Yes, that is worse, but still this is very bad, and it is accidentally my fault.

Bjakk, your next.

Well, maybe betrayal feels bad, but revenge feels good. Did you do something to make them angry? Really, I don’t agree that Red Fetish have betrayed you, but I don’t think you can demand loyalty from them either, when you sign to a label, you expect them to manufacture records, promote them and sell them, but you want to keep them for yourself. The insane ebay stunt is good for you, you want to keep the records for yourself and be the number one minimal synth collector, it’s not so much fun for the bands.

“Maybe Betrayal feels bad, but revenge feels good”.  The new single coming from the most talked about

internet minimal synth sensation Bjakk from Iceland. He’s no bjork, and he may be unintelligent, but he’s

got Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry heart and the all the Darkside of Anakin Skywalker rolled into one. Get

it now or he’ll put a cap in your ass.

Bjakk, since you are signed to the biggest minimal synth label in Iceland can you tell me again what a

label is suppose to do.

According to your first list I’m doing pretty good.

Manufacture Records-  obscure identities- check that one off.

Promote Bands- obscure identities- check that one off.(more minimal synth fans read about the band All the Madmen than any other minimal synth band in 2010 I’m sure)

Sell Records- obscure identities- check that one off.

If I wanted to keep the obscure identities records I wouldn’t be selling them would I?  Think about that one for awhile. 

If I wanted to keep the bands All the Madmen / Red Fetish a secret I wouldn’t be releasing record by them would I?

Ebay is great for the bands, because their records can be sold on it.

Here come your cries of “No, records are only suppose to be sold using that 500 limited edition pressing

scam, so everyone is afraid of not being able to get it and buys it in 2 weeks, and then it is repressed,

and sold again at a fixed price only. Because that is a normal record label scam”.

Those cries are falling on deaf ears once again. 

Correct. You get the attention from a big record label by releasing good records on a small record label. “This band shows promise,” says the big label; “they’re ready to take their career to the next level!” The big label phones the band and asks if they’re under contract – if yes, the big label will try to buy out the contract, if no, the band signs with the new label, simple as that. No reason to say anything to all the other labels that didn’t sign the band!
And of course normal labels badmouth you; everyone badmouths you because you are rude and have insane business practices. You’re damaging the market for minimal synth reissues, the other labels have every reason to badmouth you.

Besides, it’s not true that Anna found out about Red Fetish through you if the Anna single was planned before the OI album got put out. Red Fetish knew that their record contract with OI wasabout to expire, it’s only natural that they go looking for another label.

Bjakk, Anna-logue is a big record label? and I’m releasing good records on a small record label?

Dude, obscure identities is the biggest and best minimal synth record label of the 21st Century.

(google search purposes)

Ask everyone , and watch my future releases….

My business practices are so insane they include doing everything you say a record label is suppose to do.

See list above. 

Does everyone really badmouth me?  Wow, so much hatred.

 
I wonder where everyone badmouthing me went while all the people buying obscure identities releases are

posting such positive feedback in my ebay account for all the obscure identities releases, and emailing me

telling me how much they like them.  I guess my customers are not part of everyone.

Also, I don’t put out minimal synth reissues so I don’t know how I could be damaging that market.

Bjakk, I was listening to Red Fetish 5 years ago, and it is true that until I released the All the Madmen

LP Anna had never heard of Red Fetish.  As soon as the All the Madmen LP was released Anna contacted the

band members of All the Madmen complaining about my label, and then found out they were in other minimal

synth bands as well.  As soon as she found that out she hiked up her skirt looking for some action,

because she was seeing dollar signs.

wow…. unbelievable.
if i was an 80s synth musician with recordings that need to be (re-)released I wouldn’t give them to anyone who posts complaints about a (past) cooperation on a forum instead of talking to the people involved in person.

Obscure,

I really don’t think your long drawn out justification(yet again)made anyway see your point in petty personal attacks.I think ANNA just doesn’t want to entertain you with a response.With the way you conduct yourself and the label,I believe you will only be around till your money that you’ve fed your massive ego/record collection with,has ran dry..

Hi, Mike here from All The madmen & Red Fetish. Just to put the record straight: the original contract - which I don’t currently have to hand, so this might all be a bit vague,  was signed by myself,on behalf of ALL THE MADMEN. It specified a number of releases, and a timescale for these releases. The date foir the last release was 2010. By the end of 2010, only one album - the infamous ATM first album - had been released. In the meantime, I had made contact with Neale after a 20 year gap. He knew nothing about this contract or release, however, he was all for it - we were shocked that someone could care so much about these recordings. I had sent Stephen 3 cassetes of ATM/decades by night tracks, plus a few odds and ends that I’d been involved with. This is what Stephen intends to be releasing.

The release of the Red Fetish album came out of the blue in 2011, I had not heard anything from Stephen to indicate a release, and this was quickly followed by the 2nd ATM album. Legally, this were unofficial releases as our contract expired 31/12/2010. But thats by the by.

Neale has had all dealings with Marc - we sent Marc a copy of the OI contract before we signed with AnnaLogue, he was happy that we were no longer legally contracted to OI.

Stephen’s dealings leave a lot to be desired, eg refusing to sell to certain individuals, something that I am totlly against, my work has been lost for 30 years, I would like the maximum number of people to hear it now! And selling one album a week? Laughable.

As for the keeping back 20 out of each 100 of the release - the band have received 3, I would like to know what happened to the other 17.

As for the OI/Anna feud - I knew nothing of this, nor cared. I like to think i have a semblance of a life outside the world of minimal synth. In fact I know I have.

Any questions on this, please fire away.

I really don’t think your long drawn out justification(yet again)made anyway see your point in petty personal attacks.I think ANNA just doesn’t want to entertain you with a response.With the way you conduct yourself and the label,I believe you will only be around till your money that you’ve fed your massive ego/record collection with,has ran dry..

I did not start the personal attacks.  I started a business, and I have every right to run

my record label how I would like.  Anna didn’t see that as a correct way to run a record label,

because it is not what she does.  Therefore, she badmouthed my label, and at the same time

chased one of the bands from my label secretly for releases.

Anyway, it was just basically conniving, ugly behaviour on her part, and I just called Marc out on it

to let everyone know who he is and how he is operating.

I’ll be around for a very very long time.  You can bet on that.

Hi, Mike here from All The madmen & Red Fetish. Just to put the record straight: the original contract - which I don’t currently have to hand, so this might
all be a bit vague,  was signed by myself,on behalf of ALL THE MADMEN. It specified a number of releases, and a timescale for these releases. The date foir
the last release was 2010. By the end of 2010, only one album - the infamous ATM first album - had been released. In the meantime, I had made contact
with Neale after a 20 year gap. He knew nothing about this contract or release, however, he was all for it - we were shocked that someone could care so
much about these recordings. I had sent Stephen 3 cassetes of ATM/decades by night tracks, plus a few odds and ends that I’d been involved with. This is
what Stephen intends to be releasing.

The 2nd cassette was full of Red Fetish- And a Pair of Shoes songs that you had called All the Madmen.

The release of the Red Fetish album came out of the blue in 2011, I had not heard anything from Stephen to indicate a release, and this was quickly
followed by the 2nd ATM album. Legally, this were unofficial releases as our contract expired 31/12/2010. But thats by the by.

Prior to the release of the Red Fetish LP I had sent both you and Neale emails detailing the future All the Madmen, Decades by Night, Red Fetish, Tiger Club, and

Dedkatz releases I intend to release in the next few years with no opposition from either you or Neale.

Neale had sent me the Red Fetish tapes, and I told him I was going through all the tracks last fall when I received them for a future release.

I have put over $5000 into your bands, made your old bands very well known, and I’m the reason for any interest by other labels

including Anna-logue.  I would appreciate it for you to post that these releases are official, and were done with the bands full consent

which I believe they were, because I don’t recall any objections from both you or Neale either before or after they were released.

Especially since both you and Neale were helping me make them happen.

Neale has had all dealings with Marc - we sent Marc a copy of the OI contract before we signed with AnnaLogue, he was happy that we were no longer
legally contracted to OI.

I can’t believe you would have any contact with Marc at all.  For me, that is utterly disasterous.  The whole purpose of my label

is for your bands to have great releases as opposed to bad releases like the stuff on Anna-logue.  Marc, basically went after

you for all the wrong reasons.  Maybe it was jealousy, maybe it was greed.  Regardlesss what he did was not right.  If he was

actually into All the Madmen or Red Fetish’s music he would own the records right now as the collectors that like your music do.

His purpose was to use you to either make money or boost the ego of his label. 

Stephen’s dealings leave a lot to be desired, eg refusing to sell to certain individuals, something that I am totlly against, my work has been lost for 30
years, I would like the maximum number of people to hear it now! And selling one album a week? Laughable.

I have never refused to sell the All the Madmen / Red Fetish releases to anyone.  Actually, quite the opposite.  Anyone can

buy any copy of every Obscure Identities Red Fetish or All the Madmen release. 

And you not realizing that I have made the maximum number of people hear your music through my dealings is what is making me laugh right now.
 

As for the keeping back 20 out of each 100 of the release - the band have received 3, I would like to know what happened to the other 17.

What, you forgot about Chris the dead lead singer of the band already, and how it made his world the week before he died.  Not to mention all the

people that helped me make the release happen.  These copies are straight up not for collectors who don’t want to pay for your record and want

to use the band members to get their record for free.

As for the OI/Anna feud - I knew nothing of this, nor cared. I like to think i have a semblance of a life outside the world of minimal synth. In fact I know I
have.

Any questions on this, please fire away.

The bottom line is every dealing i have ever had with Marc is him trying to use me, and this is just another example of that. Only this time he is trying to

use a band that is precious to me.  I don’t think it reflects well on him.

Hee Obscure,

Let’s face it.
The band concluded they made a terrible mistake letting you release their stuff.
That’s what I read from them.
They don’t like your business model, they don’t like the way you handle things and so they probably don’t like you any more.
You making this a public fight in a forum doesn’t help promoting your person either.
Watching your behaviour I think you got what you deserved and I also think Anna got what she deserved.
Stop crying crocodile tears on spending $ 5000,- to get the band heard because nobody will believe you.

I think you’re done Obscure and I am happy to witness.
Oh… If you post again please do something about that terrible formatting because it takes away my joy in reading your posts in this near-death forum.

I’m not sure I see it like that, Nogah - “terrible mistake”, “they don’t like you anymore”... it’s not like that.

Six years ago, Mike was contacted about some old tapes he made in the eighties. Obviously, he was happy to hear there was, at least, some little interest. Five years later, he learns that there is actually more interest than he thought. Well, cool. So far so good.

There’s apparently something personal between Stephen and Marc, that makes it harder for Stephen to swallow the Red Fetish 7” than if it had come out on a different label. This, as stated by Mike, is of no consequence to the musicians. With the rights to the music being owned by the band, they were able to take their music to another label, and Stephen vents his frustration with this situation in the forum as he’s nowhere else to take it (ie, no legal action or such like).

Communication between band members and at least one of their labels can’t have been very clear, but this is not something I concern myself with. As a fan, I do hope to hear more of the music of Mike and Neale and their various partners in crime, and indeed I am confident that I shall.

Well said reactorlgtn, you’ve hit the nail on the head. This is nothing personal against Stephen, Neale met him in SF earlier this year, he seemed ‘a decent chap’ as we old English guys sometimes say. There will be more of our music to hear, hope you enjoy.

And Stephen, I hadn’t forgotten about Chris’s copy, but I had forgotten that you sent me 2 copies, one of which I’d given to my eldest son. So what are the plans for the other 16?

obscure - 02 September 2011 03:14 AM

The new single coming from the most talked about

internet minimal synth sensation Bjakk from Iceland. He’s no bjork, and he may be unintelligent, but he’s

got Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry heart and the all the Darkside of Anakin Skywalker rolled into one. Get

it now or he’ll put a cap in your ass.

Is this scary or what? Geez man… you are so “not nice” that you scare me.

obscure - 02 September 2011 03:14 AM

Dude, obscure identities is the biggest and best minimal synth record label of the 21st Century.
(google search purposes)
Ask everyone , and watch my future releases….

I felt that coming and here it is, the biggest 2011 L O L!!  Nice one Major Tom, all the systems are go but “Are you sure?”

Now seriously, please bring here a happy Obscure Identities buyer, just one. Am i asking that much? I’d like to know if there is a single guy happy to spend the double of the price for OI reissues…

obscure - 03 September 2011 02:20 PM

[color=blue] I’ll be around for a very very long time.  You can bet on that.

if that army of artists will read all you insane replies here, they won’t publish for you at all.

I am really happy that finally Red Fetish will be out on Anna, which is a great label (i just checked and i own 18 releases of its catalogue and they are all great!) and i hope and strongly encourage other REAL labels to do what Anna did, because the music of ATM, RF, The Cone and Tiger Club is great (i suppose also Deadcatz but i’ve never had the chance to listen them….) and deserves to be listened by the new (and old) generations.

BADMOUTHERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE AND TAKE OVER!

And while we have been discussing the Red Fetish 7” and album, another week of auctions have ended for ObscurE Identities. Seven releases, one copy of each was offered for sale, and as usual, none sold.

Steven, why do you keep doing this?

Nope, he’s too concentrated to think that he’s “the biggest and best minimal synth record label of the 21st Century”.

Google search purposes!

I have nothing against you but you are really hilarious.Seriously - you are good in creating forum flammed topics, but about running a label forget about it. let’s talk again in 22st Century.

Marc is a true gentleman, and i hope that he will continue to ignore this topic. I should learn from him.

Hee Obscure,

Let’s face it.
The band concluded they made a terrible mistake letting you release their stuff.
That’s what I read from them.

Let’s face it Nogah.  You did not release 2 All the Madmen LPs or a Red Fetish LP and obscure identities did.
Also, you do not own any of these releases so you really have no comprehensive view point from which to
discuss these releases or my record label.

All the band members have been overjoyed with these releases, and happy I released them.

The only negativity associated with these releases are from the people on this forum, and they brought
their negativity to the band members.  A couple of weeks after I released the 1st record I get an email from the
band members about a bunch of punters on this forum complaining.  First of all, how do Neale and Mike know
about this forum?  The answer is the Punters.  (ie Marc, Solvent, and whoever else directed them to the forum
to try to make my business model look bad in their eyes).

They don’t like your business model, they don’t like the way you handle things and so they probably don’t like you any more.

You mean YOU don’t like my business model, YOU don’t like the way I handle things, and YOU don’t like me anymore. 
The band members understand my business model just fine, and I don’t think either of them dislike me or the fact that
I have released 3 LPs of their music, and made their bands heard by everyone, enjoyed by collectors, and talked about vastly.
You are obviously the one that doesn’t understand my label, and you don’t own any of the releases on my label.
It is not a hard concept to understand the way I am releasing records.  DIY, hand made, 100 press specifically sold to the
collector market on ebay with each collector having an opportunity to buy each copy.

You making this a public fight in a forum doesn’t help promoting your person either.

This is not a public fight in a forum.  It is me telling everyone that Marc displayed the following behaviour.

1. badmouth my label on this forum.

2. contact the bands on my label, and try to make my label look bad in their eyes by directing them to the posts on this forum.

3. ask to release records by bands on my label.

4.  not contact me in regards to releasing records by bands on my label.

5.  not apologize for any of this behaviour.

I do not see that behaviour as proper.  To me it is a reflection of jealousy, greed, and ego.

Watching your behaviour I think you got what you deserved and I also think Anna got what she deserved.

So I deserved to release 3 LPs by All the Madmen and Red Fetish because my behaviour made me
discover the bands unreleased music 6 years ago, 

and

Anna deserved to put out a 7” of any scraps they could get for chasing after bands on my label, and badmouthing my label.

Is that what you meant, because that is what happened.

Stop crying crocodile tears on spending $ 5000,- to get the band heard because nobody will believe you.

My bank account believes me!

I think you’re done Obscure and I am happy to witness.

I’m so far from done you have no idea.  I think you might have issues if you are hoping for that and being happy about it.
Isn’t the german word “Schadenfreude”.  Check wikipedia.

Here’s an exerpt:

A New York Times article in 2002 cited a number of scientific studies of schadenfreude, which it defined as “delighting

in others’ misfortune.”  Many such studies are based on social comparison theory, the idea that when people around us

have bad luck, we look better to ourselves. Other researchers have found that people with low self-esteem are more likely

to feel schadenfreude than are people who have high self-esteem.

Oh… If you post again please do something about that terrible formatting because it takes away my joy in reading your posts in this near-death forum.

Near-death forum?  Another glass of “Schadenfreude” for Nogah.  Drink up.  In regards to my text thats just plain hate.

I’m not sure I see it like that, Nogah - “terrible mistake”, “they don’t like you anymore”... it’s not like that.

Six years ago, Mike was contacted about some old tapes he made in the eighties. Obviously, he was happy to hear there was, at least, some little interest. Five years later, he learns that there is actually more interest than he thought. Well, cool. So far so good.

There’s apparently something personal between Stephen and Marc, that makes it harder for Stephen to swallow the Red Fetish 7” than if it had come out on a different label. This, as stated by Mike, is of no consequence to the musicians. With the rights to the music being owned by the band, they were able to take their music to another label, and Stephen vents his frustration with this situation in the forum as he’s nowhere else to take it (ie, no legal action or such like).

I do not know Marc personally, but none of my interactions with him have been positive, and this is just another example.  I do not like
a self righteous attitude from anyone, and especially not from a person that doesn’t display respectable behaviour.  This is an example
of improper behaviour by a label with a supposedly self righteous attitude.  If any label displayed the behaviour Anna did I wouldn’t like it.

At the same time I am venting my frustration at the sleeziness of these actions I am also proposing the question to other labels would
they like this done to them. 

Would Marc want this done to him? 

Communication between band members and at least one of their labels can’t have been very clear, but this is not something I concern myself with. As a fan, I do hope to hear more of the music of Mike and Neale and their various partners in crime, and indeed I am confident that I shall.

Well here you go right now Oystein.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/kbd-diy-minimal-synth-punk-ALL-MADMEN-56-hear-/250886886876?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item3a6a0615dc#ht_3751wt_936

http://www.ebay.com/itm/kbd-diy-minimal-synth-punk-RED-FETISH-27-hear-/250886889669?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item3a6a0620c5#ht_3353wt_936

http://www.ebay.com/itm/kbd-diy-minimal-synth-punk-ALL-MADMEN-23-hear-/250886890202?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item3a6a0622da#ht_3727wt_936

I know you can afford them.  Especially so considering you saved $70 on that Cry Havoc insert that Neale gave you for free.