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Monday, May 29, 2017

Rebuttal to Harry T's Blog

Note: This blog required an edit while I was away. I was unable to do it on my phone but was able to revert it back to a draft until I got back. The edit has been completed, however, you may have already seen this blog prior to the minor edit. This was originally posted a month ago.Thanks. C.R.



Trop Rock is a musical genre wherein there is a lot of happiness and promotion of such happiness via its cornerstone of music. From there branching out to events, and local neighborhood support with fundraisers, cleanups, all by people who carry a smile and a very positive attitude.

Regarding Harry T's reply to my last blog, I attempted to post this as a reply on his blog, however, it went for administration approval .... and subsequently vanished.

RE:

Radio A1A Topic of Stinging Blog By Former Artist…


For starters, I am not a "Former Artist" I am very, very active, thank you.


Harry, let's start at the beginning of this. You put out a post in March which called Danny Lynn a “Beast”, a “Snake”, and a “Pariah”. As the thread evolved we found that the foundation of these comments revolved around ratings of an event we played, that you thought were issued by him a year and a half earlier. Regretfully, you never asked me back then what the source of those ratings was. You assumed that Danny gave them to me and your hatred started there and festered on after that, from then on to this very day.

The bile that you spewed out that morning was the antithesis of everything Trop Rock stands for.

If you'd like a refresher course on your post, here's a link for you:

 photo Screenshot 50_LI_zpsyexc1snq.jpg

When this came to light, a year and a half after it happened, last March, I told you that Danny, who had recently started with that station, had nothing to do with the numbers issued. As a station principal, you know very well that the numbers are issued to the station principal at the home computer of the station. The home base for what was Tiki Island Radio was in Pennsylvania. Danny lives in Tennessee. He was just a DJ who had gotten into the business a few months before. The numbers came from John Buskell, their station principal, in Pennsylvania. When I told you that, last March, you went crazy saying “... nothing you say will change my opinion of this pariah” and “... Good by... and good riddance to the whole rats nest y all share.”

As a station principal, you knew from the get-go that a station principal is the one who receives the numbers from the host server. This as is elementary for anyone in the internet radio business.

In your aforementioned post, you painted the picture that you were the good shepherd leading his flock of sheep down the road of prosperity. Your flock being songwriters and musicians. Really Harry? I really don't think you could be more condescending if you tried.

You also gave the artists and songwriters a, you're either with me or him, ultimatum regarding Danny “My passion for music dictates that I will not find a place for you”.

Giving ultimatums to artists? Really?



In your blog, you state regarding myself  I removed the blogger's music from Radio A1A programming. This was only done after the blogger refused to publish a retraction.”

This is just not the truth at all. Back in March, two and a half months before my blog was written, I informed you to stop playing my music on your station immediately. That was March 7th to be specific. My blog was posted on May 23rd.

Here's a copy:


  photo Teaford FB Conversation1_zpspczmqlcg.png

Additionally, I have never received any request for a retraction of my blog, from you or anyone else. Not from any of your DJs. Yourself, or anyone. Let's be nice and say that statement was a complete and utter fabrication. It has no base whatsoever. It never happened. Check your Sent file. You are making things up and they are not true.

Having said that, I would post a retraction on something if I had made a mistake. I've done that before. However, here there are no mistakes to retract. What I talked about was a post laced with bile and hatred. The bile and hatred post was a fact. It has no business being in Trop Rock. No, I will not retract it. 



You mention early that my blog was damaging to your station. Harry, what was damaging to your station was the unscrupulous and unethical way you conducted business, not me. What you were doing was by-passing what are legal requirements. You put forth a scenario where you gave the artists/songwriters a snake oil potion wherein it was presented that they wouldn't be given any royalties and that there was a disclaimer on your submission page. You said to me on March 7th “I welcome any test of this media concept. “. Please refer to the second link above to refresh your memory.

Well, that was then and this is now. What you were doing was wrong. Songwriters themselves have to clear it with their PRO. You have nothing to do with their contracts and a disclaimer doesn't mean diddley. You said you researched it thoroughly. In that case, you knew that very well from the start. You purposely set up a bogus system wherein you did not subsidize the songwriters. What you knowingly did was set up a deception.That's wrong Harry. It was calculated from the get-go as you said yourself, you researched it thoroughly and welcomed anyone to scrutinize it.

Therefore, you knew very well all the time that when you held an event that you were airing and a performer performed a cover of a national artist, you would run around, hands flailing in the air, hollering “No covers! We're not licensed for covers!” it was all theatrics! A big show. You researched it thoroughly. You knew from the beginning not only that they couldn't play the national artists, but likewise, you couldn't play that artist's original songs either.

To underline the fact that I'm correct, you yourself just got licensing after my blog was posted, not before.



Like the other stations mentioned, you require licensing, just like they do. You say it hurt you. Again, I didn't hurt you, you hurt yourself by trying to get around the rules that everyone is required to play by.

Regarding sponsorship: Fact: You have currently and have had sponsorship. You were taking in money and not paying licensing fees. It doesn't matter how much you take in, or the deals that you make with those who are sponsoring you. That's your business. However, by taking in sponsorship, you are a commercial enterprise. It's not like you're running a station for the love of music. As I stated in my blog, I wouldn't have an issue with that at all. However, you were making money off of it and you were not paying the songwriters and artists, as your fellow stations are. Frankly, you took advantage of the artists/songwriters. You used their efforts without compensation to make money for yourself. It doesn't matter how much, these are principals and ethics. You were not playing by the rules. The other stations have been. They have been playing by the rules all along. You, having investigated your entire concept thoroughly, knew this from the start.


Let's not confuse things. I support an all original song station concept. But if you are taking in revenue and inventing your own free fictitious playing field to play on, it's you who are taking the risk.

Again, don't blame me, blame yourself.


Regarding BMI/ASCAP/and SESAC: You say “The majority of our artists are not licensed or affiliated BMI/ASCAP songwriters”.Well, if that's the case, if you only play their material you don't need a license! That being the case, why did you now suddenly get a license after my blog was published? I suggest that only a hand full of the songwriters on your station are not with BMI/SESAC, or SESAC.

I also submit that you have only been licensed after I posted my blog, not before.

You also say “For a station with our current listener base, that is quite expensive and has not been attainable to this point due to limited income and finances”.

Not attainable due to limited income and finances? That alone says you got into something that was beyond your means and got in way over your head. There are servers carry licensing and stations pay a small monthly carrying fee. Other than ego, why didn't you go with that, if you couldn't afford a regular station?

You also say that I put the element of fear at your door. No. You put the element of fear at your own door by unethical deception, cheating, and dishonesty.

Additionally, by not being licensed, you put songwriters in a very precarious position. On the one hand, Tiki Man Radio, Radio Trop Rock, Beachfront Radio, and others are licensed and pay annual fees to do so. Yet, songwriters are expected to give his work to you and expect nothing in return, while the other stations are paying them royalties?

Also, there were no false statements made in my blog. I had to wait two months for BMI to give me all of the answers I inquired about. I asked I waited for all of their answers. I quoted BMI's replies to the questions at hand. I didn't make this up out of thin air. I did leave your station as a fictitious station and never mentioned your name. However, if you like, I'll give you the names of the people I spoke with at BMI's legal and licensing departments. However, they most likely will be inquiring on past royalties that you skipped out on the last few years.

You said my blog was carefully planned. It was. Had you never posted that vile, disgusting, evil, hatred laced, psychotic diatribe, the antithesis of everything Trop Rock stands for, about Danny Lynn, which grew out of a very disturbed psyche, based on incorrect information that was assumed, most likely none of this would have happened.

That day back in March, I received all kinds of posts and messages regarding that thread, and everyone said essentially the same thing. “Harry Teaford is really crazy!”

However, it was that which got me thinking. As I say, you were taking advantage of artists and songwriters. All I did was tell the truth about the way you were doing business. The way you were doing business you knew full well, by your own admission of having researched it thoroughly, that you fully intentionally created a deception. You were taking in money and not paying songwriters their due commission and on top of that, you were taking in revenue via sponsorship. The icing on top of the cake was that you were intentional, violating copyright law. Again, you yourself stated that you researched it thoroughly, so you knew.

It should be stated that I do not hold any A1A DJs accountable for any of the nefarious actions that you have perpetrated. I have no doubt that you fed them the exact same line of bullshit you fed everyone else.

Additionally, you have mentioned to me in the past, that you have several different parties who are interested in buying A1A. That was prior to your being licensed. Before you put the cash in your pocket, how was that going to factor in regarding past due royalties to the artists anyway, or sticking the new owners with a potential visit from BMI, SESAC, and ASCAP regarding licensing and past royalties that were never paid? Ethics?




Lastly, you started all of this the day you posted

A) calling Danny Lynn a “Beast”, a “Snake” and a “Pariah”.

B) Giving artists an ultimatum to artists and songwriters stating they were either with you or with him.

I will state right now that Danny Lynn is an honest, respectable, good, and very ethical man. You gave everyone the choice of being with him, or yourself. Someone who stoops to the levels that you have is one without ethics or honesty. Everything is smoke and mirrors with you Harry.

Trop Rock is supposed to be a genre where everyone is having fun. You, however, come with daggers of hate and deception.

Harry, you're your own worst enemy. Southernmost Castaways, Tom Sawyer Keyboard Advertising, Boondocks, ... names sound familiar?


By the way, Harry, Don't expect a Christmas card from me in December.

2 comments:

  1. Well he is kinda a Pompous Ass, and as far as radio goes....
    Why can't we all just Let Radio Margaritaville play Trop Rock, and let the rest of us play whatever we want?

    Others Try to Imitate The X, but they just dont get it....
    WE PLAY GOOD MUSIC !
    That's why we still play you !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The X 104.9 in the Keys, and streaming all over the FREE WORLD at TheXKeyWest.com

      Delete