Bukka White And Free Downloads.

I have a post here

http://bluesman2001.blogspot.com/2007/07/bukka-white-aberdeen-mississippi-blues.html?showComment=1304453433483#c6965260871156025284

It is a video of Bukka White.  His daughter Irene Kertchaval left a comment rightly angry about not only the treatment of Bukka years ago, but the continuing problems she has faced collecting royalties, and free downloading of his music.  I responded to her and left her a link to the Robert Johnson foundation which has some experience dealing with this, and has helped his decedents collect royalties.  I am not sure if she ever saw that post, but someone commented about her which set me off.  His comment below


dear irene, get a job and make a life for yourself and let people enjoy your father's music.
sincerely, dingothrust balltoontich


What set me off is that is the typical BS response that I have seen on Dozens of freeloading blues download sites. (I won't mention the biggest one by name, but you know who you are because you send a lot of hits my way everyday)  I don't understand why people who freeload off blues artists think you are helping them.  Here was my response. 

dingo



Irene has every right to be angry with people downloading music for free. Blues musicians spend years working on their songs,spending their hard earned money on studio time, and 300+ dates a year touring.  It is a rough life.  Blues performers aren't rock stars.  Most national acts tour in vans, and cars.  they don't have tour buses and rarely fly. So can you understand why blues performers and their families get angry when you download their songs without paying????   None of this is new.  African American performers were routinely screwed by record companies.  Paid a small fee when they recorded and rarely given royalties.  Their publishing rights taken away so that years later Paul McCartney, or Michael Jackson and their families could live comfortably off others hard work.  Its a great system!  Then you come along years later and steal their music thinking you are sticking it to the man, when in reality you are sticking it to the people who created the music to begin with.   


Nice Job. 


Tom 
Blues Historian




I know my rant isn't going to do any good.  I just hope one person at least comes to their senses and stop downloading our music for free.

Down Loading My Music For Free.

I have talked about other artists having their music stolen on the internet, and I even found a few of my songs out there as well, but this really concerns me.  I was on a file sharing page and this is what I found.

Tom Gary Blues Band

Search: Tom Gary Blues Band
File Name: Tom Gary Blues Band.rar
Last Download: 1/4/111 
Number of Downloads:157894
High Speed Status: AVAILABLE

It is not that my music was stolen, but it is hard to tell what all of that means.  It shows Tom Gary Blues Band, and the number of downloads at 157,894!  If it is the album then I am out 1,578,940 $  If is just the single then I am out 150,000 $  I don't know how true this is.  I find it unlikely that, that many people would download my CD, but it is troublesome that you can download my art and if that many people downloaded it, then I really got screwed.  I didn't invest a couple of thousands dollars, which I never got back (so i lost money on the CD) to have a couple hundred thousand people STEAL MY SONGS!  

I will have to do more research, but needless to say this hurts!

Tom 

Blues Historian

Luther Lackey

Just got this from blues critic media, and it is a riot! Bottom line quit stealing the music people!!! Give this song a listen to. I think you will enjoy it. BTW, I deleted a handful of sites that were posting music on rapid share. they were trying to pretend to be review sites, but instead they were posting full CDs on rapid share. It is unfortunate that people feel free to take advantage of musicians, but they do it all the time. Stop piracy and buy CDs please!!!!

"Mama Southern Soul" & Luther Lackey Got Something To Say and Sing About Bootlegging/Piracy!! from Luther Lackey's new CD "Jody's Got My Problems" EMAIL this to all your friends!!! DON'T BUY BOOTLEGS! DON'T FEED THE ANIMALS, er, Bootleggers. If you know of any store, flea market stand, person, selling "bootleg" or "pirated" copies ("burned" cds, dvds, etc..) of Blues and Southern Soul music REPORT THE THIEVES You will remain ANONYMOUS call 1 800 223 2328 (1 800 BAD BEAT) Report on the thieves ONLINE HERE Again, a big THANK YOU to the good people who pay for their music and keep the Blues alive. Also....Please don't "burn" cds for your friends...LET'S SAVE THE SOUTHERN SOUL MUSIC BUSINESS

A Public Service Announcement From Preston Shannon

I got an email from Blues Critic Media about file sharing.

Here it is:

Just a note from a fellow Blues Lover..... Our intentions may be good...most of us don't even realize what we're doing is wrong ...but "burning" a copy of an artist's CD for our "friends" is unethical and actually illegal. Support the Blues don't help kill it. We waste more money on other things but a "real" cd is forever. The big companies aren't the ones who get hurt by piracy it's the independent, trying to make a living people who do. Want to turn someone onto an artist? Give them a taste of the CD (a song or two) but NOT the whole thing Stealing music is no different than stealing somebody's rent money or food. You wouldn't do that would you? See what an independent artist feels about us sharing his hard-earned work for free. GO HERE

I know that some of you think that this problem is just the big labels, and since I am not high on corporate music companies I have not said a whole lot about the problem. However, it is now hurting the independents who need the cash. A lot of us self produce our music, and I haven't complained when I have seen my CD (which I have only sold 50 copies) on a free download site. I am sure I could look at who bought my CD online, and figure out who the culprit is, but since I don't need the money I haven't complained. But, there are a lot of musicians who are trying to live off their music, and it doesn't help if you steal it. My good friend Bob Dorr told me a story a few months ago that really explains how bad it is. Bob has played the blues for many years and he started his independent record company back when Vinyl was around. At a gig a few months ago he was standing at the CD table during his break when a guy came up and started looking at CDs. The guy had two CDs in his hand ready to buy, when his friend came up and told him, "Don't buy that! I have them at home already, I will burn you a copy."
I have known Bob for years, and in his younger days he probably would have got in that guys face and told him off, but being older and wiser he let it go. The problem is that "The friend" had two CDs and would have paid Bob for his effort. Then that money would have paid for gas for the vehicles, perhaps a meal, and certainly helped pay for the cost of a new CD. But this guy who burns copies of a regional blues band is doing his part to put us out of business. Smart move dipstick.

Lets hear Preston Shannon


Here is what I am going to do to stop people from stealing blues music. I know I have a couple links to websites that I know are ripping songs and putting them on Rapid Share. They send me a couple hundred hits a day, and I looked the other way. Well, NO MORE. I know you mean well trying to spread around music that you love, but you are killing us out here. I have been on the web for over 10 years, and I understand that everything should be free on the net, but only as long as it does not hurt anyone. When you put on music of people who are alive and well and trying to eat, you are hurting them and their music.

If your link is missing and you want it back here on Blues Historian, then you will have to prove to me what you are doing is right and legal. Otherwise I am not sending you any more web traffic to steal from my hard working friends.

Tom

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Thanks to the literally thousands of you who stop by!! I know this is not the best of times for the blues, but thanks to you who come everyday you are doing your bit to keep the blues alive. So keep buying the CDs, (And please by mine!!!) Keep going to the live shows, and let your local blues performers how much you care by BUYING THEIR STUFF!! Don't cheat and get it free off the net! With this crappy economy we all need some help, especially your hard working blues performers who are barely scrapping by playing gigs that barely pay for the food and gas to get to the next town. So do your part to help the economy. think of it this way. By giving a bluesman, or blueswoman a few bucks of your hard earned cash, then it goes back into the economy, thereby strengthen our country. After all our country was built by hard working entrepreneurs and let me tell you that every bluesman is really a small businessman. They have musicians to pay, vehicles to keep on the road. Hotel, and Motel rooms, unless they sleep in their van! (and believe me SOME OF THEM DO) Equipment upkeep, and if they get sick, it is a double whammy, because most of them don't have insurance. SO STOP STEALING THEIR MUSIC, and buy a cd already. Help your local economy, and you will feel good, and someone might be able to eat tonight!!!!!!!!