From: pet@mullian.ee.mu.OZ.AU (paul eng-yi tan)
Subject: Studio 52
Organization: Computer Science, University of Melbourne, Australia
Distribution: aus
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 07:02:01 GMT

I'd like to modify my statements on Studio 52 in the big debate a
couple months ago, where Brian and I were diametrically opposed.

I successfully "sued" them today at the small claims tribunal today.
They (mainly Paul Higgins) are very tight fisted and refused to pay
us back $1300 for services which were never supplied. It was a pressing
and distribution contract as well as a recording deal. They recorded
the tracks but didn't press the records or distribute them.

Up until this point they had been rather nice to us, offering us studio
access and a publishing contract. We used some studio time, and instead
of returning the money to us, not long ago we found out in a phone call
with Higgins that he was keeping the money to pay for the studio time we
used!

This was supremely unfair, and we initiated a small claims tribunal suit
against S52. It took 2.5 hours of exhausting deliberation before the referee
eventually arrived at a reasonably fair decision : $928 returned to us.
This was better than we had expected (800-850).

I spoke to Brian after meeting him by chance in Safeway of all places!
He gave me some advice about case presentation and what I should expect.
We spoke for a fair while and he explained further his reasons for thinking
the sampler CDs were a ripoff. I am now convinced, given their attitude
with regard to our band, that Brian was in fact correct and I'd like to
clear up any doubts in the minds of those that had sided with me during the
last (friendly, of course) debate. Studio 52 is not good value. If you want
to release a CD, or play on a sampler CD, it is better to look into some
alternatives instead of jumping the gun and grabbing a place on the sampler.
At any rate, these places are very easy to come by, so don't hurry.

Perhaps you'd like to ask Brian about the elastic tea party cd and the
approximate costs involved. If you gig live, you'd probably have several
contact in other bands who might be interested in co-releasing a CD.
I gather that the elastic tea party cost each of 3 bands 1000 or so for
6 tracks each. Better than 800 for one track on the sampler, on the face of
it. S52 claims greater distribution for their CDs, but if what Brian says
is true (and I have no reason to doubt it), not one of 120 bands showcased
in the last 6 samplers (20 tracks each) has been awarded a record contract.

This of course implies that the sampler is useless as a promotional item and
for scoring a recording contract.

If you have similar troubles and want to pick my brains on how we managed the
case, feel free to post here for everyone's mutual benefit, or to email me.


Morgen das SonnenSystem!

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For a cassette of SonnenSystem tracks, studio produced and mastered to DAT
email: pet@munagin.ee.mu.oz.au, pet@mundil.cs.mu.oz.au, SonnenSystem
--
Second Hand vinyl for sale: Depeche Mode, Indie, Severed Heads,
Beloved, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Stone Roses, Inspiral Carpets,
Cabaret Voltaire. Excell. Cond. Also X1 as NEW $88US, $110AUS.
Newsgroups: aus.music