While the RIAA is busy suing music fans, poor sister agency SoundExchange (responsible for distributing webcasting royalty payments) can't seem to locate some of the artists it owes money to. Check out this amazing list of musicians and bands that SoundExchange just can't seem to track down. Oh well, guess they'll have to keep the money themselves.
Highlights? Oh, yes:
Ice Cube | Joao Gilberto | The Animals | Dimebag Darrell | Husker Du
Mahalia Jackson | Dinosaur Jr | Grand Funk Railroad | Public Enemy
Screeching Weasel | Redd Kross | Lauryn Hill | Kelis
Gladys Knight | USA For Africa | Will Rogers | Yo La Tengo
Equally disturbing: Scott Joplin is on the list, even though most of his catalogue has been in the public domain since 1991 (well before the days of internet streaming)! Has SoundExchange been charging webcasters for playing public domain material all this time?
via Boing Boing
If your title was meant to be in Shakespearean English, I think you would properly have wrote it as, "Where Art Thou, Kid 'N Play?" which would mean "Where Are You, Kid 'N Play?".
"Wherefore art thou" means, literally, "why are you".
Ahem.
Posted by: Listener Oscar | September 23, 2006 at 05:48 PM
PRS is the same. They are the royalty collectors for artists in the UK. I was curious when I found the "unclaimed royalties" section in their member's website, clicked on it and found every star that has had a hit waiting for from 5 pounds to 5000 for all kinds of interesting things from adverts to corporate music.... What I found sadder was that there were some obscure artists also missing out on a few quid here and there.
Posted by: Vicki - DO or DIY | September 23, 2006 at 07:02 PM
However, I do think it may be easier to find Scott Joplin then the members of Screeching Weasel - but that's basically the difference between being dead and being in hiding. And, what, they can't find USA For Africa?? They're right f-in here!
Posted by: residentClinton | September 23, 2006 at 07:09 PM
just for accuracy, the RIAA is a trade association, not an agency. SoundExchange is more akin to ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC.
Posted by: bad username | September 23, 2006 at 09:50 PM
i don't know about ben weasel, but jughead is easy to find - he's in the cast of the neo-futurists.
Posted by: chicago | September 24, 2006 at 08:42 PM
In fact, I saw him twice this past Saturday! We were up in the Neo-Futurists' neighborhood for a wedding, and saw him (a) leaving the theater in the afternoon, and (b) walking back to the theater around 10:00. If I had known about this I would have mentioned it; I'll have to drop him a line.
Posted by: jima | September 25, 2006 at 03:25 PM
so who DID get paid? lemme guess.... U2? Dionne Warwick?
For Christ's sake, pay Dinosaur Jr already!!!
Posted by: Steve PMX | September 25, 2006 at 04:45 PM
This is indeed a travesty. But surely you good folks at WFMU have put them in contact with Yo La Tengo, right?
Right...?
Posted by: Eric B. | September 25, 2006 at 06:13 PM
I know people who work at SoundExchange, and regret to say that whomever posted this is sadly misinformed. There are about 20 people at the company, and they are faced with the overwhelming task of finding EVERY ARTIST who has ever been played on satellite radio or digital music services (Muzak, DMX, etc.) and getting them their royalties.
What else...they don't keep the money that isn't distributed. You should probably e-mail soundexchange if you want this to be cleared up. They are totally transparent...it's a non-profit appointed by the US Copyright Office to do the job it's doing. Not a scam, like this blog is making it out to be.
Posted by: binary | September 26, 2006 at 03:40 PM
I don't read that into the post, binary. While the post is a little sarcastic, it isn't about accusing SoundExchange of being a scam, it's about how freaking easy it should be to find dozens of the artists on the unpaid list they posted on their own website. If they don't want to be made fun of for being unable to find a way to contact Ira Kaplan, Bob Mould, the McDonald brothers, Chuck D, and Kelis, then they shouldn't post such a list!!! 'Cause I could come up with legitimate email contacts for all the above in under ten minutes.
Posted by: David | September 27, 2006 at 02:49 PM
According to wikipedia, Dimebag Darrell is buried at the Moore Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Texas. Or do they mean they can't find his heirs?
Posted by: lara7 | October 19, 2006 at 07:10 PM
I'm having a "House Party" themed party, and I promised to invite Kid 'n Play. So this is my official invitation for them to come to my party in Coventry, Rhode Island November 18, 2006. If anyone knows how to track them down, let them know, OK? They can email me at [email protected] if they need directions. Thanks in advance.
Steve Radisson
Posted by: Steve Radisson | October 28, 2006 at 11:25 AM