"I AM the former Lead Singer of a 60’s BAND. I performed before thousands at Atlanta Pop 2, Miami Pop, Newport Pop, Atlantic Pop. I did NOT squander my money on drugs or a fancy home. I went from 1967-1994 before I saw my first Royalty Check.
The Music Giants I recorded with only paid me for 7 of my Albums.
I have NEVER seen a penny in Royalties from my other 10 Albums I recorded. Our Hit Song was licensed to over 100 Films, T.V. & Commercials WITHOUT our permission. One Major TV Network used our song for a national Commercial and my payment was $625. dollars. I am now 72, trying to live on $1200 a month. Sweet Relief, a music charity is taking donations for me.
Only the 1% of Artist can afford to sue.
I AM THE 99%"
And we read that travesty as YouTube enforce advertising via record company copyright on just playing a video even when the song is over 50 years old!
One such example was found when we recently tried to embed a video here on the garage and couldn't find one without the dreaded 'ad' in place! (we do our best to keep this an ad free zone).
Some also may have noticed on past posts we've actually reduced the player to just the 'play' controls to avoid the video with advertising. Not anymore, YouTube have tumbled that and spring the controls-only player back to their page with... guess what, the advertising. No doubt in support of having to fork out the royalties to record companies that will think nothing of leaving a man such as Lester Chambers near destitute.
So the record company's have the cheek to enforce advertising for their own advantage with no care for the artist who made them all the cash in the first place.
A plague on their houses!
Here's an advert free video of the Chambers Brothers in the seventies. Note an appearance of John and Yoko presenting an award to the brothers.
In 2010 Lester Chambers was sleeping in a rehearsal room, until Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon offered to pay his rent on a home for him and his son.
There was at least someone who remembered and cared.
