Robert Fripp Quits Music Over Rights Fight

cstack3 wrote: Quite honestly, Fripp should team up with Kanye West!  Man, he'd get attention then!!  "Old white British dude reinvigorates the world of rap with his synth-guitar loops and soaring leads."   It would be pretty amazing.

Their butting of heads would be more entertaining than whatever music they could produce. 

I agree with Fripp's beef about the ownership of his music.  But he signed the contracts when they were offered (not that he had much choice back then).  He should just walk away from it, especially if he receives any royalties from the use.

Horizons wrote: Stupid reason to quit, though no where near as bad as Collins.

My first thought, too.  I'm not sure what you are getting at with collins though.

If Fripp doesn't do new music for the pleasure of making it and/or sharing what he makes, why bother?   I'd rather enjoy the old inspired bits rather than having him put new stuff out just for the sake of putting it out.  I suspect he's still playing but not interested in sharing what he's creating.


Edited by Slartibartfast - September 06 2012 at 19:21

Horizons wrote: Slartibartfast wrote: Horizons wrote: Stupid reason to quit, though no where near as bad as Collins. My first thought, too.  I'm not sure what you are getting at with collins though. If Fripp doesn't do new music for the pleasure of making it and/or sharing what he makes, why bother?   I'd rather enjoy the old inspired bits rather than having him put new stuff out just for the sake of putting it out.  I suspect he's still playing but not interested in sharing what he's creating. In an interview he did with Rolling Stone he mentioned that a major force of making him quit was being called the "anti christ of music" and the changes that happened to Genesis during his leadership.  All in all he quit music because he couldn't handle criticism.

The older RF gets, the crabbier.  His music has been file-shared/ripped/copied so many times, it is basically in the public realm anyway. 

lazland wrote: cstack3 wrote: The older RF gets, the crabbier.  His music has been file-shared/ripped/copied so many times, it is basically in the public realm anyway.  BTW, he was paid for generating the various OS sounds for Windows "Vista," why doesn't he complain about that too?  It's a nasty business, Bob.  All business is nasty.  If you don't like it, I feel sorry for you, you should have been a postman like your mother wanted you to be.   Then all he'd have to moan about would be the sh*t hours, pay freeze on top of sh*t pay anyway, pension contributions upped, working longer, and getting less!

I can totally identify with being older and getting crabbier.

Fripp has the luxury of living well even if he never releases any new music.  He does seem like the guy who enjoys playing for the sake of it rather than feeling the need to play to an audience.

Man, I like King Crimson a lot but his new wave band Discipline... Total heartless music.

Hi,

Edited by moshkito - November 13 2012 at 10:35

moshkito wrote: Hi,   (Soap Box Mode!)   This is not going to sound right to some ... but in many ways ... I can not feel sorry for him, or his group!   They should have stopped and "quit" 30 years ago ... not this year! Instead, these folks have added to their money making stealing ... and if you think that music is bad, you have not seen, or have any idea ... it's even worse at the movies, where you are the cheap labor all the time!   I first heard about this in 1975 or 1976 ... and it was around the Firesign Theater and one of their close friends, trying to tell them NOT to re-sign with Columbia ... but they were afraid to take on their own ... everything.   IF, Robert, cared for his work, he would have fought this sooner ... but then, the English way and market allows for Mr. Blue Balls that Fly to rip off Tangerine Dream, Gong, Genesis and so many other folks ... and no one gives a merde, and they give him awards and put him on television, when he should be in jail!   Until the day that system in England of keeping people slaves to the lords of the empire, folks like Robert will get ripped off ... and he already knew that ... when he started ... !!!   All in all, this is where a lot of musicians need to step back, but you don't see Paul Mac helping, you don't see Mick helping, you don't see Elton helping, and that tells you what the hippocrisy is all about! These folks would stand to gain less money!   And if you think he has issues, you have not seen the Frank Zappa issues with this ... and Gayle is still fighting for it ... a losing battle, because the country is for the rich, by the rich to rip off everyone else ... and the day that stops, everyone will call it "socialism", or "communism".   So much for democracy!   Sorry Robert ... I love your work, but it's time to tell England to shove it! But you have to take over your own business, not anyone else!  In case you have not noticed, it is the number ONE reason why "progressive" and "prog" have survived! ...   (Soap Box Mode Off!)

Wasn't Fripp's issue that the record company appropriated rights that he never signed over to them because the technology to exploit/market his band's music in that way didn't exist at the time they signed the contract? Or is this about something entirely different?

It's just that I recall from several years ago (probably read it here) Fripp having a battle with one of the major labels over them digitising his music and putting it on places like iTunes. His argument was that they didn't have his permission, they'd just assumed the right to do that because they already had the rights to distribute Crimson's music on vinyl, tape and more recently CD. I assume the battle he mentions is a continuation of this, or is he quitting over something else entirely?

Plus I fail to see what any of Fripp's troubles (real or imagined) with the global music business have to do with the perceived faults of British society. I doubt UK-based musicians are treated significantly worse by record labels here than they are by subsidiaries of the same global companies in other countries.