Sam GreenwoodFor years, the whispers and the folklore surrounding one of the biggest tracks from A Guy Called Gerald, ‘Voodoo Ray’, has been told, but now it has garnered more attention as he has taken to social media to tell his story.
Voodoo Ray, arguably the biggest dance track of all time was released way back in 1988, however, A Guy Called Gerald has not received financial support for the track. Imagine that? The biggest record of all time, with little reward financially, yet someone else recouping from your work.
That’s not right is it? Of course not. Today, he has released a ‘Crowdfunder’ to raise funds for his legal fight to stop the unauthorised exploitation of his music, and use of his name a second time around.
Have a read of the story, it’s very surreal and an unfortunate reflection on the nasty side of the music industry. You can back the Crowdfund campaign here.
So what happened?
I produced the ‘Voodoo Ray’ and the album ‘Hot Lemonade’ way back in 1988. They were released on Rham! Records – a label out of Merseyside, Liverpool. Voodoo Ray was the biggest selling single of 1988.
As ‘Voodoo Ray’ raced to No.12 in the charts, I had to live in a squat, work at McDonalds and give interviews out of phone boxes. Yet the guys running the label, selling my music, never paid me a single penny for my part in the label’s success.
Can you imagine the frustration? Acid House’s Summer of Love was in full swing and all I could think about was survival, while these guys spent the next four years exploiting my music. They ditched the label in 1992 and everything went quiet until 2019 when the nightmare started up again.
A new Rham Records has been registered by the assistant to the original owner. The dance music scene is huge now, and there are royalties and Spotify fees and all manner of digital rights fees to be made, again from my art, my work.
If cashing in on my music once wasn’t enough, this guy is callously making deals with music distribution companies, collecting my royalties, and using my name and likeness without my permission.
This company doesn’t have the right to profit from my music.
What now?
My work is blatantly being taken advantage of, again, and it’s time to end this. There is no agreement between me and this new company, verbal or otherwise, and I’m reaching out to you, asking for your help to stop this crook who is stealing from me.
While I now have everything that I need to mount a legal challenge, I need your help to cover the legal fees. It looks like it’s going to take about £20,000 to turn this around.
What’s in this for you?
What I can offer you is my art, my music, and some of the rewards will include exclusive, previously unreleased recordings.
If anybody can help out, anything you can contribute would be appreciated..
Peace
It’s very surreal and an unfortunate reflection on the nasty side of the music industry. You can back the Crowdfund campaign here.