Being thoroughly inspired, creative and cutting-edge, I was going to blog about the weather today (Zzzzz...) but then a message came through on
Facebook and my rainy p*ss poor June stories went out the window! The note was from one of my snapper pals who has a long-standing connection with Manc funster band The Stone Roses. Seems they've reformed and have a gig coming up in the city soon (Bothered??) Thing is, they're issuing a two-page contract to any photographers covering the gig that gives the band the
rights to their images "in perpetuity throughout the world so as to enable us to
exploit the photographs as we deem fit without further reference or payment to you" Well, up yours, Stone Roses! Go take a flying leap, you jumped-up, arrogant grabbing farts! I hope no-one takes a single shot at your money-based seedy reunion and you go unnoticed throughout the world and have to disband and go on the dole and get scabies. I know, I know, it won't happen! Hard times mean that
of course they'll get their shots, 'cos there are enough skint snappers out there that'll do it for the one-off dosh they'll get for covering the gig, but how sad is that? The band is holding a gun to the heads of any young - 'cos they're
bound to be young - photogs who want to get their foot in the door of
music photography, and it's yet another nail in the coffin of photographers' respectability. Sigh!
Oh, and it's still raining..
Don't sign it Ian, If you do you're saying that you think the contract is right. The only photographers who'd sign that are shit nubeez without a clue so SJM or whoever will end up with second rate shots. Plus it Says you can only use the photos once, Imagine if the shots you took 20 years ago came with that contract, you'd have deleted them years ago, Its just an excuse for the rich to get richer and the poor, poorer.
ReplyDelete