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I',m new here.
Not brought here by choice, but necessity. The link/thread that brought me here has been disabled, thank music (not God, and an observant administrator), and after two weeks of careful deliberation I feel I can be of use to the music community in general. I have written this opening thread at least ten times, then deleted it and gone to bed, but now want/need to finish it. To help you readers, and me to heal.
Bobby Farrell.......
***.....
aka, Vandor Music Group (***).....
I'm a victim. BEWARE!
As probably most here, I love music!
Whether writing it; producing it; recording it; performing it, or trying to market it. It has inadvertantly become my life's work to warn those who aspire to greatness, whether on the stage, or in the studio, (What's the difference?) to avoid ***.
My name is David Raven; 2002, 10 time Grammy award nominee in three categories.....as far as I can remember: 'Album of the year', 'Song of the year', and 'Best male vocal performance'.
I was once a *** associate....emphasis on the 'ass' part!
President of their music interests in Danmark, and Vice-President in Canada.
I have always been a musician/writer. It's in my blood/DNA...what have you. Everyone in my family (we are ten strong) plays an instrument. Once upon a time to a high standard. Only two of us has had the balls to pursue it further than a dream and try to make money from it - a living: My sister Helen, and myself.
Helen was smart.....a true performer by nature, dancer, singer, actress...basically, a true entertainer. 10 years my senior, she slogged it out. Night clubs, dinner theatre, bands, and eventually a starring role at Canada's Wonderland's opening season show in the 80's entitled 'Those magnificent movies'. There she met, and married, the orchestral director - Greg Diakun - who has written and produced works for Disney and charted in the Billboard top ten. However, this is not about Helen and Greg; this is about me, and what I write here. Basically, she did it, and has made it, the natural way.
I was dumb! Me...with natural ability, tried short-cuts and got swindled!
Initially I started on the piano. Then came the double bass, in school, as part of a 32-piece orchestra. Guitar came next. Can anyone remember trying to master arpeggios and Henrix's 'Purple Haze'? Playing in bands followed.....Oh yes, the joy of creation!
I can remember practicing for hours learning the rythyms and lead to 'Could have been a lady'...'April Wine' version, not 'Hot Chocolate's'. Regardless, Time moved on.......
Although British by birth, I was raised in Jamaica and Canada: I consider myself more Canadian than any other nationality I hold citizenship to. In 1992, I felt compelled to return to the country of my birth to pursue the desire I have to travel, fulfill personal needs I need not mention here, and music.
I'll endeavour to not make a novel here about my musical abilities but will assure those musicians here that as a guitar player I performed one night in the Marquis Club, Leicester Square, London - in what was then an open forum for new musicians to come up on the stage and play with the house band - my version of Joe Satriani's 'Satch boogie'...and I brought the house down! Okay, my ego trip over, now on to why I have decided to spend my night writing here in place of being in bed next to my hot Danish blond -haired , blue-eyed wife and three year old son.....
Vandor Music Group and Bobby Farrell.
I decided in 1996, to emigrate to Danmark and pursue music full-time. In Danmark at that time and still now, new artists get paid to play, unlike England where new artists mostly have to pay to play in forums that matter!
I purchased a Roland VS-880, a Fostex DAT machine, an IBM computer (I said earlier my loyalties were Canadian!) and with my custom Les Paul, African limited edition Vester bass, Roland RD-600, I set out to meet new musicians who could assist me in recording my dream of music to present to 'who ever' could take it further. At that time I found on the net, and soon to be defunct, ***worldwide.org ....Hence, why I am here.
I sent demos across creation to everyone, small and tall, all returned with letters of denial but enthusiasm for my ability. I didn't understand...If I was so good, then why didn't anyone with power want to sign me? The *** website told me why. Please.....take a breath.....this is not about the accolades of ***.....I loathe them, but giving them their due credit is the truth about the industry. Take your time and read about it at *** worldwide.com , when the site is up and running again.
Anyone with any salt will realize the truth, and the scam. The language contained therein is debatable.
My experience has led me to believe that the *** website is 90% truth, 9% sales pitch, and 1% scam/con game. They prey on us. They use our industry ignorance against us, even after they educate us. That 1% SCAM is POWERFUL!!
I sent in my works.....
I was approached by their then representative of 'International Affairs' -Pam-Violet Nixon - regarding my package and asked if I really wanted to take my dream further. Of course, I said yes! I spent one year being educated about the music business on the net until I was deemed ready to join the ranks, which meant opening a corporation and investing $15,000 USC to be my own Executive Producer (ExP) of my own project. At that time, year 2000, ***'s ExP budgets were $40,000: $10,000 to the Exp, $10,000 to the Publisher; $10,000 to the Label, and $10,000 to the General Licenser..aka distributor.
Yes, I was now a signed artist on my way to the BIG TIME! I was the ExP of my project, Icefire Int'l records was my label, Firedragon (ASCAP) was my Publisher, and *** was my Distributor. One of the Big Boys of Int'l distribution, as they like to be known. They even promised that the Warner Brothers logo will be put on my CD, even though it didn't happen.
I was strongly motivated (coerced) by my label representative Chylon (Icefire 'so-called' int'l records, a Canadian label not recognized by CIRPA) to spend an extra $5,000USC to have my product placed on the Billboard chart by buying a chart popsition; an investment that would be met by my label, publisher, and distributor. Think about that.....that's an extra $20,000 to buy radio air-time to make my name a house-hold name by bombarding radio with David Raven songs for a limited period of time. More marketing
Never happened!
Neither did the Warner logo.
Yeah, yeah. Sure sure, you can buy my useless product in Amazon.com under the name David Raven, if you use the search engine title 'popular music', but I will never see a penny, drachma, zloti to account for it. In fact, the 'critique' by a so-called fan named 'Krista' in the website was written by Chylon!
The scam is simple: Lead artists' on by making them believe that a useless website called atlantic-satellite.com is a viable marketing tool for established, current, and upcoming newbies to prostitute their product internationally to a global non-existent audience for $700USC a pop. Man did I feel good seeing my name next to Pink Floyd, Billy Joel, The Stones, Spice Girls, Bowie, etc, etc, etc, ....the list goes on.
The idea is that if you market test your product and it appears on the atlantic-satellite webite, then *** will put you on the table of the MAJOR MONEY INVESTORS. The deal will include untold fortunes. However, it will never happen because *** has no such investors....except those suckers, like me, who givethem 15 grand! Atlantic Satellite is a con game in conjunction with ***'s Bobby Farrell. Amanda Rupprecht (Amanda2) is part of the scam. New Mexico law encourages such villany. Bobby Farrell has preached that HE is the owner of over 10,000 GOLD AND PLATINUM records!
I say BULLSHIT! He is a liar. He is a fraud! His state's laws protect him. His true title reads like a KKK Grand Wizards! The Lord, Almighty, Supreme something or other General Booby Farrell. Also known as Robert Farrell Cunningham. They are a cult. They are brain-washers. They are scam artists, and they are money-launderers. Beware.
Again, my name is David Raven and I was once a police officer in Peel Region, Canada (Toronto) badge 1242, and I am legally powerless to do anything against my injustice except my words, and the last four hours I have spent on this website's readers.
In place of being redundant, please read the following response I wrote to an email that Chylon sent me two years ago. You decide.
This thread has to be divided in two as I am extremely verbose and am held by the constraints of 25,000 characters per thread. Forgive.
Chylon,
Your email below came at a time when I had a few close musical friends visiting, discussing a possible joint venture. I've known them for over 20 years and have indeed kept them abreast of my *** project since it began when I lived in Danmark. Those were exciting times, these are not! Regardless, after reading your email you succeeded in two things: Making me laugh as I expect this sort of childish behaviour from you, and making my friends anti-***/Icefire advocates! The word has already started to spread throughout Toronto - Canada's largest city and my home for 18 years before I moved to Europe - and its musicians about a so-called Canadian label called Icefire that can't be found by C.I.R.P.A. , if you even know who they are, because if you don't then you can't lay claim to being a legitimate Canadian label as you have to be registered with them. Now, a good six weeks later I have sufficient time in my day to respond to you and your nonsense. For the sake of clarity to all who read this, I will be responding segment by segment beneath your original email.
----- Original Message -----
From: Chylon
To: CD Raven
Sent: Tuesday, October 29, 2002 5:19 PM
Subject: Re: ICEFIRE
David,
Re: Your call - I’ve been out of town and when you called, I hadn’t been in the door an hour.
I wrote:
Fair enough, but hanging up on me without warning was rude. Another example of how you treat your artists.
Chylon wrote:
Re: Virus email - I did not send you any email. I have no idea of anything attached that had a virus because I’ve been out of town.
I wrote:
Interesting. While you were 'out of town' someone sent me an email from your address that lit my Norton Anti-Virus program up like a Christmas tree! The only thing I could do was delete it. I emailed you right back and asked what it was, but of course, I didn't get a response because you were 'out of town.' The Gremlins are out early this season.
Chylon wrote:
Re: Artwork for your website - You’ve supposedly downloaded the Art files and we’ve discussed the fact that you can use them. I’ve got the anti-counterfeiting code protection.
I wrote:
Thank you. I never understood that I could use them on my website, only on T-shirts and the like.
Chylon wrote:
Re: IceFire - Yes Ice Fire is Canadian too.
I wrote:
Really?! A search of C.I.R.P.A. www.cirpa.ca reveals nothing about Icefire Int'l Records. My original question to you also asked where I could find a reference to your label's registration here in Canada, but you have chosen not to answer. If you are a legitimate label, why hide where you are registered? I am certain that all the other Icefire-signed artists who are reading this email would like to know that you are more than just a made-up name in Albuquerque.
Chylon wrote:
Re: Access - You need to import the data into access, which imports easily with the import function and then query it. If you haven’t named the fields, I would do so because it makes things easier to query. Drag and drop the fields from the table which you need/want, set the parameters for the sort that you’d like, hit the explanation point, and you should have the result. You can use the query wizard if you need to. It will help.
I wrote:
Thank you. Works perfect!
Chylon wrote:
Now then -----No where am I required to put up with any of your drunks, paranoia, back-dooring, idiocies, etc. and I’m not going to put my life on hold to accommodate the possibility of guessing what state you’re in either!
I wrote:
Chylon, but you do like to throw the gauntlet from the very onset! Very well, let's have at it! I am not a drunk and I am not paranoid. I am from a culture other than American that has never seen the need for prohibition, and history has proven how well that legislation worked. I have learned in my experience with ***/Icefire that the term paranoid is very popular for any artist who requires you to be accountable for what has been paid for. As for 'back-dooring'.....this is yet another term you apply to those who are first labelled 'paranoid' and then are forced to seek answers to their original questions within and without the company that you never answered in the first instance. Idiocies etc.....?
I have been seeking proof from you and Bobby that 5000 copies of my CD were manufactured by BFM, and then promoted to 5000 radio stations that still spin discs. I have not had any response from you or Bobby that is remotely adequate. In place of answering I am called drunk, paranoid, an idiot, that I back-door and am in breach of contract; you haven't even told me where in our joint contract that I am in breach. The truth is because you can't. I've never asked you to put your life on hold for me Chylon, but as an Executive Producer that was trained by *** and held an Executive position with *** in two countries, I have asked you the legitimate questions that any Executive Producer would ask of the label that their artist(s) are signed to. For that, I am slandered, and released from my contract. Interesting. This is what one can expect when doing business with ***.
Chylon wrote:
I’ve always been willing to answer your questions. I am, however, not willing to put up with your paranoid tangents, breach(es) of contract, or any other such actions or activities. The fact is you want a time frame so that you can set your watch to, but when it comes to art and music, that cannot be done without an enormous price tag attached, even then there are no guarantees.
I wrote:
This is good! I will endeavour to not be as redundant as you are in this email with my answers in defence of your rhetorical slanders, but simply love what you have just written. You make reference to time frames in regards to art and music and the price tag involved. It is true that ***'s loop hole has always been a sales pitch without a time frame, but it is equally true that *** preaches it has access to the MAJOR investment monies required to make a new artist, and what kind of money that new artist could be making, as long as they put in their share of the continually increasing initial promotion budget.
The truth is that *** DOES NOT have access to any MAJOR investment money. The truth is that *** is trying to secure the MAJOR INVESTMENT MONEY (at least that is to hope for) using the Executive Producers portion of the budget, else ***/Icefire are making a very comfortable living dividing up the latest Executive Producers portion of the initial promotion budget amongst themselves to pay for road trips to Florida, amongst other places, to spread *** propaganda and secure even more money from new artist(s) cum Executive Producers. You mentioned time frames.........Some people are under the illusion that in our day and age the world is spinning round because of gravity.
Money, that is what makes the world turn around. We all have to pay for our shelter, food, expenses, educations, cars, insurances, phone bills, net access, etc, and usually payments are made every 30 days. Every one lives by time frames that we can set our watches to, even us artists and you as a label and Bobby as a General Licenser, that is why the second-last paragraph of Article 02 on the *** website clearly states: 3. Your finished productions (which you will pay for) must conform to the General Licenser's dictates: format, total running time, etcetera. Therefore, get that ExP Agreement in Paragraph 2., above, before you spend one penny in recording something that is totally worthless! The Licenser will provide a BREAKDOWN and you'll have no more than THIRTY (30) DAYS to deliver, so be ready to do business. That's THIRTY (30) DAYS to deliver, Chylon.
Chylon wrote:
We needed to prove your product to make the presentation for that significant amount of money for the business loan investment we are seeking in addition to everything else that goes along with marketing and promoting your music. I have invested thousands on your project and additional thousands in effort to get you to the investors for mega-star financing, currently on the table with them.
I wrote:
Sure, sure. I have also invested thousands Chylon, and long before you, Icefire and *** were ever a part of my vocabulary. More Icefire/*** rhetoric. This email was not written for my benefit, but for the benefit of all others whom you forwarded it to who still have a vested interest in your label, and still believe your scam operation due to their lack of industry knowledge and the future hope that one day you will deliver on your promises. They'll all learn. Time will become their terrible teacher, and when in future they question you as to when they might actually be invited to sit down with one of your investors, you'll slander them across creation like you have me.
When I joined *** there was never any talk about Mega-Star financing, only talk that Artists should be their own Executive Producers if they could afford it. I didn't come onboard to be a Mega-Star either; whether I am capable of it or not is not the issue. You preach that you can secure Mega-Star financing for all acts that happen to chart on the Atlantic Satellite - and to date there has not been one - and even if you could secure said financing what makes you think that just because an artist has the talent to record a song in a studio that same artist can act on the silver screen? Or would even want to? The whole idea is ludicrous!
Again, as for your so-called investors....I don't believe that you have any. How many years is it going to take for your so-called investors to make up their minds about your jack-ass operation before they'll part with any money? You and Bobby are always saying that the industry is changing daily, but so is every other industry and financial decisions are still made.
In December 2000, you called me and offered to sign me with a two (2) million dollar contract, and that you might be able to add another $500,000 to that in early 2001, for a total of 2.5 million. Then it became 5 million within a few short months and I felt confident enough to give you $15,000 to be my own Executive Producer based upon those initial figures. Then I worked with you to prepare a Business Proposal for no less than $183,000,000. and included a 100,000 square foot administrative, recording and production facility, and then my family and I move to Canada to get this show on the road and that number rises yet again to $400,000,000., which includes no less than three tour buses, six tractors & trailers, and access to a jet, and THAT is when I started listening to my wife, friends, family, brother musicians, accountant and became suspicious, as they had been for some time prior but I didn't want to believe their doubts AND WARNINGS TO ME; I wanted to believe you! I defended you!
What a moron I was! It doesn't stop there, then the contract was way over 400 million and included starring roles in Major Motion Pictures!!!!!!!!!!!! and was now worth billions. What's next????......... a ride on the Space Shuttle and videos for promotion on MTV made on the moon??!!!!!!!!! How about MEGA MEGA STARS ! ! ! And after that *** fishing trip: ULTRA MEGA STARS ! ! ! From 2 million to 4.8 billion (please view the hilarious attachment) in two years, and I haven't seen a penny of that MAJOR PROMOTION MONEY you say that you can exact for those who qualify! I'm still on the investors table.....gathering dust, no less, just like all your other Icefire artists! I am, however, out of pocket $15,000 that I gave to you to be an Executive Producer of my own useless product. Interesting.
All the afore-mentioned amounts are in US dollars. The original TWO (2) million would have been sufficient to get the show on the road. Go on Chylon, call me a paranoid; call me a beer-joint baratone; call me a drunk; call me emotionally unstable and on one of my tangents; call me an idiot; call me what you will......the truth is obvious.
Chylon wrote:
I cannot tell you who the investors are due to the confidentiality provisions of that contract. Not only can I NOT tell you who they are, but I wouldn’t if I could. There isn’t a doubt that IF you knew the investor contact information, you’d be contacting them too with your paranoia, idiocies, demands, and that would jeopardize the entire deal for everyone that I have on the table. You aren’t the only artist on my label, or project with ***, and I’m not going to jeopardize their careers due to YOU and YOUR problems!
I wrote:
I am not now, and have never been interested in who your investors are. I am not interested in anything more than being able to go out and play with the proper equipment, promotion and planning. I realize that you still have other brainwashed artists on your label whom you can, at least for now, convince that you're doing something for them. It would look awfully suspicious if all your signed artists wised-up simultaneously and called you into account, just like I am. That would be too much for you to handle at once. It works best if it happens one at a time, just like it has been over the years. Nice, easy and neat.
Time will show Chylon, just how many Icefire artists achieve a name that means something to any one else outside of the *** camp. I can hear your rhetoric when I'm 60........that how it was Paranoia, Emotional Tangents, and Idiot Elements that destroyed the would-be careers of Lino, Rudy Love, Diamond Doug Brookings, Ted Rekich, OMP, David Raven, D'Mention, Lone Sojourners, Chris Patrick Chamblee, DeMarcus, Soul Seeker, Shaun Anderson, etc..... But that doesn't matter now, there is - as always - a whole new line of artists (suckers) who are in the final preparation to be on the non-existent table of investors.
Chylon wrote:
There is also no doubt that IF you knew all the Broadcasters and/or other relevant people in this industry, you’d be contacting them too which would jeopardize EVERY other artist’s career in addition, due to YOU and YOUR problems. I’m not going to let that happen to the rest of them either.
I',m new here.
Not brought here by choice, but necessity. The link/thread that brought me here has been disabled, thank music (not God, and an observant administrator), and after two weeks of careful deliberation I feel I can be of use to the music community in general. I have written this opening thread at least ten times, then deleted it and gone to bed, but now want/need to finish it. To help you readers, and me to heal.
Bobby Farrell.......
***.....
aka, Vandor Music Group (***).....
I'm a victim. BEWARE!
As probably most here, I love music!
Whether writing it; producing it; recording it; performing it, or trying to market it. It has inadvertantly become my life's work to warn those who aspire to greatness, whether on the stage, or in the studio, (What's the difference?) to avoid ***.My name is David Raven; 2002, 10 time Grammy award nominee in three categories.....as far as I can remember: 'Album of the year', 'Song of the year', and 'Best male vocal performance'.
I was once a *** associate....emphasis on the 'ass' part!
President of their music interests in Danmark, and Vice-President in Canada.
I have always been a musician/writer. It's in my blood/DNA...what have you. Everyone in my family (we are ten strong) plays an instrument. Once upon a time to a high standard. Only two of us has had the balls to pursue it further than a dream and try to make money from it - a living: My sister Helen, and myself.
Helen was smart.....a true performer by nature, dancer, singer, actress...basically, a true entertainer. 10 years my senior, she slogged it out. Night clubs, dinner theatre, bands, and eventually a starring role at Canada's Wonderland's opening season show in the 80's entitled 'Those magnificent movies'. There she met, and married, the orchestral director - Greg Diakun - who has written and produced works for Disney and charted in the Billboard top ten. However, this is not about Helen and Greg; this is about me, and what I write here. Basically, she did it, and has made it, the natural way.
I was dumb! Me...with natural ability, tried short-cuts and got swindled!
Initially I started on the piano. Then came the double bass, in school, as part of a 32-piece orchestra. Guitar came next. Can anyone remember trying to master arpeggios and Henrix's 'Purple Haze'? Playing in bands followed.....Oh yes, the joy of creation!
I can remember practicing for hours learning the rythyms and lead to 'Could have been a lady'...'April Wine' version, not 'Hot Chocolate's'. Regardless, Time moved on.......Although British by birth, I was raised in Jamaica and Canada: I consider myself more Canadian than any other nationality I hold citizenship to. In 1992, I felt compelled to return to the country of my birth to pursue the desire I have to travel, fulfill personal needs I need not mention here, and music.
I'll endeavour to not make a novel here about my musical abilities but will assure those musicians here that as a guitar player I performed one night in the Marquis Club, Leicester Square, London - in what was then an open forum for new musicians to come up on the stage and play with the house band - my version of Joe Satriani's 'Satch boogie'...and I brought the house down!
Okay, my ego trip over, now on to why I have decided to spend my night writing here in place of being in bed next to my hot Danish blond -haired , blue-eyed wife and three year old son.....Vandor Music Group and Bobby Farrell.
I decided in 1996, to emigrate to Danmark and pursue music full-time. In Danmark at that time and still now, new artists get paid to play, unlike England where new artists mostly have to pay to play in forums that matter!
I purchased a Roland VS-880, a Fostex DAT machine, an IBM computer (I said earlier my loyalties were Canadian
!) and with my custom Les Paul, African limited edition Vester bass, Roland RD-600, I set out to meet new musicians who could assist me in recording my dream of music to present to 'who ever' could take it further. At that time I found on the net, and soon to be defunct, ***worldwide.org ....Hence, why I am here.I sent demos across creation to everyone, small and tall, all returned with letters of denial but enthusiasm for my ability. I didn't understand...If I was so good, then why didn't anyone with power want to sign me? The *** website told me why. Please.....take a breath.....this is not about the accolades of ***.....I loathe them, but giving them their due credit is the truth about the industry. Take your time and read about it at *** worldwide.com , when the site is up and running again.
Anyone with any salt will realize the truth, and the scam. The language contained therein is debatable.
My experience has led me to believe that the *** website is 90% truth, 9% sales pitch, and 1% scam/con game. They prey on us. They use our industry ignorance against us, even after they educate us. That 1% SCAM is POWERFUL!!
I sent in my works.....
I was approached by their then representative of 'International Affairs' -Pam-Violet Nixon - regarding my package and asked if I really wanted to take my dream further. Of course, I said yes! I spent one year being educated about the music business on the net until I was deemed ready to join the ranks, which meant opening a corporation and investing $15,000 USC to be my own Executive Producer (ExP) of my own project. At that time, year 2000, ***'s ExP budgets were $40,000: $10,000 to the Exp, $10,000 to the Publisher; $10,000 to the Label, and $10,000 to the General Licenser..aka distributor.
Yes, I was now a signed artist on my way to the BIG TIME!
I was the ExP of my project, Icefire Int'l records was my label, Firedragon (ASCAP) was my Publisher, and *** was my Distributor. One of the Big Boys of Int'l distribution, as they like to be known. They even promised that the Warner Brothers logo will be put on my CD, even though it didn't happen.I was strongly motivated (coerced) by my label representative Chylon (Icefire 'so-called' int'l records, a Canadian label not recognized by CIRPA) to spend an extra $5,000USC to have my product placed on the Billboard chart by buying a chart popsition; an investment that would be met by my label, publisher, and distributor. Think about that.....that's an extra $20,000 to buy radio air-time to make my name a house-hold name by bombarding radio with David Raven songs for a limited period of time. More marketing
Never happened!
Neither did the Warner logo.
Yeah, yeah. Sure sure, you can buy my useless product in Amazon.com under the name David Raven, if you use the search engine title 'popular music', but I will never see a penny, drachma, zloti to account for it. In fact, the 'critique' by a so-called fan named 'Krista' in the website was written by Chylon!
The scam is simple: Lead artists' on by making them believe that a useless website called atlantic-satellite.com is a viable marketing tool for established, current, and upcoming newbies to prostitute their product internationally to a global non-existent audience for $700USC a pop. Man did I feel good seeing my name next to Pink Floyd, Billy Joel, The Stones, Spice Girls, Bowie, etc, etc, etc, ....the list goes on.
The idea is that if you market test your product and it appears on the atlantic-satellite webite, then *** will put you on the table of the MAJOR MONEY INVESTORS. The deal will include untold fortunes. However, it will never happen because *** has no such investors....except those suckers, like me, who givethem 15 grand! Atlantic Satellite is a con game in conjunction with ***'s Bobby Farrell. Amanda Rupprecht (Amanda2) is part of the scam. New Mexico law encourages such villany. Bobby Farrell has preached that HE is the owner of over 10,000 GOLD AND PLATINUM records!
I say BULLSHIT! He is a liar. He is a fraud! His state's laws protect him. His true title reads like a KKK Grand Wizards! The Lord, Almighty, Supreme something or other General Booby Farrell. Also known as Robert Farrell Cunningham. They are a cult. They are brain-washers. They are scam artists, and they are money-launderers. Beware.
Again, my name is David Raven and I was once a police officer in Peel Region, Canada (Toronto) badge 1242, and I am legally powerless to do anything against my injustice except my words, and the last four hours I have spent on this website's readers.
In place of being redundant, please read the following response I wrote to an email that Chylon sent me two years ago. You decide.
This thread has to be divided in two as I am extremely verbose and am held by the constraints of 25,000 characters per thread. Forgive.
Chylon,
Your email below came at a time when I had a few close musical friends visiting, discussing a possible joint venture. I've known them for over 20 years and have indeed kept them abreast of my *** project since it began when I lived in Danmark. Those were exciting times, these are not! Regardless, after reading your email you succeeded in two things: Making me laugh as I expect this sort of childish behaviour from you, and making my friends anti-***/Icefire advocates! The word has already started to spread throughout Toronto - Canada's largest city and my home for 18 years before I moved to Europe - and its musicians about a so-called Canadian label called Icefire that can't be found by C.I.R.P.A. , if you even know who they are, because if you don't then you can't lay claim to being a legitimate Canadian label as you have to be registered with them. Now, a good six weeks later I have sufficient time in my day to respond to you and your nonsense. For the sake of clarity to all who read this, I will be responding segment by segment beneath your original email.
----- Original Message -----
From: Chylon
To: CD Raven
Sent: Tuesday, October 29, 2002 5:19 PM
Subject: Re: ICEFIRE
David,
Re: Your call - I’ve been out of town and when you called, I hadn’t been in the door an hour.
I wrote:
Fair enough, but hanging up on me without warning was rude. Another example of how you treat your artists.
Chylon wrote:
Re: Virus email - I did not send you any email. I have no idea of anything attached that had a virus because I’ve been out of town.
I wrote:
Interesting. While you were 'out of town' someone sent me an email from your address that lit my Norton Anti-Virus program up like a Christmas tree! The only thing I could do was delete it. I emailed you right back and asked what it was, but of course, I didn't get a response because you were 'out of town.' The Gremlins are out early this season.
Chylon wrote:
Re: Artwork for your website - You’ve supposedly downloaded the Art files and we’ve discussed the fact that you can use them. I’ve got the anti-counterfeiting code protection.
I wrote:
Thank you. I never understood that I could use them on my website, only on T-shirts and the like.
Chylon wrote:
Re: IceFire - Yes Ice Fire is Canadian too.
I wrote:
Really?! A search of C.I.R.P.A. www.cirpa.ca reveals nothing about Icefire Int'l Records. My original question to you also asked where I could find a reference to your label's registration here in Canada, but you have chosen not to answer. If you are a legitimate label, why hide where you are registered? I am certain that all the other Icefire-signed artists who are reading this email would like to know that you are more than just a made-up name in Albuquerque.
Chylon wrote:
Re: Access - You need to import the data into access, which imports easily with the import function and then query it. If you haven’t named the fields, I would do so because it makes things easier to query. Drag and drop the fields from the table which you need/want, set the parameters for the sort that you’d like, hit the explanation point, and you should have the result. You can use the query wizard if you need to. It will help.
I wrote:
Thank you. Works perfect!
Chylon wrote:
Now then -----No where am I required to put up with any of your drunks, paranoia, back-dooring, idiocies, etc. and I’m not going to put my life on hold to accommodate the possibility of guessing what state you’re in either!
I wrote:
Chylon, but you do like to throw the gauntlet from the very onset! Very well, let's have at it! I am not a drunk and I am not paranoid. I am from a culture other than American that has never seen the need for prohibition, and history has proven how well that legislation worked. I have learned in my experience with ***/Icefire that the term paranoid is very popular for any artist who requires you to be accountable for what has been paid for. As for 'back-dooring'.....this is yet another term you apply to those who are first labelled 'paranoid' and then are forced to seek answers to their original questions within and without the company that you never answered in the first instance. Idiocies etc.....?
I have been seeking proof from you and Bobby that 5000 copies of my CD were manufactured by BFM, and then promoted to 5000 radio stations that still spin discs. I have not had any response from you or Bobby that is remotely adequate. In place of answering I am called drunk, paranoid, an idiot, that I back-door and am in breach of contract; you haven't even told me where in our joint contract that I am in breach. The truth is because you can't. I've never asked you to put your life on hold for me Chylon, but as an Executive Producer that was trained by *** and held an Executive position with *** in two countries, I have asked you the legitimate questions that any Executive Producer would ask of the label that their artist(s) are signed to. For that, I am slandered, and released from my contract. Interesting. This is what one can expect when doing business with ***.
Chylon wrote:
I’ve always been willing to answer your questions. I am, however, not willing to put up with your paranoid tangents, breach(es) of contract, or any other such actions or activities. The fact is you want a time frame so that you can set your watch to, but when it comes to art and music, that cannot be done without an enormous price tag attached, even then there are no guarantees.
I wrote:
This is good! I will endeavour to not be as redundant as you are in this email with my answers in defence of your rhetorical slanders, but simply love what you have just written. You make reference to time frames in regards to art and music and the price tag involved. It is true that ***'s loop hole has always been a sales pitch without a time frame, but it is equally true that *** preaches it has access to the MAJOR investment monies required to make a new artist, and what kind of money that new artist could be making, as long as they put in their share of the continually increasing initial promotion budget.
The truth is that *** DOES NOT have access to any MAJOR investment money. The truth is that *** is trying to secure the MAJOR INVESTMENT MONEY (at least that is to hope for) using the Executive Producers portion of the budget, else ***/Icefire are making a very comfortable living dividing up the latest Executive Producers portion of the initial promotion budget amongst themselves to pay for road trips to Florida, amongst other places, to spread *** propaganda and secure even more money from new artist(s) cum Executive Producers. You mentioned time frames.........Some people are under the illusion that in our day and age the world is spinning round because of gravity.
Money, that is what makes the world turn around. We all have to pay for our shelter, food, expenses, educations, cars, insurances, phone bills, net access, etc, and usually payments are made every 30 days. Every one lives by time frames that we can set our watches to, even us artists and you as a label and Bobby as a General Licenser, that is why the second-last paragraph of Article 02 on the *** website clearly states: 3. Your finished productions (which you will pay for) must conform to the General Licenser's dictates: format, total running time, etcetera. Therefore, get that ExP Agreement in Paragraph 2., above, before you spend one penny in recording something that is totally worthless! The Licenser will provide a BREAKDOWN and you'll have no more than THIRTY (30) DAYS to deliver, so be ready to do business. That's THIRTY (30) DAYS to deliver, Chylon. Chylon wrote:
We needed to prove your product to make the presentation for that significant amount of money for the business loan investment we are seeking in addition to everything else that goes along with marketing and promoting your music. I have invested thousands on your project and additional thousands in effort to get you to the investors for mega-star financing, currently on the table with them.
I wrote:
Sure, sure. I have also invested thousands Chylon, and long before you, Icefire and *** were ever a part of my vocabulary. More Icefire/*** rhetoric. This email was not written for my benefit, but for the benefit of all others whom you forwarded it to who still have a vested interest in your label, and still believe your scam operation due to their lack of industry knowledge and the future hope that one day you will deliver on your promises. They'll all learn. Time will become their terrible teacher, and when in future they question you as to when they might actually be invited to sit down with one of your investors, you'll slander them across creation like you have me.
When I joined *** there was never any talk about Mega-Star financing, only talk that Artists should be their own Executive Producers if they could afford it. I didn't come onboard to be a Mega-Star either; whether I am capable of it or not is not the issue. You preach that you can secure Mega-Star financing for all acts that happen to chart on the Atlantic Satellite - and to date there has not been one - and even if you could secure said financing what makes you think that just because an artist has the talent to record a song in a studio that same artist can act on the silver screen? Or would even want to? The whole idea is ludicrous!
Again, as for your so-called investors....I don't believe that you have any. How many years is it going to take for your so-called investors to make up their minds about your jack-ass operation before they'll part with any money? You and Bobby are always saying that the industry is changing daily, but so is every other industry and financial decisions are still made.
In December 2000, you called me and offered to sign me with a two (2) million dollar contract, and that you might be able to add another $500,000 to that in early 2001, for a total of 2.5 million. Then it became 5 million within a few short months and I felt confident enough to give you $15,000 to be my own Executive Producer based upon those initial figures. Then I worked with you to prepare a Business Proposal for no less than $183,000,000. and included a 100,000 square foot administrative, recording and production facility, and then my family and I move to Canada to get this show on the road and that number rises yet again to $400,000,000., which includes no less than three tour buses, six tractors & trailers, and access to a jet, and THAT is when I started listening to my wife, friends, family, brother musicians, accountant and became suspicious, as they had been for some time prior but I didn't want to believe their doubts AND WARNINGS TO ME; I wanted to believe you! I defended you!
What a moron I was! It doesn't stop there, then the contract was way over 400 million and included starring roles in Major Motion Pictures!!!!!!!!!!!! and was now worth billions. What's next????......... a ride on the Space Shuttle and videos for promotion on MTV made on the moon??!!!!!!!!! How about MEGA MEGA STARS ! ! ! And after that *** fishing trip: ULTRA MEGA STARS ! ! ! From 2 million to 4.8 billion (please view the hilarious attachment) in two years, and I haven't seen a penny of that MAJOR PROMOTION MONEY you say that you can exact for those who qualify! I'm still on the investors table.....gathering dust, no less, just like all your other Icefire artists! I am, however, out of pocket $15,000 that I gave to you to be an Executive Producer of my own useless product. Interesting.
All the afore-mentioned amounts are in US dollars. The original TWO (2) million would have been sufficient to get the show on the road. Go on Chylon, call me a paranoid; call me a beer-joint baratone; call me a drunk; call me emotionally unstable and on one of my tangents; call me an idiot; call me what you will......the truth is obvious.
Chylon wrote:
I cannot tell you who the investors are due to the confidentiality provisions of that contract. Not only can I NOT tell you who they are, but I wouldn’t if I could. There isn’t a doubt that IF you knew the investor contact information, you’d be contacting them too with your paranoia, idiocies, demands, and that would jeopardize the entire deal for everyone that I have on the table. You aren’t the only artist on my label, or project with ***, and I’m not going to jeopardize their careers due to YOU and YOUR problems!
I wrote:
I am not now, and have never been interested in who your investors are. I am not interested in anything more than being able to go out and play with the proper equipment, promotion and planning. I realize that you still have other brainwashed artists on your label whom you can, at least for now, convince that you're doing something for them. It would look awfully suspicious if all your signed artists wised-up simultaneously and called you into account, just like I am. That would be too much for you to handle at once. It works best if it happens one at a time, just like it has been over the years. Nice, easy and neat.
Time will show Chylon, just how many Icefire artists achieve a name that means something to any one else outside of the *** camp. I can hear your rhetoric when I'm 60........that how it was Paranoia, Emotional Tangents, and Idiot Elements that destroyed the would-be careers of Lino, Rudy Love, Diamond Doug Brookings, Ted Rekich, OMP, David Raven, D'Mention, Lone Sojourners, Chris Patrick Chamblee, DeMarcus, Soul Seeker, Shaun Anderson, etc..... But that doesn't matter now, there is - as always - a whole new line of artists (suckers) who are in the final preparation to be on the non-existent table of investors.
Chylon wrote:
There is also no doubt that IF you knew all the Broadcasters and/or other relevant people in this industry, you’d be contacting them too which would jeopardize EVERY other artist’s career in addition, due to YOU and YOUR problems. I’m not going to let that happen to the rest of them either.
