Okay, this pi$$es me off!!!

[Massive Master]

I'm not usually the type to get hyper about this kind of stuff, but this is blatant. I was browsing some mastering pages online and ran across this...

www.audiomaster.co.uk/studio.html

Nice enough page, until I scrolled down to the bottom - THAT'S A (cropped) PICTURE OF MY MASTERING ROOM!!! Hell, they didn't even take the MASSIVE Mastering logos off of the computer screens!

You may notice a disturbingly similar (although somewhat more recent) photo on the MASSIVE site at

www.massivemastering.com/html/gallery1_7.html

Anyway, I was prepared to write a letter just in case they saw a photo somewhere that they wanted to use to "represent" a setup, but THEN, I noticed that the image is actually called "AUDIOMASTERROOM.GIF" which is obviously a blantant attempt at deception...

Better take a look at the other pages - On the home page, there's a nice photo of an obviously sweet control room - I wonder who's room THAT is? WTF?!?

Gee, I wonder how Bob Ludwig would feel if I grabbed a snapshot of his desk and renamed it "massivemasteringroom.jpg" and put it on my site... I've got a feeling that his lawyers would be knocking at my door in a heartbeat.

Damn it! Why do I have to find this kind of $hit right before I'm going to bed!?!

[seryozha]

Dude....that pisses me off..too!


I doubt that they took one single picture or asked for permission on any of those.


that sucks...but on the bright side...out of all the pictures of studios on the internet...they chose YOURS to copy....kinda gives you that warm burning feeling in your stomach...no wait...thats your rage about to break out and bring some good 'ol american justice down on their yankee ass!

[dachay2tnr]

MM - looks like they may have taken the photo down. At least I couldn't find it in the link you posted.

I can understand why you're pissed. I would be too.

In one of my former jobs, I was responsible for preparing a product catalog. As part of this responsibility, I had to write copy describing our products and their features/benefits. About a year or so later a competitor of ours released a new version of their catalog, and next to the photos of their products was MY COPY - word for word. As I skimmed their catalog, I found that about half the products shown had their copy description lifted directly from our catalog.

I felt violated, as I am sure you must have.

[Blue Bear Sound]

I hope you contacted them threatening action... you must have, since the pictures are no longer functional on their site....

Seems like they're a farce anyways... mastering with with Event monitors - yeah... right!

[Track Rat]

I saw the monitor thing too. These guys are internet vapor-ware. All web site and no reality.

[ds21]

Better make sure their not using any of your example/comparison samples too!

[Blue Bear Sound]

What a laugh...

I emailed them questioning their "ethics" in using other people's images... here's what "Steve Kitch" responded with:

What exactly are you talking about?

If you are refering to the images here

http://www.massivemastering.com/html/massive_gear.html

then we sourced them from direct from the manufacturers website
(www.uaudio.com).

"Ya got da wrong guy, officer - I didna do nuffin' -- jes settin' here mindin' ma own biznez......."

[masteringhouse]

Originally Posted by Massive Master

I'm not usually the type to get hyper about this kind of stuff, but this is blatant. I was browsing some mastering pages online and ran across this...

www.audiomaster.co.uk/studio.html

John -

Welcome to the big time!

Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery...

I've seen the same type of rip-offs with some of my google ads. I had a "summer special" one month last year and surprise, one week later so did the other studios. My company was also one of the first to offer an online mastering service with a risk-free evaluation. Now nearly everone does.

You should post something on your site as a joke that says you have affiliates in the UK!

[Massive Master]

Boy, I tell ya... I'm certainly impressed with the speed of that shot coming down... That guy must hang out here to know that quickly... (if anyone wants to see it just for fun, I screen-cap'd it to http://www.massivemastering.com/spec...sterRipOff.jpg just so you know I'm not crazy!).

And yeah, I understand the whole "Hmmm... That's a good idea, maybe I'll use that somehow" and I've seen quotes on several sites here and there that I might have an idea where they came from... But you can almost chalk that up to inspiration-imitation. I know that a lot of MY quotes were "inspired" by quotes from others.

But a photograph? That's... different somehow...

I hear you Tom - There's a certain place on the the Google ads that has my (and your, and Bob Ludwigs, etc.) keywords in his search. I suppose all is fair in keyword searches... I turned around and did basically the same thing.

[Middleman]

All of his supposed gear is actually snapshot photos of the UAD-1 plugins. UA should be knocking on his door soon too.

[MadAudio]

The question that comes to my mind is, was Massive's photo copyrighted?

[Blue Bear Sound]

Originally Posted by MadAudio

The question that comes to my mind is, was Massive's photo copyrighted?

The minute he snapped the shot, he owned the copyright to it.........

[Farview]

The british! It's time to throw the DATs in the harbor, Time to start a revolution.

[Teacher]

Originally Posted by Farview

The british! It's time to throw the DATs in the harbor, Time to start a revolution.

lmao@throw the dats in the harbor

[Massive Master]

UPDATE: After I read through the site this morning, I found that a fair portion of the TEXT COPY on his site was lifted DIRECTLY from the (older version by a few months) Massive Mastering site also! Holy cow!

I sent him an e-mail - He actually replied fairly quickly. He stated that the site was put together by an ad agency. Now maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. I'm a little suspicious, myself. I mean, there are entire paragraphs that were lifted straight out that carry quite a bit of detail about MY setup. I would think that even if their DAW was exactly the same, the agency would want most of the copy from the client...

I work a small bunch of websites myself... I'll edit copy, but I'm not going to write it for a specialty service company.

[vestast]

I would be a little suspicious that an ad agency would know enough to put together an audio website without help from the owners. I mean he must have approved it right ? He might not have known that the text was lifted from your site, but surely he must have known that the picture of the studio wasn't his..

That site was registered by a company called FATCAT productions. A google search shows that there is in fact a mastering studio in England called Fatcat.

http://www.fatcatmusic.co.uk

Now look at these 2 links

http://www.audiomaster.co.uk/whattoexpect.html

http://www.fatcatmusic.co.uk/mastering/mastering.htm (click on info)

Almost identical wording...

I would really be doubting the whole "ad agency" thing.....

[kylen]

Sorry you have to waste your energy on this Massive...Nuke 'EM

Alright Bear - what's wrong with Events ASP8s ? I don't think you want me to turn my M1's back on now do you, hehe

[distortedrumble]

bloody hell! i wonder if hes probably one of those people that just stole waves off of kazaa and runs it through there if he doesnt just take your money and run.....hey massive master? what kind of sound proofing is that behind your monitors?

[Blue Bear Sound]

Originally Posted by kylen

Alright Bear - what's wrong with Events ASP8s ? I don't think you want me to turn my M1's back on now do you, hehe

There's nothing wrong with them... but they're hardly up to the task of professional mastering!

[kylen]

Originally Posted by Blue Bear Sound

There's nothing wrong with them... but they're hardly up to the task of professional mastering!

This is Homerecording.com - I think they're up to getting stuff to translate in this arena just fine!

[Blue Bear Sound]

Originally Posted by kylen

This is Homerecording.com - I think they're up to getting stuff to translate in this arena just fine!

Hmmm - somehow, you missed my point Kylen.......

John's "buddy" at AudioMaster is offering "professional" mastering services.... the equipment list at that site boasts Event monitors as their main reference.... THAT is laughable and that's what I was commenting on.

Event monitors make fine nearfields for tracking/mixing, but they are definitely not of a calibre needed for use in a professional mastering house as primary monitors.

[Massive Master]

Vestast, P.I. That's some good detective work. Pretty interesting.

Well, that site looks pretty different this morning... The "Studio" page has changed drastically.

Thanks for letting me vent, everyone. I normally don't try to spread that kind of crap around, but I've been under a little stress lately. Frankly, I found it theraputic.

[vestast]

I think you were pretty justified in being angry...

At least he listened to your complaints and took the pictures down.

Dave

[kylen]

Originally Posted by Blue Bear Sound

Hmmm - somehow, you missed my point Kylen.......

John's "buddy" at AudioMaster is offering "professional" mastering services.... the equipment list at that site boasts Event monitors as their main reference.... THAT is laughable and that's what I was commenting on.

Fair enough...

Anyway - glad things are working out Massive - nobody likes to have their hard work ripped without permission.

[kragbax]

The way I see it is it's not so much that Massive's work was stolen (that we know of!), just web pics and web content. The larger problem here is an ongoing one and not easily solvable. You folks that are trying to make an honest dollar, performing an honest job are "in competition" with scammers. When people start getting burned by the scammers, they are less likely to try a second (and actual honest) option in a place like Massives. "Oh - I've seen that pic before and/or read that same content. Must be the same place - or another rip off joint. No way I'm sending my stuff to them"

That's where it seems like it could really end up hurting - with getting new business.