lunasa-redwood

[amar]

Hi everyone, got a question here, I, as quite a few of you I guess, have got the redwood-album, label greenlinnet.
Today I checked the lunasa.ie site and read the following..
"Secondly the official band approved version of Redwood is now only available from our Lunasa Store."

Anyone got "that" version? Are there any differences?
Cheers, Amar.


Hi, me again, just found this, may clarify what's going on a bit:
http://www.irishecho.com/newspaper/story.cfm?id=13279

[Martin Milner]

I'm guessing the only difference is that it won't have Green Linnet mentioned anywhere on the album cover.

[Tak_the_whistler]

"Musical sound engineers and some members of the public will notice it,"

I'm not an musik sound engineah and I'm not even among "them". I've got the original (or "inferior copy", to be precise)....but I don't think I'll want to get another.

[colomon]

The original Green Linnet release was apparently made from some sort of inferior Japanese bootleg of the album. My guess is the Japanese version was made from MP3s.

The new version is apparently from the proper master recordings. Other than improved sound quality and cover art, I haven't heard of any other differences.

[susnfx]

"Firstly we are delighted to announce that we are now free from the clutches of Green Linnet Records and are at this very moment in time independent artists!!!!!!. "

Good news - and yet musicians continue to sign with Green Linnet (GL announces the signing of a new group on their site). Amazing.

Susan

[colomon]

Good news - and yet musicians continue to sign with Green Linnet (GL announces the signing of a new group on their site). Amazing.

Yeah, I was disappointed to see Teada had signed with them, thougth the disappointment was dampened a bit to see they had a new Teada album coming out. Then I realized that the "new" CD was simply Teada's self-produced CD from last year with a new cover....

[Paul Reid]

Something I came across...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

New York -- Major Irish and Irish American recording artists have
combined to take legal action against Green Linnet Music in a lawsuit
unprecedented in the history of Irish music.

The famed Irish groups, Altan and Cherish the Ladies, nine-time all-Ireland fiddle champion and musical star of Riverdance, Eileen Ivers, National Heritage Award winner Mick Moloney, and All Ireland Champion multi-instrumentalist Joanie Madden have come together because they share a common outrage at the way they have been treated by one of the major recording companies in world music.

Green Linnet Records, of Danbury, Connecticut, has been a leading force in recording and distributing Celtic music for over 25 years. Along with its Xenophile and Redbird labels, the company has over 300 masters licensed and features a roster that has included, among others, Eileen Ivers, Cherish the Ladies, Mick Moloney, Altan, Lunasa, Martin Hayes and Denis Cahill, Tarika, Sharon Shannon, Patrick Street, Phil Cunningham & Aly Bain, Wolfstone, Tommy Sands, the Bothy Band, Jez Lowe, Liz Carroll, Jimmy Keane, Robbie O'Connell, and the Kennedys. Owner Wendy Newton has been quoted to say, "We certainly have the best profile of any Celtic label, because we not only release the records, we actively sell and promote them." And, indeed the rapid expansion of the company and their
high-profile role as the major sponsor of the hugely popular NPR syndicated show "Thistle and Shamrock" was a barometer of their success.

It would probably shock most Irish music fans to know that the artists
who recorded their favorite Green Linnet albums have not been paid, said
famed fiddle player Eileen Ivers. The lawsuit recently filed by the artists (who irreverently refer to themselves as The Green Linnet Five) highlights the fact that Green Linnet has consistently failed and refused to provide timely accountings or royalty statements to their artists for several years despite repeated requests and demands; that the company underpays and fails to report income regarding the commercial exploitation of the artists' master recordings; that they improperly reduced the rate of royalties due and inappropriately applied deductions without a contractual basis to do so and to everyone's amazement has the unfettered gall to continue to commercially exploit master recordings for years after the licensing agreements for these albums expired. Additionally the company fails to list income and pay royalties on a number of compilation albums that contain recordings from the artists. According to their music attorney, Bob Donnelly, The Green Linnet Five are simply demanding that Green Linnet's numerous and continued breaches of contract warrant full payment of royalties owed, a return of their master recordings and an immediate cessation of exploiting the artists' work.

World-class musician Joanie Madden pointed out that "we tried to negotiate with them for a year. Ultimately we realized that they had no intention of bargaining in good faith or paying us." One of the biggest sources of outrage against concerns the issuing of close to 100 CD compilations of existing artists' recordings over the last decade.

This appeared to be a cynical ploy to exploit the world-wide popularity of Celtic Music in the 1990s at little or no cost to the company. Green Linnet issued scores of budget priced albums with the title "Celtic" and then decided unilaterally that no royalties would be payable to the artists on their sales. It is believed that these compilations ended up selling hundreds of thousands of copies, though the exact figures are unknown to the artists because Green Linnet has refused to account for them except for a few statements which Madden characterized as "woefully incomplete."

The case of the world famous Irish group "Altan" is a good illustration of the case presented by the artists. Altan were contracted to Green Linnet for a five-record deal which ran from 1987 until 1993. Green Linnet admits to owing Altan a figure in excess of $100,000 in unpaid artist and publishing royalties. Almost unbelievably Green Linnet refuses to respond to requests for sales records, invoices or other back-up information. As a result, the members of Altan are uncertain of how much they are truly owed.

On a number of occasions since 1997 Altan has sought to negotiate monthly payments from Green Linnet to clear what was already then a significant backlog in money owed to the band by the record company. However Green Linnet consistently failed to adhere to the promised repayment schedules while constantly ignoring a large volume of formal requests from Altan's management to resolve the situation.

The members of Altan are appalled at the inordinate number of budget priced compilations licensed by Green Linnet to other companies that feature their work. There are over 75 albums listed on Green Linnet imprints alone that feature Altan tracks. Green Linnet has licensed additional Altan material to other labels for various unauthorized compilations.

In promotional materials Green Linnet states that Eileen Ivers is an Irish American treasure. Among the foremost fiddlers of her generation, she has expanded the boundaries of traditional Celtic music throughout her illustrious career. Although Green Linnet may regard her as a treasure, the company has steadfastly refused to pay any of the treasure it has earned from the sales of her records. Like her fellow artists, Ivers believes that the $65,000 in royalties which Green Linnet acknowledges that it owes to her, is only a small portion of the true amounts that are due and owing. Its most recent violation concerns the blockbuster, award-winning movie, "Gangs of New York." MiraMax Films licensed Eileen Ivers' recording "Lament for Staker Wallace" from the album entitled "Wild Blue" for use in the movie. MiraMax agreed to pay a licensing fee of $15,000 of which $11,250 was legally due to be paid to Eileen Ivers. As a showing of their "good faith," company president Wendy Newton promised to pay Ms. Ivers the full $15,000. When no payment was made for several months after the release of the film, despite Ivers requests for this money, a probe was launched. Ms Ivers finally established through painstaking investigation that payment had been made directly to the record company. The president of Green Linnet stated through her lawyer that the company had already spent Eileen's money and despite their "good faith" promise, Green Linnet once again refused to pay her.

"Originally we were content to allow our attorneys to work out these problems and not speak about these issues in public," Eileen stated. "But
this act of deception was the final straw that broke this camel's back. Now we want the world to know what they are getting when they buy a Green Linnet record. If we can save even one more artist from making the mistake of signing with this company, this will all be worthwhile."

Eileen Ivers has gone on to form her own internationally distributed record label called Musical Bridge Records.

Over 35 known compilation albums contain Eileen Ivers tracks from her Green Linnet recordings. To add insult to injury, Green Linnet took the unprecedented step of issuing or licensing two greatest hits type albums despite the fact that Green Linnet only had two Eileen Ivers albums to begin with. Ivers complained, "I feel like my fans may have been decieved into thinking that they were getting new albums from me when all that Green Linnet did was to recycle old material."

Green Linnet has yet to account for and pay licensing fees and royalties to Eileen for these recordings. In short Green Linnet admits to owing an estimated $65,000 dollars to Eileen Ivers but refuses to pay.

"It's been years since Green Linnet has sent any royalties for my solo album, four Cherish the Ladies albums, or countless compilations that they've placed us on," says Joanie Madden, founder of Cherish the Ladies,
the only full-time touring, all-women's group in Celtic Music. Green Linnet stated in their promotional materials that "Over the last 10 years, Cherish the Ladies have become one of the premier Irish traditional groups in the world, and their recordings are always among Green Linnet's top sellers." Green Linnet acknowledges that it owes Cherish the Ladies and Joanie Madden over $70,000 dollars in unpaid royalties although Joanie Madden believes that "this is just the tip of the iceberg."

Singer and multi-instrumentalist Mick Moloney is a National Heritage
Award winner. This is the highest honor a traditional artist can receive
in the United States. He has performed on and produced over 75 albums
of Irish traditional music. Many have been on the Green Linnet label
including recordings of the famed group The Green Fields of America,
Eileen Ivers, and the distinguished musician and composer Seamus Egan.
He and the other artists in The Green Fields of America present complaints
against Green Linnet similar to Altan, Cherish the Ladies and Eileen
Ivers; unauthorized use of recordings for compilations and failure to
supply accurate sales figures and to pay royalties owed.

Green Linnet seems indifferent to the fact that is going down in infamy
as a company which has in effect declared war on its artists, losing no
opportunity to mistreat and exploit them at every opportunity. Sadly
Green Linnet and its ownership represent an anomaly in the world of
contemporary recorded music; a throwback to the bad old days before
reform of the industry when many record companies routinely cheated
their artists. Artist attorney Bob Donnelly said that he was approached
by the folk music division of the musician's union to represent 25 other
artists who have also not received the royalties to which they are
rightfully entitled. "I wish I could fight for all of them but I just
don't have the time," Donnelly said. "One can only imagine how many
other artists are out there who have simply given up. I hope our lawsuit
gives them the courage to persevere."

It would appear that the ownership and management of Green Linnet have
felt secure in mistreating their artists because historically folk and
traditional musicians have not possessed the resources to take legal
action against major corporations. What Green Linnet clearly did not
anticipate is that so many distinguished artists would come together to
take collective action against them.

The distinguished Irish musician and teacher Mick Moloney summed it up
by saying, "In recent years the management of Green Linnet has come up
with a typical rejoinder when confronted by artists demanding justice.
'Sue us,' they say. Well, it's finally happened."

[Paul Reid]

Here's another: source = http://www.liveireland.com/review/breakingnews.html

BREAKING NEWS LIVEIRELAND UPDATE ON GREEN LINNET RECORDS WITH BILL MARGESON.

Certainly, in the history of Irish traditional music, it is the biggest business story of all time. In major legal actions sure to reverberate widely and deeply, five major Green Linnet Records recording stars are suing the world's biggest producer and distributor of Irish traditional music. Altan, Cherish the Ladies and Mick Moloney are currently before The New York Supreme Court, and artists Joanie Madden and Eileen Ivers are arbitrating their complaints before The American Arbitration Board. According to the performers' attorney, Bob Donnelly of New York, the separate actions are necessary because of differing remedial clauses in the stars' contracts. Donnelly also states that the splitting of the cases, originally filed as " all five in one " in December 2002, is " another dilatory tactic by Green Linnet to buy time." The actions all involve significant claims by the performers that the Danbury, Connecticut-based Green Linnet has engaged in a lengthy practice of underpaying, or not paying, royalties on their recordings. Also contained in the complaints is the assertion that Linnet has never paid any royalties due on numerous compilation albums released over the years. That number is enormous, especially when considering it would also include violations pertaining to publishing rights of the original music from the artists. According to Donnelly, " This is such arrogance on Linnet's part. Until I got involved they never even gave an accounting to these people."
In a lengthy, strongly worded press release from Donnelly's office, both the depth of the artists' frustrations and their significant financial complaints are listed in some detail. LiveIreland.com has edited the release for this article, but will make the total release available in a separate area, as well as the strangely brief response of the company.
The release reads in part:
“ Green Linnet Records, of Danbury, Connecticut has been a leading force in recording and distributing Celtic music for over 25 years. Along with its Xenophile and Redbird labels, the company has over 300 masters licensed and features a roster that has included, among others, Eileen Ivers, Cherish the Ladies, Mick Moloney, Altan, Lunasa, Martin Hayes and
Denis Cahill, Tarika, Sharon Shannon, Patrick Street, Phil Cunningham & Aly Bain, Wolfstone, Tommy Sands, the Bothy Band, Jez Lowe, Liz Carroll, Jimmy Keane Robbie O'Connell and the Kennedys.
‘ It would probably shock most Irish music fans to know that the artists who recorded their favorite Green Linnet albums have not been paid,’ said famed fiddle player Eileen Ivers. The law suit recently filed by the artists (who irreverently refer to themselves as The Green Linnet Five) highlights the fact that Green Linnet has consistently failed and refused to provide timely accountings or royalty statements to their artists for several years despite repeated requests and demands; that the company underpays and fails to report income regarding the commercial exploitation of the artist's master recordings; that they improperly reduced the rate of royalties due and inappropriately applied deductions without a contractual basis to do so and to everyone's amazement has the unfettered gall to continue to commercially exploit master recordings for years after the licensing agreements for these albums expired. Additionally the company fails to list income and pay royalties on a number of compilation albums that contain recordings from the artists.

“ The case of the world famous Irish group "Altan" is a good illustration of the case presented by the artists. Altan were contracted to Green Linnet for a 5 record deal which ran from 1987 until 1993. Green Linnet admits to owing Altan a figure in excess of $100,000 in unpaid artist and publishing royalties. Almost unbelievably Green Linnet refuses to respond to requests for sales records, invoices or other back-up information. As a result, the members of Altan are uncertain of how much they are truly owed…There are over 75 albums listed on Green Linnet imprints alone that feature Altan tracks. Green Linnet has licensed additional Altan material to other labels for various unauthorized compilations.Green Linnet seems indifferent to the fact that is ( sic ) going down in infamy as a company which has in effect declared war on its artists, losing no opportunity to mistreat and exploit them at every opportunity. Sadly Green Linnet and its ownership represent an anomaly in the world of contemporary recorded music; a throwback to the bad old days before reform of the industry when many record companies routinely cheated their artists. Artist attorney Bob Donnelly said that he was approached by the folk music division of the musician's union to represent 25 other artists who have also not received the royalties to which they are rightfully entitled. ‘I wish I could fight for all of them but I just don't have the time,’ Donnelly said. ‘One can only imagine how many other artists are out there who have simply given up. I hope our lawsuit gives them the courage to persevere.’

“ It would appear that the ownership and management of Green Linnet have felt secure in mistreating their artists because historically folk and traditional musicians have not possessed the resources to take legal action against major corporations. What Green Linnet clearly did not anticipate is that so many distinguished artists would come together to
take collective action against them.

“ The distinguished Irish musician and teacher Mick Moloney summed it up by saying, ‘in recent years the management of Green Linnet has come up with a typical rejoinder when confronted by artists demanding justice. ‘Sue us’ they say. Well it's finally happened’.”

When contacted, Green Linnet President Wendy Newton issued only the following statement in regard to the wide- ranging charges, “ Because this matter is in litigation, an ( sic ) because Green Linnet has counterclaims against Bob Donnelly’s clients, it would be inappropriate for us to comment, particularly in a public forum. The only reason Green Linnet has been interested in taking on partners or selling the label is for the purpose of fulfilling whatever obligations it may have. “

The basic, " no comment " on the part of Linnet is interesting in light of the far-ranging nature of the charges. The response was sent by e-mail from Green Linnet president Wendy Newton following three attempts to speak with her, and a subsequent, brief " off the record " phone conversation.

The cases are massive in terms of potentialities. If the cases are settled out of court, there would surely be some sort of a financial, or highly unlikely, " library" settlement . A " library" settlement would be that the financial claims are ( in some degree ) dropped, but the artists' musical catalogues (libraries) are returned to them for their own use. The artists could win the entire matter, or the company could prevail. Any financial settlement for the artists would be substantial. And, the other 25 Linnet artists referred to in the press release are certainly paying close attention to the cases. Donnelly stated in the interview that there was no class action on behalf of all the Linnet performers because, " Basically, they each have separate clauses in their contracts and each claims a separate royalty amount due them."

Strife between artists and their recording companies is common in all genres of music. Artists have long held that companies underpay them, or do not support them in terms of promotional and advertising efforts. No one, however, in Irish traditional music can recall any situation even approaching the current actions regarding Green Linnet. States Donnelly,“ If this was just one or two cases, you’d say it is an individual accounting problem. But, look at the number of artists saying exactly the same thing regarding the company.”

Donnelly also commented, " How do you justify going out and signing new artists for advances, while you don’t pay your older artists what you owe them? They say, ‘ That’s how we’ll generate the revenue.’ That’s a Ponzi scheme. This is an out and out effort to cheat these artists. “

A phenomenon in recent years ( continually covered by LiveIreland.com ) is the rapidly growing numbers of top stars who are releasing and distributing their own albums on their own privately held labels. This is due to several factors. The growing costs of production and distribution have forced many companies to deeply cut back in the number of releases generated each year. Also, fewer album sales have resulted in less and less money being put into promotional efforts for the artists. Linnet is far from alone in the difficulties it has faced in this area. In major part, this is due to the internet where so much free traditional music is available, along with every other genre. There are also companies that will distribute an artist's recording world-wide, for a fee. These companies have nothing to due with production. Add to this the growing number of hybrids, like the highly important Compass Records in Nashville, Tennessee. It does some original recordings, but has also been purchasing the American distribution rights to several artists' albums. Lunasa's first album is an example. Until last year, that album had never been available in the States, but Compass released it to great acclaim.

There is another huge and under-reported factor in regard to the surging number of "independents" in the traditional field. It is no longer necessary to have a full, billion track studio with all the bells and whistles to capture a great sound. The big studios may be necessary in the classical field, or for recordings featuring large ensembles. But, most traditional music recordings involve a relatively few musicians, and the advances in electronic recording capabilities have ensured that major artists like Sean Tyrrell can record in their own homes and have a perfectly engineered product to take to market. Real engineering skill is still vital, but the equipment can be rented--or in some cases borrowed--for comparatively little money. And, it is easily transportable, as everything in the electronics field continues to get smaller and smaller.

Best of all from the artists' points of view is what a musician said years ago. " When I sell a number of albums to a shop, I know exactly what my profit is. And, I know it immediately." Long gone are the days when a musician or singer had to be affiliated with a major company like Green Linnet or Shanachie in order to be recognized. It is still advantageous in terms of ease and scope. But, it is not necessary. Add to all of this the growing number of " comers " in the field like the aforementioned Compass, Narada, Greentrax or a host of others, and the financial, prestige, production and distribution stranglehold companies like Linnet and Shanachie used to enjoy in the traditional field don't seem so vast, after all.

This case will, of course, have enormous ripple effects throughout the traditional field. If a settlement or judgment force Green Linnet under, some of its competitors might see opportunity. In that eventuality, ( by no means a certainty ) those competitors should also see a warning. Relationships with artists are more important than ever. The artists can, and will, succeed on their own. Under all this lies an unprecedented, subtle sea change in the artist-recording company marriage.It may be necessary in the multi-million selling rock or pop album market to have a Sony or some other giant behind an act. But, the traditional Irish field is finite. Large and growing. But finite. It can be reached, still, by individuals and groups with talent, belief and vision. That is part of its great appeal. Several of the companies in the traditional field get it. For the others, it no longer will do to look at the artists as captive employees. They are now partners.

[blackhawk]

Good news - and yet musicians continue to sign with Green Linnet (GL announces the signing of a new group on their site). Amazing.

Yeah, I was disappointed to see Teada had signed with them, thougth the disappointment was dampened a bit to see they had a new Teada album coming out. Then I realized that the "new" CD was simply Teada's self-produced CD from last year with a new cover....

I saw Teada Sunday night. Man oh man, they are good, especially for young guys just starting out. They reminded me of a young version of Lunasa. Only difference was they didn't play whistles at all, while Lunasa does a lot of whistling. But that young fiddler, Oisin (and how do you pronounce that?) is a younger version of Smyth. Not quite as good as him, but definitely in the ballpark.

[Bloomfield]

Oisin (and how do you pronounce that?)

O-shin

[colomon]

Oisin actually plays the whistle a bit on (one of?) his solo album(s?). (Of course, so does Sean Smyth.)

Speaking of complaints about Green Linnet -- is it possible to figure out Teada's current tour schedule from their web page? Or anywhere else -- I'd love to hear them again.

[susnfx]

There's an "On Tour" button at the top of Green Linnet's home page where you can find the tour listings for all their artists. This is Teada's:


http://www.greenlinnet.com/tour/show_list.cfm?tour=1026

Susan

[fluter_d]

Here's Teada's homepage: http://ceolproductions.com/home.html
And their tour schedule (linked from homepage): http://www.ceolproductions.com/gigs.html

They're on the West coast until October, I think, and then coming back in spring to the East coast. So everyone gets to see them! (You must go. There is no option... )

Just kidding on that last bit, of course. :roll:
Deirdre

[fluter_d]

Oisin is pronounced UH-sheen. And Teada are all wonderful musicians - you really should try to see them.

[Paul Reid]

No pipes?????????????