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Monday, June 06, 2005

Andy Gershon at V2 Tells Hits Magazine To Stuff It.

According to Coolfer, on Friday the Hits' Rumor Mill took some unnecessary jabs at V2 Records, calling them an "understaffed company" and suggesting the possibility of what an "underperforming White Stripes" record might do -- "cause the company to fizzle?"

Andy Gershon, who is a friend to this blog and to dozens of other music bloggers around the world for willingness to expand into new medias to promote his artists, issued a hard and fast response to the editor-in-chief at Hits, Leonard Beer. Click here to read the article on Coolfer's blog with more incendiary quotes. Below is the reprinted email in which Gershon says that the only thing Hits magazine has ever given to V2 is invoices. A worthwhile read and with thanks to Glenn @ Coolfer for the story.

Dear Lenny,

Ain't we pals, anymore? You know, it is much easier to spread misinformation and be a pathetic golfer than it is to work at a record label these days. Lenny, let's face it and call a spade a spade. You got your facts wrong, not that you care about getting them right (the Moby record is actually profitable) and the Stripes record is set up quite well with a ship out of 600,000 records. Not that we are whores and trying to outsell Coldplay; we won't. They are a bigger band, but you know what? I don?t need to defend the label to you and you know why. You trash people that don't pay you. Pure and simple. You have run a business that has always played upon the insecurities of the executives of the record industry and it is about time you get called out on it. You and I have had these conversations about what exactly Hits ever delivered for V2, and the only conclusion I could ever come up with is invoices.

Isn't it ironic that the White Stripes new single has been in the top 10 at Alternative Radio for the past several weeks (according to factual reporting services like Mediabase and BDS) and it somehow isn't even listed on your charts? Could it be that since we are not paying you for the White Stripes that it somehow doesn't exist on your chart? Your tactics remind me of the mob's protection schemes, but the only difference is that with the mob, at least my garbage got picked up weekly.

You used to be nice and write nice things, WHEN we paid you. But in a difficult business environment you pay for services that get you results and thus, that is why you haven't received any money from V2 in the past year plus, and that is why we are profitable on many of our records. You are grasping to get every last dollar while you can, continuing to try to instill some sort of fear with your power of the pen and your so called influence with MTV and radio. You are nothing more than a two bit hustler at the end of the day, relying on strong arm tactics of fear in a very tough, transitional period in the music industry. Instead of working to make it a better place, you try to keep it at your gutter level. You are nothing more than an armchair quarterback, bullying through your paper-thin magazine and amusing website. Perhaps when your magazine eventual withers away, you can get a job at the New York Post.

Bets reagrds,
AG

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