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Re: So..I'm reading Duffs Book....
Reading that letter again shows how tight cashflow was and probably still is.
At this time I seriously considered postponing the start of the tour, again, as the album was of paramount importance but the reality was that our historic track record left us with very little good will with you, the fans, and we needed the money to be able to complete the album and keep the band alive.
I found the money and the motivation to keep Axl and the band alive
I don't buy what some people say that Axl is massively wealthy etc. Sure he has definitely got more than the average person, but I'm sure he's got bills and a lifestyle to match (think Michael Jackson on a smaller scale
). Money has to be a motivator/factor in a lot of things. The making of CD must have hammered him financially.
More recently saying they did the US tour effectively for free as part of the Azoff settlement, may explain somewhat why we are seeing more and more dates added to these up close and personal shows. Looks like they (understandably) still wanna try and make a buck for themselves out of the US, before they got to Europe etc. I wouldn't be surprised to keep seeing these small dates trickle out if they keep selling.
more and more dates added in Live Nation venues....BUT, I think he is doing this tour for fun.
- Intercourse
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Re: So..I'm reading Duffs Book....
I blame Doug. I still believe he turned those guys against each other.
THIS..
He is the one man that Slash still professes to openly despise. I've always figured they were just young guys who got out of the dept business wise too quickly. Mix that with drugs, paranoia and road exhaustion and you've got a platinum coated roller coaster to shit town....
A good manager would have pulled them off the road, got them cleaned up, kicked their egos into check and started them talking again. The bad manager they had let Slash, Matt and Duff continue their drug/alcohol decline, drove a business/legal wedge between them and lit the fuse that blew up the band.
A manager should 'manage'...end of. He's supposed to be the sane one in the madness. Check out any article on Paul McGuinness and U2..he played tough but fair with each member the whole way and everybody won big..
Re: So..I'm reading Duffs Book....
re-reading this & the other 2006 shit & it seems like a different world. things were really stupefying & mad back then. good times.
Re: So..I'm reading Duffs Book....
nitpick on terminology all you want...but the terms of that record contract have changed on multiple occasions over the years. Amendments change the terms of the contract. Merck mentions "renegotiation" as well in his 12-15-2006 letter to the fans.....
"The record company refused to conclude the renegotiation until we were ready to hand over the finished album and refused to prepare a marketing campaign or commission video treatments until they had it in their hands. This is still their position as of this week."
Well, the part you bolded used the word amendments, so 
Merck wasn't around when the album was finally turned in, was he? So, I'm not sure how much he can really speak to the renegotiation, if it happened, when it happened and what its terms were, if he wasn't around when the album was turned in.
I guess the issue of this potential renegotiation upon the completion and turning in of CD is a murky one.
Ali
Re: So..I'm reading Duffs Book....
Merck was around when the renegotiation was occuring, not when it finished.
Actually, I think the renegotiation was one of the main reasons his relationship with Axl erupted.
I don't know if I'm having comprehension disabilites reading the Merck letter or if Ali is reading something completely different, but it's pretty clear there was a renegotiation in place in 2006 and, probably, until the album got to be released.
Re: So..I'm reading Duffs Book....
Merck was around when the renegotiation was occuring, not when it finished.
Actually, I think the renegotiation was one of the main reasons his relationship with Axl erupted.
I don't know if I'm having comprehension disabilites reading the Merck letter or if Ali is reading something completely different, but it's pretty clear there was a renegotiation in place in 2006 and, probably, until the album got to be released.
What I'm saying is if Merck says the renegotiation would not be concluded until the label had the album in their hands and Merck was out as manager when that happened, then how can he speak to whether or not the renegotiation was truly concluded and what were the terms? It probably was concluded, but Merck is just not the person to speak to that in terms of yes it was, when it was and what the terms were.
Since I think the original point of this thread was the length, or number of albums, in the record deal between GN'R and Geffen/Interscope, the point about the terms, specifically the number of albums, is important.
Ali
Re: So..I'm reading Duffs Book....
What I'm saying is
Hmm...?
if Merck says the renegotiation would not be concluded until the label had the album in their hands and Merck was out as manager when that happened
Based on the letter, this assumption appears correct.
then how can he speak to whether or not the renegotiation was truly concluded and what were the terms?
And here you lose me.
He doesn't comment on the results in his letter, obviously.
His letter is relevant regarding late 2006, not late 2008, yes?
I've yet to see one Merck comment on anything Axl/GNR -related since late 2006.
The long and the short of it is we have no fucking idea what the current deal is between Geffen and Gnr.
For what it's worth,
With our team we were able to negotiate thru a mountain of issues to be able to release the album.
Of course, Axl said they got CD out of the gates, but. You'd think they'd work out something for a follow-up, because
I know this is jumping the gun big time, but any tentative idea when you would like to see the next CD come out?
Dexter wrote:
No, maybe same bat time, same bat channel next year but we'll have to see.
He was hopeful, at least. Not trying to pin the non-release on him by suggesting the deal for CD2 would currently be in place, btw.
apex-twin wrote:re-reading this & the other 2006 shit & it seems like a different world. things were really stupefying & mad back then. good times.
+1
Re: So..I'm reading Duffs Book....
For some reason, I think Ali is trying to argue that the original recording agreement from 1986 could still be in place...which is borderline insane considering all the shit that has happened to this band. It changed substantially in 1992 (ACTUALLY A NEW RECORDING AGREEMENT) and 1998 (VARIOUS AMENDMENTS-yes, Ali). Obviously that is an educated guess but I am quite sure I am right. And, I am quite sure it changed and was completely renegotiated in 2008 with the partnership of Blag Frog/Geffen and the Best Buy deal.
"The relationship between Guns N' Roses and UMG's Geffen Records division dates back to 1986, when Geffen's corporate predecessor, The David Geffen Company, entered into a recording agreement with five individuals, Steven Adler, Izzy Stradlin, Michael Duff McKagan, Saul Hudson (p/k/a Slash ) and W. Axl Rose, who were professionally known as Guns N' Roses. In 1992, Geffen's corporate predecessor entered into a new recording agreement with Messrs. Hudson, McKagan and Rose dated September 1, 1992 (hereinafter the Recording Agreement ).
