Fake Money

So I bought a lil’ portable digital recorder, “factory resealed”. This was on the SD card that came with it.

Happy May. Future track coming in near future.

I’ve been working with this dude for a few months now, and I’m expecting some cool shit to come of it. Stay tuned or stay ruined.

Here’s the first volley.

Cuntry Boi (Fake Money Remix) by Fake Money

Welp, here’s the latest stink from the producers of the new television show Triple Rush, which will begin airing on the Travel Channel April 14 at 10pm.

A little backstory for those who don’t have it: In January, I released this song, produced by me and featuring lyricists Stoned Tone, Sunny D and myself. A short time later, while I was DJing the Golden Bike Awards at the Chrome store in NYC, I was approached by a (nameless for now) producer of the show and asked whether I would be willing to license the song for use in the TV show. I said I was interested and we exchanged information.

I asked my lawyer to check out the contract for me. They had sent over a work-for-hire contract, which would have meant signing over 100% of the songwriting and publishing rights to the song. Nice try, guys! So we turned it down and asked for a non-exclusive licensing agreement. They complied and sent over a new contract. The track has some uncleared TV and movie samples in it, and some swearing, and they requested that I submit an edited, clean version with no samples. I complied (not necessarily a cakewalk–this project was 108 tracks and the samples were a key part of the arrangement, so it meant dicing up the song, making new transitions between parts, remastering the cut, etc.) When we enquired about compensation, there was some hemming and hawing before they told us they had blown their budget (I can’t fathom how…a lot of my friends were on this show making a whopping $75 per day…if I’d known I could bankroll a national TV show for about a month’s salary as a messenger, I’d already be making moves) and they asked if I would be interested in licensing the track “on a gratis basis.” Well, it burns like hell, but what the fuck. Im the little guy, what can I do? Besides, we were at least verbally promised credit for the track, which I thought was acceptable. National exposure for me and my peoples. Okay, they can’t pay, but this is better than nothing.

Except not really. The most recent volley of emails between my attorney (G.) and their legal department (S.) follows:

G.: 1. My client would like for “promotional consideration” to be defined and enumerated.
2. Some of the clips in the track are not cleared; so he can’t represent that they are.

S.: I believe your concern with respect to the reps and warranties in the agreement has been addressed in that [F] was able to send a cleared version of the song. Further, the “promotional consideration” that [F] is receiving is the inclusion of their song in the show – they are essentially receiving free national promotion of their song by way of its inclusion. Feel free to give me a call if you need further clarification. Otherwise, if all is now in order, please arrange for [F]‘s signature of the agreement. Thank you.

G.: You’re absolutely right that the concern about the reps and warranties has been addressed. As for promotional consideration, [F] was told that he would have the song in the credits (“Fake Money feat. Sunny D/Stoned Tone/Angry Drew”), and I recall B. offering a “special thanks” in lieu of financial compensation. Identifying the song and the author seems like a necessary part of receiving promotion—having the song in the show doesn’t really mean anything if no one can identify him. This may well have been what you take promotional consideration to mean, but my lack of understanding of the term is exactly why I’d like to have it defined.

S.: Production checked with Travel Channel and they will not agree to a credit, and B. would not have been able to agree to that credit without their approval. We also cannot provide any financial compensation for the use of the song. As such, if [F] wants the song in the show (with the song appearing in the show as his promotional consideration), then we need to have the license agreement signed and sent back. Otherwise, we will need to remove the song from the show. Let me know what he wants to do. Thanks.

—————

Whoa. See what you did there? “If I want the song in the show…” Hold up. You approached me. I wasn’t exactly beating down your door trying to hawk my wares, I didn’t show up to your very well-publicized castings when you were looking for characters to film, and to get straight on this, I was beginning to get irate at having strangers with camera bags trying to strap microphones on me and get me to sign waivers every time I went to a bike race or party in NYC. You’re making money hand over fist by exploiting my my scene and my crew, but now you want to spin it like you’re doing me the favor? Please. Come on…shit, I’m (mildly) flattered, but I’m not stupid. I wonder how this would have played out if I’d had label representation. Great, my song’s on national TV–anonymously. Great exposure. If I put my balls in your mouth, and you love it (they usually do), and you don’t know what my face looks like, how the fuck do you propose to find me when you need another taste? Nevermind that you’re getting totally royalty-free use of my material, nevermind that it’s a totally pro, on-topic, perfectly germane piece of music that was written, performed and recorded both by and about the group of cyclists that you’re documenting on the show, nevermind the fact that if I tell you to fuck off, you’re probably going to have to pay to use somebody else’s music in the same slot. Maybe not. I’m no expert on IP law. I do know for a fact that a hundred bucks and a half-second of credit would have smoothed this right over. I guess we’ll see how it plays out.

And in the meantime, Mr. Technique, take it away!

This Saturday it’s going DOWN.

The Red Hook Crit is here! It’s bigger than ever this year, and apparently super-legit. Killer prizes, wads of cash and a new venue for the party. I raced last year. This year I’m DJing the afterparty! Come for the race (11pm sharp) and stay for the party (12 midnight til whenever.) This is really not something you want to miss! 80-something racers, an incredibly strong field, track bikes only on a fast, terrifying course paved with cobblestones, with tons of screaming spectators. Real racing! Truly hardcore shit! And for the record, my money’s on Chabanov again this year. Don’t let me down, motherfucker.

More info here.

Party details:

12am-4am
Rocky Sullivan’s
34 Van Dyke Street (at Dwight Street)

DJ’s:
Fake Money
Kenn Richards

$2 Brooklyn Lager Tall boys…. Pizza served until 1:30 am.
Full bar available

Just in time for Saturday’s Hoedown, the lovely Leona and I dusted off the fake 808 and put a hole in the studio wall with it.

Grab the download, it’s FREE because the recession ain’t over for the working man. And come shake your ass off on Saturday!

http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=1162053692/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB//

Looks like I’m starting this party off! Lucky for me and for you, admission is free before 11pm with the password “Big Bend” and apparently it’s reduced-admission after that with the password “Skrilla”. I have a feeling that either of these passwords will do something good for you, at any hour of the night, if you show up cockeyed and pre-sauced, but I’m not making any promises. I’m playing 10pm to midnight, the party goes til forever o’clock, and the other DJs are going to be a riot. Someone told me you can get married at this party, so bring your squeeze and make it official in between spins on the dance floor.

2-26
319 Scholes St., Brooklyn NY
10pm-Late
Oh Yeah

Why “gothic dubstep”? Hell, I don’t know, what the fuck would YOU call it?  Maybe Blockhead will have some suggestions. It’s been a while since Fantozzi and I got down on a track, and this one’s a substantial departure from our previous efforts. It doesn’t really sound like anything Fake Money would do, at least not yet, so it’s under the Ex-Stripper Project name and I hope there will be more to come in this vein. Stay tuned, stay loose.

http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=92724658/size=grande/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB//

Okay, here’s some cool shit. How wide are the planks on the Brooklyn Bridge? That should serve as a point of reference for the size of these ice chunks, which I think only became plural on impact:

So after gracelessly eating shit into a slushbank around one of the towers, my ears are ringing and it feels like I hit my head. How the fuck is that possible when everything’s padded with several feet of soft, wet ice-liquid? Oh. Never mind, it’s just these big sonofabitches falling from the towers, which, according to the NYCDOT, stand 275 feet tall. So I look up.

Ah, good thinking, lad. Now your face is pointing at the sky. Fuck that. Lightning may never strike twice, but if I give that cold bitch Nature half a chance to smash my face into pudding, smart money’s on her taking it. At least there’s this dumb helmet on my head. Meanwhile, the wind’s picked up and these chunks are landing all around me like POW and there’s absolutely no fucking place to hide. Start runnin’, boy! Feels like a game of live-action Galaga in zero-G.

I love my job.

Holy shit, this thing is ferocious.

That is all.

Friday night there’s a fashion show! I don’t know shit about fashion shows, but here’s the blurb from BUST:

“Now in its third annual year, The Fashion Front Awards works to recognize some of the most talented in the industry. This season promises to award designers who take risks and bend the rules, all to produce unique and interesting fashion. Among this year’s Headline Designers is our beloved, innovative leggings designer Courtney Gamble, AKA MessQueen”

Badass, huh? Here’s the mix I made for Courtney. It’s a shorty at just under 20 minutes, mixed in key, eclectic as fuck. Download it for free if you like it! Tracklist after the jump.

http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F9712448&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=b63097 NYCMessQueen January Fashion Show Mix by FAKE MONEY

Come to the show!
Friday, January 28th, 2011 at 9:00pm
Greenhouse club, 150 Varick Street
MORE INFO HERE

Tracklist (some of these songs were chopped up beyond recognition for certain elements, and there’s a lot of original stuff in here too. It’s a god damn easter egg hunt.)

Synchronize – Discodeine ft. Jarvis Cocker
Countdown (Designer Drugs Remix) – Jupiter One
Secret Lover – Private
Reminder – Honeythieves
New MIA Song – Death To The Throne
Set Your Money Up – Keri Hilson
Split the Atom – Noisia
Useta Know Her – DJ Quik
Jeffer – Boys Noize
Got that Tonic – Fake Money
Black Phantom – Fukkk Offf
Tight Pants – Ninjasonik
One More Chance – Pet Shop Boys
Come Out (Le Castle Vania Remix) – 120 Days
Too Fake – Hockey
Spaceship – Snob Scrilla / Bag Raiders