West Coast Connection Forum
DUBCC - Tha Connection => West Coast Classics => Topic started by: BigNeckBone on March 22, 2010, 12:14:52 PM
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Not a very long article to read, but I thought I'd share this for the people who wanted this to read
(AllHipHop News) Former Death Row Records artist RBX has weighed in on the affairs of his former record label, which has been in turmoil since being auctioned off in bankruptcy court in January of 2009.
Death Row was purchased by Canadian-based company Wide-Awake Entertainment, after former CEO Marion “Suge” Knight lost a $107 million dollar lawsuit regarding ownership of the company.
Shortly after the label’s purchase, more drama unfolded between the new owners, New Solutions Group and Death Row’s new CEO, Lara Lavi.
Lavi lost a court judgment and was removed from the company as acting CEO in November of 2009.
"I have been watching the three ring circus of these Canadians buying Death Row for the last year or so,” RBX said in a statement. “I just read a crazy article on line where the guy in charge now - some banker Robert Thompson-So and his sidekick John Payne announced to the world they are looking for someone to buy them out because they don't to be in the Death Row records business any more.”
According to RBX, Lavi has found a new deal with some “heavy hitters on Wall Street.”
He also chastised the new owners for failing to capitalize on the label’s massive catalog, which includes tracks by top selling artists like Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, MC Hammer, RBX himself and others.
Since being purchased, the new Death Row has released several projects, including albums by Snoop Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound.
The label also reissued Dr. Dre’s album The Chronic as The Chronic Relit, although Dr. Dre filed a lawsuit against the label over the re-release of the album.
“I just have one thing I have to ask these guys. What tha f--k were you thinking .......seriously? We all had a little bit of hope when this game started but due to the shenanigans, optimism is dwindling. Word on the street in Southern Cal is that Lara Lavi, the woman these guys kicked out of the mix is seriously backed by new heavy hitters on Wall Street. I have received phone calls confirming Lavi has a new deal.”
Representatives for New Solution could not be reached for comment.
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Full story;
http://www.hiphoppress.com/2010/03/-rapper-rbx-finally-speaks-out-about-the-current-state-of-death-row-records.html
Mar 21, 2010
Rapper RBX Finally Speaks Out About The Current State Of Death Row Records
Veteran Rapper From Long Beach, RBX, Issues New Statement On Death Row Records.
LONG BEACH CA, Mar. 22 /2SPR/ – Back in the original days of Death Row, producer, writer, tastemaker RBX could be found pushing the line on the streets of Southern Cali. Known for his work with Dr. Dre, The Dogg Pound, Snoop Dogg, Korn, Brother J, Eminem and many more, RBX rarely speaks to the press, but when he does it is the truth.
In a statement made today, RBX asks the question every hard-core Death Row fan wants to know;
"I have been watching the three ring circus of these Canadians buying Death Row for the last year or so. I just read a crazy article on line where the guy in charge now - some banker Robert Thompson-So and his sidekick John Payne announced to the world they are looking for someone to buy them out because they don't to be in the Death Row records business any more (http://blogs.wsj.com/bankruptcy/2010/03/11/drama-continues-for-death-row/).
I just have one thing I have to ask these guys. What tha f--k were you thinking .......seriously? We all had a little bit of hope when this game started but due to the shananigans, optimism is dwindling. Word on the street in Southern Cal is that Lara Lavi, the woman these guys kicked out of the mix is seriously backed by new heavy hitters on Wall Street. I have received phone calls confirming Lavi has a new deal. I don't know whether she on to something new or trying to buy back her company. I don't know the woman but damn she is truly unfadeable.
So I have to ask, why do these New Solution guys continue to beat on her in court if she might just be the most likely candidate to buy them out given they asked for it last week.
I just don't get it. The fans and the artists deserve better than this mess. Uncut...."
RBX first joined Death Row Records in 1992, with his cousin Snoop Dogg. After a noteworthy appearance on Dr. Dre's The Chronic, he then made cameos on various Death Row Records releases, and has released several acclaimed solo projects that have drawn many dedicated fans and admirers of his unorthodox sound.
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http://thanarrator.com/
http://www.myspace.com/narratorrbx
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For more information contact peter@2spr.com
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They're stuck with the label now, no one wants to buy unless they sell it for dirt cheap, like 3 mil.
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He didn't say anything new that hasn't been said in past articles, but thanks for the story...
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RBX doesnt even have a completed album over there, but he is right. Obviously he's pissed off that Wide Awake havent paid him royalties yet and hes bigging up Lavi incase she gets Deathrow back so he can get paid.
Let's hope Lavi gets the label back though, its currently a sinking ship, but it started good with Dre and Snoop releases.
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let it sink, im tire of this mess.
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RBX doesnt even have a completed album over there, but he is right. Obviously he's pissed off that Wide Awake havent paid him royalties yet and hes bigging up Lavi incase she gets Deathrow back so he can get paid.
Let's hope Lavi gets the label back though, its currently a sinking ship, but it started good with Dre and Snoop releases.
Lara Will Rise Again Haha... ;)
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LOL @ heavy hitters on wallstreet backing this thing...right...
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what the fuck?who will buy death row now?
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what the fuck?who will buy death row now?
Lara Lavi, if she has anything to say about it. You know, thinking about it, maybe she learned from her first tenure at Death Row and will be a more capable C.E.O. if she got it now. Mind you, that's a lot coming from me, the guy who dissed the shit out of her and John Payne.
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Even though she made her mistakes,id still rather have her in charge then the current people.They have no clue what their doing.
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indeed. . she dicked it up.. think she got carried away with the mystique... completely unprofessional.
the label cant be worth anywhere near what they paid if the highest grossing releases from the past raised little..
if someone buys it for a more realistic price, with the best interests at heart then maybe something good will come of it. but some wannabes wanting to insert themselves into the legend? hell nah..
old fans only care about the rare stuff.. and there a lot less of us than for a "normal" new release from the same artists.
its a toxic investment even before all this extra stuff. they need to either man up and manage it properly or get shot of it.. getting shot seems best for them right now.
maybe suges waiting for it to be worthless and buy it all back :D
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Just shot down this bitch and move on...thats only right
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indeed. . she dicked it up.. think she got carried away with the mystique... completely unprofessional.
the label cant be worth anywhere near what they paid if the highest grossing releases from the past raised little..
if someone buys it for a more realistic price, with the best interests at heart then maybe something good will come of it. but some wannabes wanting to insert themselves into the legend? hell nah..
old fans only care about the rare stuff.. and there a lot less of us than for a "normal" new release from the same artists.
its a toxic investment even before all this extra stuff. they need to either man up and manage it properly or get shot of it.. getting shot seems best for them right now.
maybe suges waiting for it to be worthless and buy it all back :D
Yeah, but I think she realizes she dicked it up or at least, I hope she did. Her biggest mistakes were bringing on John Hyland and waging a public war against John Payne. WIDEawake never even had a marketing team, so no one knew about the releases sadly. KOCH wasn't really doing shit for them, either. I also agree, nothing good will most likely come out of the sale. Every Death Row affiliate has told me it's a curse.
That's why no one wants a Death Row logo on their releases if anything gets released. There's tons of marketable stuff in the vaults, because they could market like MJ's shit. It's just about getting the name out there again. WIDEawake can't really manage shit, they lack staff and are hemorrhaging money because of the amounts they pay to the remaining staff. I would honestly like for Suge to get it back, because at least he could make it sell and knew what the fuck he was doing.
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Suge knew what he was doing?
he lost the company
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Suge knew what he was doing?
he lost the company
Only reason he lost the company was because of Lydia Harris. If she and Harry O wouldn't have came along, they would have been just fine. Suge did know what he was doing, hence why Crooked I, Eastwood, etc. never dropped on KOCH or Death Row. Suge is a lot smarter than dudes give him credit for.
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Suge knew what he was doing?
he lost the company
Only reason he lost the company was because of Lydia Harris. If she and Harry O wouldn't have came along, they would have been just fine. Suge did know what he was doing, hence why Crooked I, Eastwood, etc. never dropped on KOCH or Death Row. Suge is a lot smarter than dudes give him credit for.
i won't say that Suge has no skills, but i still don't get why some people can't see why Suge destroyed his own label.
when Dre left, Suge should have made sure that Death Row remained a powerhouse, but he didn't!
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Suge knew what he was doing?
he lost the company
Only reason he lost the company was because of Lydia Harris. If she and Harry O wouldn't have came along, they would have been just fine. Suge did know what he was doing, hence why Crooked I, Eastwood, etc. never dropped on KOCH or Death Row. Suge is a lot smarter than dudes give him credit for.
i won't say that Suge has no skills, but i still don't get why some people can't see why Suge destroyed his own label.
when Dre left, Suge should have made sure that Death Row remained a powerhouse, but he didn't!
Suge destroyed the roster, but not the label. Lydia Harris and Michael Harris destroyed the label. It's kind of hard to keep a powerhouse going when the artist your investing in (2Pac) dies and you've basically fucked over all the other artists. A lot of artists were jealous of the shine 2Pac was getting and felt jaded - Danny Boy, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, etc. On top of that, getting locked up and having a cop's son Reggie Wright Jr. run the label doesn't look too good and having one of your star artists who refuses to record anymore despite you basically paying off the jury for his 94/95 trial doesn't look good either. There's no way in hell he could've kept it a powerhouse. He tried to build it back up again, but he got some pretty shitty deals which he had to take.
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Lara's back!
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Its Still Lara-ow!
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They should sell the entire catalog in portions.
Dr Dre buy his unpublished, and published work
Snoop Dogg (along with DPG) buy theirs
The Tupac Estate, or another major buys the Tupac music (All Eyez, Makaveli, Unreleased)
The remaining catalog would now be at a more financially manageble price for the smaller labels. The likes of the Crooked I material, Danny Boy, Lady of Rage, Petey Pablo, Sam Sneed etc, could all be sold to one company at a far reduced price
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Danny Boy album might sell 1 million copies in April and bring in money? It might go platinum.
Failing that, a what else have they got from a well known artist? Maybe a YGD Top Dawg album? He has buzz
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Danny Boy album might sell 1 million copies in April and bring in money? It might go platinum.
Failing that, a what else have they got from a well known artist? Maybe a YGD Top Dawg album? He has buzz
lol wtf?
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Im just brainstormin ideas wideawake can make sum money. Im with Tanner "O"G and Don Seer allday everyday...Rest of yall dicc in the booty ass niggaz
If they signed ndubz they wud be "number1" no pun intended lmfao, Dappy = The UK 2pac!!!
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Danny Boy album might sell 1 million copies in April and bring in money? It might go platinum.
Failing that, a what else have they got from a well known artist? Maybe a YGD Top Dawg album? He has buzz
lol, what world are you living in???
im looking forward to that danny boy album.. but to sell 1.000.000 copies YOU have to buy at least 900.000! but it might be just cheaper to buy death row.
and YGD didnt even have a buzz when he was with death row... the only ex artist on death rwow having a "buzz" right now may be tupac.. lol
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Danny Boy album might sell 1 million copies in April and bring in money? It might go platinum.
Failing that, a what else have they got from a well known artist? Maybe a YGD Top Dawg album? He has buzz
lol, what world are you living in???
im looking forward to that danny boy album.. but to sell 1.000.000 copies YOU have to buy at least 900.000! but it might be just cheaper to buy death row.
and YGD didnt even have a buzz when he was with death row... the only ex artist on death rwow having a "buzz" right now may be tupac.. lol
2pac fell off after his seventh album
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They should sell the entire catalog in portions.
Dr Dre buy his unpublished, and published work
Snoop Dogg (along with DPG) buy theirs
The Tupac Estate, or another major buys the Tupac music (All Eyez, Makaveli, Unreleased)
The remaining catalog would now be at a more financially manageble price for the smaller labels. The likes of the Crooked I material, Danny Boy, Lady of Rage, Petey Pablo, Sam Sneed etc, could all be sold to one company at a far reduced price
Why would any of the artists want to do that? All the big artists have their own studios which they can record music for free. And all the lesser known artists probably don't even have the money, and even if they did, they better off investing in something else.
I loved death row and the music they put out...but as far as business goes, it just isn't really worth much. The entire music industry has changed and it is simply tough to make money by selling music.
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The label is still worth a lot of money because of the back catalogue.Ringtones,music rights in commercials,movies,video games etc.Plus add in the sales that their catalogue brings in.With the right business mind behind the label it is definitely worth the investment.Wide awake seemed like they had the right idea but the company imploded with innner squabling.
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Danny Boy album might sell 1 million copies in April and bring in money? It might go platinum.
Failing that, a what else have they got from a well known artist? Maybe a YGD Top Dawg album? He has buzz
lol, what world are you living in???
im looking forward to that danny boy album.. but to sell 1.000.000 copies YOU have to buy at least 900.000! but it might be just cheaper to buy death row.
and YGD didnt even have a buzz when he was with death row... the only ex artist on death rwow having a "buzz" right now may be tupac.. lol
2pac fell off after his seventh album
Yeah and Ygd Top Dawg is featured on Clint Dogg's new album = huge buzz
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hahahahahahaahha who the fuck are you?LOL clint dog hahahahahahhaahah
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RBX doesnt even have a completed album over there, but he is right. Obviously he's pissed off that Wide Awake havent paid him royalties yet and hes bigging up Lavi incase she gets Deathrow back so he can get paid.
Let's hope Lavi gets the label back though, its currently a sinking ship, but it started good with Dre and Snoop releases.
Shouldn't he be mad at Suge?
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The label is still worth a lot of money because of the back catalogue.Ringtones,music rights in commercials,movies,video games etc.Plus add in the sales that their catalogue brings in.With the right business mind behind the label it is definitely worth the investment.Wide awake seemed like they had the right idea but the company imploded with innner squabling.
Worth what investment? How much did WA pay? Like $18M? Ain't no way in hell that is an investment. Even with all that shit you named, you are going to have to sell so many ringtones, commercial rights etc to make money back. $2M tops, and even that is a risky investment.
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its called an investment.You dont make your money back right away it takes time.The label makes between two to three million a year based solely on back catalogue.Two million to buy it?lol not a chance its worth way more then that.This is something you buy and make money on within ten years not the first year.This is timeless music here the chronic,doggystyle etc.These albums will still sell 30 years from now.
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its called an investment.You dont make your money back right away it takes time.The label makes between two to three million a year based solely on back catalogue.Two million to buy it?lol not a chance its worth way more then that.This is something you buy and make money on within ten years not the first year.This is timeless music here the chronic,doggystyle etc.These albums will still sell 30 years from now.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I know what an investment is. An investment means that you not only make your money back, but also have a return. Plus, not only do you have to cover your costs of buying the company, but also all expenses of running the business. Where is your facts to show this company makes between 2 and 3 million a year based solely on the back catalog? Do you have any clue about how bankruptcy laws work? If DR was making profits of 2 or 3 million a year they would not be allowed to file bankruptcy. So according to your #'s, from 98 to 08 DR should have netted 20 to 30 million dollars on back catalog alone. Right.
These albums will still sell 30 years from now? Did you come up w/ that theory based on the spectacular sales of the chronic relit?
Anything is a possible investment. There is a huge difference between possible and probable.
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its called an investment.You dont make your money back right away it takes time.The label makes between two to three million a year based solely on back catalogue.Two million to buy it?lol not a chance its worth way more then that.This is something you buy and make money on within ten years not the first year.This is timeless music here the chronic,doggystyle etc.These albums will still sell 30 years from now.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I know what an investment is. An investment means that you not only make your money back, but also have a return. Plus, not only do you have to cover your costs of buying the company, but also all expenses of running the business. Where is your facts to show this company makes between 2 and 3 million a year based solely on the back catalog? Do you have any clue about how bankruptcy laws work? If DR was making profits of 2 or 3 million a year they would not be allowed to file bankruptcy. So according to your #'s, from 98 to 08 DR should have netted 20 to 30 million dollars on back catalog alone. Right.
These albums will still sell 30 years from now? Did you come up w/ that theory based on the spectacular sales of the chronic relit?
Anything is a possible investment. There is a huge difference between possible and probable.
When a company gets tacked with a lwsuit of 107 million dollars and they only make a few million a year then yes they can claim bankruptcy.They could not afford to pay the lawsuit thus they had to claim bankruptcy to clear all the debts.And as far as proof of how much trhey make wideawake has stated it in interviews,they put the yearly numbers of what the company makes just doing nothing but living off the back catalogue.They wouldnt have invested their money in teh first place if the company was making zero money annually nor would Koch have invested the time and energy to keep distrubuting all their albums before the bankruptucy.You think a company would continue to distrubute albums just for the fun of it when their making no profits?Koch did it for one reason to make money.Koch was also one of the companies that wanted to buy death row when it was up for auction strictly because of the sales of previous releases.And for an album that came out 17 years ago to be re releases with ZERO promotion and still sell 50 000 copies is damn impressive.Most raps artists fail to sell that much with TONS of promotion.Look at releases by maino and slaughterhouse and think of how much time and energy weas put into the promotion of them and they sold less then a re release of an album that came out 17 years ago.