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April 11, 2024 4:28 pm  #1


Burton Cummings Risks A Fortune To Stop "Fake" Guess Who From Touring

This is quite a story, one first noted here back at the end of last year. And the amplifier has just been turned up to 11.

In an exclusive Rolling Stone Magazine calls a "nuclear action" by former Guess Who member Burton Cummings, the one time lead singer of the legendary band is taking an incredible step to try and stop the touring group (which only contains some minor members from its original line-up) from using its name by making sure they can't sing their hits.

"Cummings has taken a nuclear action, terminating the performing rights agreements for all the Guess Who songs he wrote, removing the copyright protections that allow the band (or anyone else) to perform hits like “American Woman” “These Eyes” and “No Time” at a concert. In effect, he shot himself in the foot to try to shoot the band in the face... 

"Cummings’ strategy is both very aggressive and particularly rare. Two music attorneys with no affiliation to the case tell Rolling Stone they’d never seen such a strategy before."


It means Cummings will lose all royalties from the songs being played on the radio, potentially costing him a small fortune. But he insists it's worth it to stop 'the fake band' from ever playing any more gigs. 

The Battle Over Classic Rock Band the Guess Who Just Went Nuclear

 

April 14, 2024 8:52 am  #2


Re: Burton Cummings Risks A Fortune To Stop "Fake" Guess Who From Touring

Too bad that it has come to this. I think that the current Guess Who, with next to no original members, should just pack it in out of respect for the band who worked hard to establish their music.
It is the old adage of the only original member is the roadie!

 

April 14, 2024 9:02 am  #3


Re: Burton Cummings Risks A Fortune To Stop "Fake" Guess Who From Touring

 

April 17, 2024 7:18 pm  #4


Re: Burton Cummings Risks A Fortune To Stop "Fake" Guess Who From Touring

Billboard Canada has its own take on this story, noting that while Cummings seems to have taken his revenge on the posers, he's also shut out one of the people who helped contribute mightily to the original group's success - Randy Bachman. 

"Cummings in this case earns 75% [of royalties] and has done so since he acquired sole ownership of the band’s publishing catalogue formerly held by Nimbus 9, a Toronto studio owned by Jack Richardson who first invested in the group and subsequently produced 14 albums with them.

For various reasons, the studio went into receivership in or around 1982. Cummings got wind of this, as recounted in Bachman's autobiography, and rushed to buy back ownership rights. To this day, by Bachman’s account, Cummings has declined to share the asset with his longstanding co-writer and bandmate. It has been the undoing of a great friendship and perhaps is the reason that Bachman has remained mostly silent outside of his legal requirement in co-joining Cummings in the legal dispute over the Guess Who name."


The Guess Who's Now Legendary Legacy

     Thread Starter
 

April 17, 2024 8:42 pm  #5


Re: Burton Cummings Risks A Fortune To Stop "Fake" Guess Who From Touring

I wasn't surprised at all when he did this because he did the The Bob Lefsetz Podcast in January and out of 1:41, it seemed like he ranted about it for 40 minutes.     Bob Lefsetz is a skilled interviewer with extensive knowledge of the music industry and he barely managed to keep Burton on the rails.   I've never heard Burton Cummings so angry.    I strongly recommend The Bob Lefsetz Podcast BTW.   Great interviews with a lot interesting people.

 

April 17, 2024 9:12 pm  #6


Re: Burton Cummings Risks A Fortune To Stop "Fake" Guess Who From Touring

RadioActive wrote:

Billboard Canada has its own take on this story, noting that while Cummings seems to have taken his revenge on the posers, he's also shut out one of the people who helped contribute mightily to the original group's success - Randy Bachman. 

"Cummings in this case earns 75% [of royalties] and has done so since he acquired sole ownership of the band’s publishing catalogue formerly held by Nimbus 9, a Toronto studio owned by Jack Richardson who first invested in the group and subsequently produced 14 albums with them.

For various reasons, the studio went into receivership in or around 1982. Cummings got wind of this, as recounted in Bachman's autobiography, and rushed to buy back ownership rights. To this day, by Bachman’s account, Cummings has declined to share the asset with his longstanding co-writer and bandmate. It has been the undoing of a great friendship and perhaps is the reason that Bachman has remained mostly silent outside of his legal requirement in co-joining Cummings in the legal dispute over the Guess Who name."


The Guess Who's Now Legendary Legacy

I found a 2014 report in The Star about their falling out over the rights coming from Randy himself.    

   Randy Bachman writes about split with Burton Cummings