I have trouble feeling bad for the guy. He was paid what he had agreed to.
I agree. On the other hand you have artists being paid in company stock which they decide not to sell[1]. Hindsight is 20/20.
My Dad Painted Jethro Tull’s ‘Aqualung’ Cover and It’s Haunted Him
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Re: My Dad Painted Jethro Tull’s ‘Aqualung’ Cover and It’s Haunted Him
#12I have trouble feeling bad for the guy. He was paid what he had agreed to.
There are certain revenue expectations in mind for any project. Any time something is wildly successful beyond that, I think everyone that made it deserves to split at least a few percent of the income.
Re: My Dad Painted Jethro Tull’s ‘Aqualung’ Cover and It’s Haunted Him
#13The nature of employment is that we produce works for hire. I don't see any exploitation here.
Do album cover artists ever get windfalls from successful? Unlikely I think, unless of course they were well known artists who insisted on royalties.
The album would have been similarly successful with any cover or no cover.
Re: My Dad Painted Jethro Tull’s ‘Aqualung’ Cover and It’s Haunted Him
#14never seen it before, never heard it before. I'm pretty sure that their case is as solid as the cult status they claim this pice has.
Re: My Dad Painted Jethro Tull’s ‘Aqualung’ Cover and It’s Haunted Him
#15key part: "[A lawyer specializing in this sort of law] explained that when dad and Chrysalis came to a handshake agreement, as long as the paintings were originally considered “works made for hire,” the copyright for the paintings always belonged to Chrysalis, thanks to the 1909 Copyright Act. Copyright laws were amended in 1978, making it more difficult for commissioned works to qualify as “works made for hire,” esp…
And after that the copyright transfer was inserted into contracts.
Re: My Dad Painted Jethro Tull’s ‘Aqualung’ Cover and It’s Haunted Him
#16I couldn't imagine getting so caught up in one piece of work. I'd like to imagine I would have just immediately turned around and told everyone I was the guy who made the cover for Aqualung and focus my energy on the next project.
Also, it's very presumptive to assume I deserve a cut of your project just because it is successful. Not only do I claim my artwork had something to do with it (I doubt many people cared much about the album cover), but I can't give you one price and then extort you later because you actually have money now.
Re: My Dad Painted Jethro Tull’s ‘Aqualung’ Cover and It’s Haunted Him
#17I have trouble feeling bad for the guy. He was paid what he had agreed to.
"consummating the deal with nothing more than a handshake"
Seriously, just a handshake. So fleeting. So trivial. It's just a gesture, after all.
Re: My Dad Painted Jethro Tull’s ‘Aqualung’ Cover and It’s Haunted Him
#18I have trouble feeling bad for the guy. He was paid what he had agreed to.
This artist created something that got widely recognized, and the genesis of it (he alleges) was widely misrepresented by both Ellis and Anderson. Also, he got paid squat compared to what the album generated in sales. Unless you are Spock from Star Trek, you are going to have some feelings of frustration, indignation, and envy from that experience.
Re: My Dad Painted Jethro Tull’s ‘Aqualung’ Cover and It’s Haunted Him
#19Raphael Ravenscroft, who played the famous saxophone parts on Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street.", was paid only 27 pounds... and that cheque allegedly bounced.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures...
Re: My Dad Painted Jethro Tull’s ‘Aqualung’ Cover and It’s Haunted Him
#20I couldn't imagine getting so caught up in one piece of work. I'd like to imagine I would have just immediately turned around and told everyone I was the guy who made the cover for Aqualung and focus my energy on the next project. Also, it's very presumptive to assume I deserve a cut of your project just because it is successful. Not only do I claim my artwork had something to do with it (I doubt many people cared mu…
That's the point: Artists at that time weren't protected enough to retain copyright over their work. They are now. It's not whether "you actually have money now", it's that "you're making money with something I created and I deserve a piece of that too"