If you are thinking about doing business with Radio 97, we urge you to look at page and also look over the information we have received on Talent 2000.

Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 17:11:13 -0400
To: songshark@yahoo.com
From: "Xxxx Xxxxxxx" <xxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.com> 
Subject: Talent 2k...part deux

If you could anonymize this email if you want to use it for public
consumption, I'd appreciate it.

Just thought I'd give y'all a heads up. I got a call last week from a
company called 97 Radio from Arizona. They claim to be a radio
staffing agency that places DJ's with stations nationwide. The songshark hook
is that if you pay them $15 a station, they'll tell the DJ's that they
hired out to play your CD. Hmmmm...isn't that kinda like payola. Anyhow...I
talked to the guy (James Bennett?) and his sales pitch kept changing
depending on what I said. Suspicion sets in. Note that I was already
suspicious because I could find nothing at all on the internet about
them. From the initial call I thought they might have been a Radio
station from Arizona (I have a legitimate company doing promo for me right
now). In the end I asked him what their web address was. He conceded
that their developer was working on the site, but that it would be posted at
97radio.com.

I did a whois on their site name (which has since changed) and saw that
it was registered by Talent 2k and Carlo Addo. It has now been updated
(as of 10/20) and lists Ken Lawson with no mention of Talent 2k. Still they
are both listed at the same street address (17220 Boswell Blvd). A search
on Talent 2k led me to your site. I was suspicious before and would have
probably steered clear anyways, but you were the nail in the coffin.
Hope this helps others...

Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 17:47:26 -0500
From: "Xxx" <Xxx@xxxx.xxx> 
To: songshark@yahoo.com
Subject: scam question...Hi,

My name is Xxxx, and first let me say that i really respect what you
guys are doing with songshark. Secondly i have a very intersting question
for you. Ill give you the deatils about my bands situation and ill let you see
what you think about it.

About a month ago my band recieved an e-mail from a company called
"97 Radio" (97 Radio.com) based in Arizona. Let me say that ive been very
wise to the Talent2K scam for while, which made me verrrrry cautious about the
whole situation. 97 Radio has the same address as Talent2K but they have a
different suite # in the building. Both 97 Radio's and Talent2K's websites look
very familiar, with the common 40 submisisons for a a $500 retainer deal. I
e-mailed Talent2K asking if they were associated with 97Radio and they
havent responded. This all started when the 97 radio company e-mailed my band,
saying that they had a copy of my bands EP, which is very professionally done
and good (we spent over 7K recording it at one of the best studios in DC),
so I knew that they wernt lying to me about the quality of the project.

Basically they seemed very very reassuring about our prospects, which is what was
creepy, and they dropped the names of Good Charlotte and Linkin Park,
as some of their clients. I havent been able to confirm that they have or have
not worked with them. The 2 people that weve been daleing with are Michael
Anthony and Rick Parker.

We are currently awiting a contract to arrive in the mail from this
company. We have enlisted the help of Tom Cruise's entertinment
lawyer, throuhg some connections we have to read the contract. It sounds
almost identical to the Talent2K scam with a different name. So if we do find
out through the lawyer that were working through that thei is a scam as
well, as were all guess it is, this can be another company that you put up on
your site. Ill keep you posted on our progress with this company.
Keep up the good work

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 16:35:45 -0500
From: "Xxx" <Xxx@xxxx.xxx> 
To: "Song Shark" <songshark@yahoo.com>
Subject: scam

Heres all the evidence i have thus far:

- The websites of 97 radio and talent 2k are similar, except 97 radios
claim are more radio foucused.

From talent2k.com

"Talent 2K will help with all aspects of your career from song
evaluation to over all grooming for a recording deal. We will also help the development of press
packages for each artist (for label use only). We will evaluate your songs on a point basis and give you our
thorough opinion. We will also redo biography material so it is label ready. All fee’s paid by artist are
retainers to cover the cost of phone calls and mailings pertaining to your demo submissions. We will get your music
to the record labels, and management companies, and follow up accordingly with each company. All 4
programs are based on a 240-day basis; this date begins at the date both parties sign this agreement. All submissions
will be sent out immediately. Response time depends on the size of the record labels shopped. It can be from two
weeks to 240 days. Talent 2K will help you with all aspects of your career growth. If a group shall break up
during this term Talent 2K will continue to shop the material, a break up between musicians does not constitute
grounds for a refund, nor does retiring from the music business during this agreement."

From 97radio.com

"97 Radio will help with all aspects of your career from song
evaluation to over all grooming for a recording deal and radio promotion.
We will also help the development of press packages for each artist
(for solicitation use only). We will evaluate your songs on a point
basis and give you our thorough opinion. We will also redo biography
material so it is label ready. All fee’s paid by artist are retainers
to cover the cost of phone calls and mailings pertaining to your
demo submissions. We will get your music to the record labels, and
management companies, and follow up accordingly with each company. Both
programs are based on a 240-day basis; this date begins at the date
both parties sign this agreement. All submissions will be sent out
immediately. Response time depends on the size of the record labels and
or radio stations solicited. 97 radio will help you with all
aspects of your career growth."

You can see the similarities to 97radio where specific unusual words
like "gromming" and "point basis" are used in both, beside the direct
mirroring of sentences.

Now there are 4 things that i was going to point out here:

#1- The thechincal contacts for both sites are victoria martin, which
means that both companies use the exact same company for web hosting.
Ironic! They did their best on the rest of the info to make the domains
look like they were seperate but the technical contact gives it away...

#2 ..This is a biggy....The contact #s for both Mr. Oddo and A
mysterious Mr. Lawson are the same..how funny.. whoever this is, is using false
alaises...i wouldnt be suprised if Michael Anthony and Rick Parker were
fake too...

#3 im not exactly sure what this means but...there is a mysterious
suite # 100L listed for talent 2K...which is not on their website or
97radio's website.

#4 97 Radios "record created line is 9/16/2002" ...now this line is
generated by the Hosting Company when the hosting and domain are first
purchased and put on the net. This means that 97 Radio has only had a
website, and probably only existed since this past September.

There alot more that ive learned..but i think that this info pretty
much is the epitome of what ive discovered... for some reason the use of differnt names for this guy is what scares
me the most..but judge for yourself..these are merly the facts that ive
gathered