I had dealings with Worldmass(Now Global Media) I was recently interviewed by WCBS TV2 NYC about this. They were going to press 5000 cds and distribute them through US and European Distribution deals. I sent a check for $2750 to cover half the pressing costs. (they were to pay the other half) I never got CDs done, I never received any money back, despite several letters they sent promising to return my money. If anyone is planning action against them, let me know, I will join you.
We were contacted in August of last year, with the same bs story and a buildup about a band called Witchdoctor Samuel. I drove to NYC, had a meeting (in the boardroom, of course) and gave the OK. At the time he talked about having been a songwriter and having a hit from the "Fame" TV show. I did some cursory checking and didn't find anything out of the ordinary (if only your web page had been up then!) I even checked with BMI and found he IS registered for the songs he mentioned; not that they necessarily exist but he did have the forethought to document the bs. Thankfully, my brother is a contract lawyer who tore up the agreement and wrote a real contract. Not that it helped, much: we paid $1800 and (eventually) got 500 cds, while we were told that another 500 were being sent to European record companies. After all his talk about his partner, a hot, well-known mastering engineer, the cd was never mastered properly (if at all,) the songs were listed in the wrong order on the cd face, they were not packaged individually but shrink-wrapped together in plastic tubes, and of course he dropped off the face of the earth afterward. But at least we GOT cds and have made our money back. I'll say this, though - our contract specifically states these things are not to be sold, so if any lawsuits come up I'm in.
Scammed me out of $3500 - I'm as much to blame as they are...didn't do a thorough enough background check. I even sat down with Ethan Hurt, the "president" of Global Media, and had a twenty minute conversation, face-to-face - he seemed so damn sincere & enuine, I'm surprised to discover that he's a scammer. He was very convincing and enthusiastic in person, and relayed a story about his writing a hit song for the FAME television series that aired back in the 80's. While dealing with Global, things seem d fine, but in retrospect, if I view all the inconsistencies and uncertainties at one time, everything falls into place, and I feel pretty darn stupid for not recognizing that these guys (Ethan Hurt and his assistant Dennis Horvath) are full of sh*t. Any ne who wants a detailed account of my experiences can contact me - I'd be happy to chat. Live and Learn, folks. Peace.
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