| If you are thinking of doing business with Carlo K. Oddo, Talent 2k, or Talent 2000, please take a moment, read the comments below. From: Xxxxxxxxxxx@aol.com
Date: Tue, 23 Apr 2002 02:28:55 EDT
Subject: Talent 2k
To: songshark@yahoo.com
We worked with them, unfortunately...and the only labels we heard from were JetSpeed Records and Black Rose Records. Oddly enough, of the 20 or so people who emailed us after T2k posted our name on their site, nearly all of them had been contacted by the same labels. JetSpeed's offer of a "Record Deal" was nothing more than a services contract for studio time and CD manufacturing. My hope is to do everything legally possible to expose all of these people, and we've made a tremendous start by gathering TONS of information about JetSpeed and Talent2k. We've found connections between the two in several cases, and have compiled a list of people who've either done business with both entities, or signed up with T2k and were contacted by JetSpeed. We have copies of "contracts" and email from several different people, including a detailed history of our own experiences with them. We have notorized affidavits from five people who have complaints against T2k.
We've requested a full refund from T2k, as according to our contract, if we weren't signed within the eight-month period of the contract, we'd get our money back. Courtland Tyler from JetSpeed has made 47 commitments (all via email or instant message) to call and finalize a real record deal with us, but his word has been as good as their original "recording contract".
Chris has been in contact with Carlo Otto from T2k about our refund - and according to what I've heard - they don't plan to issue it.
Our plan is pretty simple: we're waiting for a few more affidavits to come in. As soon as that happens, and we have overwhelming proof (not that we don't have enough now...but it pays to be certain when you're dealing with these kinds of people) of a connection between the two, we'll be able to forward the information to the State Attorney Generals Offices of California, Arizona, and Illinois. We also plan to forward the information to the National Fraud Center, the local prosecutors' offices in the cities where they do business. In addition, we'll lodge complaints with the BBB and magazines where T2k advertises (particularly Guitar World).
It's important to us not to overstep legal boundaries...but I think we have pretty solid evidence of fraud. Once we forward the information to the powers that be, we'll find out whether or not that's true. The effort it has taken to compile all of this information has well-exceeded the money we paid T2k originally, but the bottomline is it isn't about that anymore. It's about the fact that they've ripped us off (at least that's what it looks like, assuming they don't issue the refund)...and God knows how many other artists/bands. And they'll continue to do it until someone steps up.
As far as JetSpeed is concerned, regardless of whether or not T2k sends our refund, we've got the goods on them, assuming they don't make a tremendous effort very quickly to sign us to the "real" record deal Courtland Tyler has been promising for months. I doubt if the man would know the truth if it bit him in the ass (personal opinion).
From: "<XxxxX@hotmail.com>
To: songshark@yahoo.com
Subject: Xxxx X.. vs TALENT 2K Follow-up
Date: Sat, 27 Apr 2002 18:12:04 -0500
Mr.Oddo stated that "With over 200 clients in 1999 we have had 2 BBB
reports that were resolved immediately." Well I am one of those
artist that filed an complaint with the Chicago Better Business Bureau.
And I have recieved nothing as of this date.
It is a damn shame this guy is still in Business. From: <Xxxxxxxxxxxx@earthlink.net>
To: songshark@yahoo.com
Subject: Talent 2k
Date: Mon, 1 Jul 2002 9:53:44 -0500 i have had the same experience as teri Lynn, Please stay away from Talent 2k!! they told me that Dream Works records was interested in my music but in order for the deal to be done by Christmas, they needed an additional $200.00 to shop more labels and speed up the process. Actually Dream Works was never contacted by Talen2k. They just wanted more money!!! also at first i could reach talent2k when ever i needed to but when they got my money they would not answer the phone or reply to my e-mails. Now it seems the only labels that are interested are Sub Tone from Italy, Sonic Wave and Jet Speed. Seems funny how everybody gets the same unheard of labels when the contract is over. i will say i know a person who worked in the A&R department for Jet Speed who signed a band called Jelohm. but tell me who the hell would sign with a record label who has no distribution? the only way you can get jet speed albums is order them from there web site. Jelohm is no longer with Jet Speed because there is no money to be made with a label who has no distribution! Talen2k is a SCAM!!!!! . From: <xxxxxxxx@tampabay.rr.com>
To: songshark@yahoo.com
Subject: About Talent 2K.
Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2001 15:31:22 -0700
Hi, I have some things to say about Talent 2k.
About a year ago (?) I did the current talent2k.com web site. I am a former client of Carlo's, and and unhappy one at that, but it was a site to do. We agreed on $500 for the whole job, a very generous price on my part. I completed the site, $250 was sent to me. I figured I would just put the site up, and he would send the other $250. I put it up, and he changed the password to the site, so he has stolen my work, and has not paid me the rest of the $250. What he does for musicians is questionable, but that is not my place to speak about. I just would like everyone to know that he certainly is not honest. He even has said repeatedly that the money is on the way, given me fake tracking numbers, etc. So, please get the word out.
From: <xxxxxxxxx@hotmail.com>
Subject: I got my groups experience with Talent 2k
Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2001 22:26:27 -0500 This is our story, regardless of what anyone thinks. And if Carlo tries
to say somethin in response to this..."Hey Carlo or Hooman (the industry
giant) how are you guys doin? I'm good and I've made real close friends with
an ASCAP attorney...so don't try to call us out like we're the bad guys!!" ---------------------------------HERE'S THE STORY -----------------------
Here's the story about how this Indiana hip-hop group "Manifest Mercenaries"
got screwed over for money, CD's, and hopes!
March of 2001: I was reading a magazine called "Home Recording" and stumbled
upon an ad for Talent 2K. The ad says, "Looking for a record deal??? Getting
signed is very hard to do. But we will get the record deal you are looking
for! Guaranteed Service." I called the 1-800 number and ordered free
information. Within a few days it arrived and I spoke to the other group
members about it, we decided to send a CD to them for a free review. About
two weeks later, I got a call from Talent 2k saying they liked the music and
promised they could shop the demo and get us a record deal. Now, they had
four programs that we could choose from to get our demo shopped to record
and management companies.
We chose program four: $995.00 which promised 40 submissions to 40 record
labels in the USA & Europe; 40 submissions to 40 top management firms in the
industry, a list of top entertainment attorneys, creation of a biography and
press kit, and a website designed for your project. So, we signed a contract
and a demo shopping agreement.
We sent an extra CD with 20 songs plus two additional songs and $300.00.
This was on April 18, 2001. I received a letter a few days later from Talent
2K saying that Elektra Records wanted to sign acts ASAP!
We waited for everything to kick in and received a call from our agent,
Hooman, saying that Hollywood and Arista Records turned us down but
Dreamworks Records liked our music and there would be another meeting in two
weeks. Two weeks later our agent called to tell us we were one of three
groups to be chosen for a $1.5-2 million dollar recording contract, and in
two weeks another meeting would be held. After two weeks our agent called to
say Dreamworks was having money problems (yeah right!).
I called Talent 2K and got ahold of the President,Carlo, he wanted us to
send the same material we sent previously but to their Chicago office
instead of their Arizona office. Now, the office in Chicago only handles
paperwork, why would we send material to them? He said,"Put ATTN: Mark
Avery, he's got something going with BMG-New York," I didn't send it because
I thought something was wrong with this picture. Hooman and my mother talked
on the phone and she had been nice enough to loan us the $695.00 to pay
Talent 2K off, so that we could be ready to sign contracts or whatever may
happen! Hooman ,then, gave us the number for Tito Batista at Black Rose
Productions. I called and he said he wanted us to showcase for him and some
other people. He gave me the number for Dean at the Broccoli Rabe
Entertainment Complex in New Jersey and told me to book a room! I called
Dean and he said it would be $500.00 to book the room for an hour (what?),
so I told him I would call him back later.
My mother came home and I told her what was happening and she called Tito
and Dean, and again was nice enough to loan us the $500 to book the room.
She knew our music was good and we had a good chance at making something
happen. Now, we got something big going and we started looking for flights
to Newark, NJ. We ordered four plane tickets which came up to about $700,
which my mother decided to loan us again!! My mother also paid for the hotel
rooms, transportation, and some food!!(We got to pay her back) We arrived
Thursday and got situated. Friday was the big day and we wanted to go to the
mall first to check it out. We got there and ate and walked around for a
while, then we called a cab. We waited for about 2 hours just to get a cab,
and it wasn't the first one or the third that I called. We were frustrated
and almost late!! We got to the Complex though!! Now we go into the practice
room because Tito is going to be late, 10:00 rolls around and we're ready
to go. We get up on stage and do our thing and the people are loving it.
Afterwards we go upstairs to have a meeting with Tito and he says he liked
us and wanted to give us a BMG publishing contract. The agreement was for us
to make 10 songs and send them to Tito along with our legal names and he
would take it to different record companies (Cool!). Then we go downstairs
and have a meeting with the owner of the complex, Brian Drago, who wants us
to cut an album with them and a video. He, then, went on to say that the
production team would pay half of $60,000, which leaves us to pay $30,000
(Forget that), we work dead end jobs and we're only teenagers, where do we
get that kind of money??? We had videotaped the showcase and could not wait
to watch it but there were no VCR's in the hotel rooms, so we had to wait
until we got home. Sunday, we came home and I quickly ran upstairs, popped
the tape in and immediately fast forwarded to after the performance. After
we left the room, it got bad! Those people were talking about us bad, saying
we had too much energy!?! What they did not know was that the cameras were
still recording and we got every word on tape. We, eventually, brushed off
what they said and moved on.
A few days after that I got a call from Jetspeed Records regarding our
Talent 2K package. They offered us a contract via e-mail and demanded us to
have an attorney look at it. After we read the contract and talked with
Jetspeed, it basically broke down to them wanting us to pay them money for
their services (Jetspeed wants us on their label and want us to pay?). So, I
check out the Talent 2K website (www.talent2k.com), as I do daily, and found
a link to Center Stage Management in Chicago. They had interviewed Carlo,
Pres. of Talent 2K, and I found an 800 number and gave it a call. I talked
to a guy named Joey, whom I told about everything that happened to us!! He
laughed when I told him what hits we got and he said this rock group named
"Ballyhoo" had got the same hits. Joey said,"many people call here and
complain about Talent 2K." (Now something is getting weird). I called Talent
2K and left a mean message on the answering machine saying:"I am going to
report you guys to the BBB," they are members of the BBB in Illinois, but
their actual office that handles the music is in Arizona (the story's
getting worse).
After Talent 2K called me back, we demanded what we wanted from them and
they replied that they are talking with Interscope/Aftermath Records!! We
are tired of playing games but the contract/agreement says:"if we don't get
you a deal within eight months, we will refund your money in full." So we
just have to stick with it for four more months to get our money back or a
record deal, publishing deal, or movie score. We are currently in the studio
recording our third album as a group and we are planning on selling it in
stores. There's is only one thing that is missing and that is a logo and
record label representation.
Date: Sat, 17 Nov 2001 19:56:37 -0800 (PST)
From: <xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@yahoo.com>
Subject: RE: TALENT2K CARLO ODDO
To: songshark@yahoo.com
DEAR SONG SHARK,
FIRST LET ME THANK YOU FOR OPENING MY EYES!!!
NOW I ALSO HAVE BEEN TAKEN FOR A RIDE BY TALENT2K
AKA:
CARLO ODDO AND HOOMAN KARAMIAN (VICE PRESIDENT). MY
BAND RECENTLY WENT TO NEW JERSEY TO BLACKROSE
PRODUCTIONS, AND WE BLEW THEM AWAY. JUST LIKE THE
OTHER BANDS, WE ALSO PAID TALENT2K A $1000.00 AND
NEVER WAS CONTACTED AGAIN. WE WERE TOLD TO SEND OUR
DEMO AND THE MONEY AND THEY WOULD DO ALL THE WORK.
WELL, THEY GOT THEIR MONEY AND WE HAD TO CALL AND CALL
ALL THE TIME. THEN FINALLY THEY SAID BLACKROSE
PRODUCTIONS OUT OF NEW JERSEY WANTED US FOR A
SHOWCASE. WELL, WE CONTACTED BLACKROSE AND GUESS
WHAT???? WE PAID THEM $500.00 TO DO THE SHOWCASE AND
WE DID. THEN THEY TOLD US "YOU'RE REALLY HOT AND
YOU'LL GO PLACES.", THEN ALL THEY WANTED WAS YOU
GUESSED IT MORE MONEY TRY $60,000.
WHEN WE SAID WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT MUCH MONEY, WELL THE
AMOUNT THEN WENT DOWN TO $20,000.
WHEN WE GOT BACK FROM NEW JERSEY, I CALLED (AGAIN) TO
TALENT2K. BUT WE WERE TOLD THE PRESIDENT AND THE VICE
PRESIDENT WAS NOT IN. LEFT MESSEGE AFTER MESSEGE AND
NO RESPONSE. YOU GOT IT THEY GOT MY MONEY AND BLEW ME
OFF. TALENT2K ALSO TOLD ME THAT JETSPEED RECORDS WAS
INTERESTED IN OUR BAND. SO I CONTACTED THEM ALSO, AND
AGAIN MONEY, MONEY, MONEY. SO DON'T TELL ME TALENT2K,
CARLO ODDO, HOOMAN KARAMIAN, BLACKROSE PRODUCTIONS AND
JETSPEED RECORDS ARE NOT ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. ALL
THEY WANT IS TO PROMISE YOU ALOT OF BIG DREAMS AND
TAKE ALL YOUR MONEY.
I TOO, HAVE CONTACTED A LAWYER AND SO FAR NO ONE KNOW
OF CARLO ODDO AND TALENT2K. SO PLEASE PASS THIS
INFORMATION TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE SEEKING A CAREER
IN MUSIC. STAY AWAY FROM TALENT2K AND ANYTHING THAT
HAS CARLO ODDO'S NAME ON IT. Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2002 13:27:39 EST
Subject: Talent2k
To: songshark@yahoo.com Songshark,
I just want to give you a heads up about Talent2k and Carlo Oddo (the
President of Talent2k...who also advertises in Music Monthly). This
July it will have been two years since I paid him $400.00 to shop my music as a
writer. I sent him 34 CDs and full promo material. As far as I know
he pitched them in the trash.
He will not return my phone calls or emails. On a few occasions I was
able to chat with him on line. He claimed to have things in the works for
me, but never produced anything to me to substantiate his supposed efforts. I
was formerly signed to a small independent label out of NYC (Kept in the
Dark Records from 96-98). I understand the business side of things. Carlo
what very responsive to me prior to getting my check. He had done some work
through a friend of mine and came highly recommended...but no more.
I just want to give you and your readers a heads up that this guy is
bad news...pretty much a crook.
He was copied on this so that maybe he realizes what comes around goes
around and hopefully he'll get his.
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 23:40:22 EST
Subject: talent2000
To: songshark@yahoo.com this company takes your money and gets you a contract from friends of
theirs its not a good deal not one bit .
But thats how they cover theyre asses "told you we would get you a
deal. Its a nice little operation thought out.
Find out how many major labels signed talent 2000 bands
none--THEY PREY ON HUNGRY MUSICIANS desperate
to get signed--- DONT BE FOOLISH STAY CLEAR!!
To: songshark@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 00:35:56 -0800
Subject: Talent2000
From: "Vladislava" My name is Vlada, I am the k-board-player in a techno-metal
group. I wont to talk about Carlo, Talent
2000.
In 1999 we release our first album and Carlo offer the help. We made a
contract, and I pay to him 400$. It is extremely of money for me. He
was suppose to send my demo to a rec.compony. Nothing happened and I ask
him a list of company he send my demo. I did not get it. Then he told
me-some company interesting on me. "Black rose". They said- they love our stuff
and wont us to come to New Jersey for the showcase. Full of hops I went
to New-york.I am in Virginia Beach. Tickets to fly, hotel for 3 days,
taxi from N.York to New Jersey... I so cool rich office,practice
places...Yes,you can tell-it a record-company. The president introduce
me to producer- Brian Drago- president of "Broccoli rabe entertainment
complex,inc"They offered me the record-dial. Black rose will put on it
12000$, I have to come up with 8000$ and producer will give us 80 hours
time on his studio to record full album the will count as 20000$
investment. They prepared for me all kinds of papers,count % AND
ROYALTY.
And sound would be fine if would not One little detail, printed deep
inside of contract: after we finish- I am responsible to pay them all
40000$!!! They say-it O.K.-when I sign the 200000 record-dial that they
will help me to find... it would be ease to pay! I was real mad on
Carlo. I think- they work together and it not about 50 to 100 $ little
things. It about serious crimes! If would I sign this paper I would
have to give this people 8000$ and 40000$.It is not a game anymore! Carlo
told me- I don't have to sign if I don't wont. He find for me something
better. I told Carlo- I am not interesting on recording-contract- I
have
CD recorded. So he find for me distribution."GTH records." 1 year
promotional plan:estimated budget for album-35000$.GTH
estim.co-investment-70%- 24000$, artist inv.-20%-7000$,estimated
recoupment charge- 10%-3500$. 2 year plan- GTH-49000$,
artist-14000$.
You think-it funny? it not! I have all this papers! After this I ask
Carlo return my 400$. And he did not! But my mail was full of all kinds
of offers to send my lyrics,songs,poetry for review,put my music on
sample CD and stuff like it. GTH records, HillTop records, Amerecord,
Statue record send me contract for recording,Hollywood stars music
productions, and all of them ask my money in a some way. If some body
know how to get my money from Carlo- I would be happy to hear! But
allot more fun I would have to see Carlo pay somebody 50000 for moral damage!
Do you wont to heare story about TAXI? Hard to count how much I pay
them! No,I am not thet naive! But you have to do some thing! Cant just sit
home and wait! Music is expansive hobby! Vlada Astral.
| Have a question, comment, or something to add to this site? We want to hear from you! 
BBB
BMI
ASCAP
SESAC |
