Well, well... Mr. Orford

This post deserves a full coverage, that's why we are writing in english. Recently, a SS member, namely, Danda, sent an e-mail to Martin Orford. This guy was, untill last year, simply the keyboardist since 1983 from one of the greatest neo progressive band from England called IQ. The content speaks for itself. We have already been through this discussion and in matter of fact that's not the point here, though we can afford it pretty well if someone desires.

Click the image to enlarge and read the "no thanks to" part.

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Date: 2009/9/15
Subject: Fan from Brazil! (please read my email)
To: gepuk@msn.com

Hello, Mr.Orford,

First I must say that I'm a big fan, I really admire your work. The Old Road is great!

Second, I'd like to say that I got really disappointed with the words you mentioned on the Old Road cover, in the part “no thanks to”. I was offended when I saw one of my idols saying that people who download or upload music on the web don’t deserve “thanks”. Just so you know, if wasn’t for people uploading this material on the web I would’ve never known your music (or IQ, or a thousand other bands). I live in a country called Brazil, this kind of music simply doesn’t get here by any means, and there are a few stores that sell imported records here, none of them in my city (the one stored that sold this kind of stuff doesnt exist no more). To download things from the web it’s the only way I can get to know new bands. Thanks to people who upload this stuff to the web I can now buy the original versions that I liked the most from foreign websites, like my recently purchased IQ – Subterranea Live dvd, that I bought from Amazon. And I need to carefully choose which ones I’m gonna buy, because when I buy something imported I have to pay, at least, 2 times what it costs because of taxes and currency differences. What costs 10 pounds for you to buy I pay the equivalent to 50 US dollars.

What you are saying basically is that I’m not entitled to hear new albums because I don’t have the money to buy them… Yeah, that sounds a really “pro-culture attitude”. The Old Road I got here is downloaded, but after your words I’m not really sure if it is worth to buy the original version.

I hope you re-think your attitude because I’m a huge fan, and I wouldn’t like to be disappointed by people that I so much admire.

Cheers,

Danda

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From: Martin Orford <gepuk@msn.com>
Date: 2009/9/15

Subject: Re: Fan from Brazil! (please read my email)

Hi Danda

Illegal downloading might be good for you, but it is not good for me. In fact it has completely destroyed my musical career and I will not be making any more albums in the future because I simply can't afford to. I am now unemployed and living on welfare benefits so I have every right to be angry with the people and the Internet "culture" which has robbed me of the opportunity to make an honest (and never well-paid) living.

Having run GEP Records single-handed for many years I have now been forced to give that up as there is no money left to pay me even a very small wage for running the label. CD sales (which used to pay for new albums to be made) have dropped by about 80% in the last 3 years, and unsurprisingly most of the main distributors like Pinnacle and SPV (who not only sold CDs but also legal downloads) have gone out of business in the last 9 months. In my opinion this is entirely caused by illegal downloading and it really doesn't matter to me if people wouldn't have heard my music without resorting to Torrent sites. I'd rather have one fan who pays for their music than 100,000 who don't.

Making albums is very expensive and fans who don't buy anything are no use at all, and if that offends you, then too bad. I absolutely 100% don't think you have the right to hear albums if you're not prepared to pay for them, the same way that I don't have the right to walk into a shop and take something off the shelf without paying. It's no good playing the "poverty card" with me because I'm poor too!

If you are disappointed with my attitude then don't download my albums anymore - I shan't lose any sleep over that.

Martin Orford

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Oh, I won't even respond to your words. But you can be sure that I won't download or buy ANYTHING from an ignorant person like you.

Good luck.

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Good, suits me fine. People like you disgust me.

Martin Orford