#Solomon linda wimoweh series#
#Solomon linda wimoweh tv#

He walked out of that session with about ten shillings in his pocket, and the music thereafter belonged to the record company, with no further obligations to anyone. Solomon Linda didnвЂ™t even get a contract. No one got royalties, and copyright was unknown. At the time, Johannesburg was a hick mining town where music deals were concluded according to trading principles as old as Moses: record companies bought recordings for whatever they thought the music might be worth in the marketplace stars generally got several guineas for a session, unknowns got almost nothing. The story begins in 1939, when Solomon Linda was visited by angels in AfricaвЂ™s only recording studio. When вЂњMbubeвЂќ became a local hit вЂ¦ all Solomon Linda got was a menial job at the bossвЂ™s packing plant, where he worked for the rest of his days. But IвЂ™d come a long way, so I kept looking and, eventually, figured some of it out. I wandered into BillboardВ magazine, where a veteran journalist warned that I was wasting my time trying to find out what any song had ever earned and where the money had gone. I called music lawyers and record companies, angling for appointments that failed to materialize. So there I was in New York, with no one to talk to.

By the time IвЂ™d recovered, Larry had changed his mind and retreated into the labyrinth of his voicemail system, from which he would not emerge. I was hoping Larry would give me a formal interview on the subject, but first I had to get some sleep. And finally, there were some elliptical remarks about Solomon Linda, and TROвЂ™s noble attempts to make sure that he received his just dues. There was a story about the hospital in India, to which the Richmonds made generous donations. There were stories about Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, the famous radical troubadours in TROвЂ™s stable. We drank coffee and talked for an hour or two, mostly about social justice and TROвЂ™s commitment to the same. Larry Richmond was an amiable bloke in an open-necked shirt and beige slacks.

#Solomon linda wimoweh tv#

By 1999, TRO was little more than a crypt for fabulously valuable old copyrights, manned by a skeleton crew that licenses old songs for TV commercials or movies. In its heyday, TRO was a music publishing empire that spanned the globe, but it was forced into decline by the Seventies advent of savvy rock & roll accountants who advised clients to publish themselves, which was fairly easy and doubled oneвЂ™s songwriting income, given that old-style publishers generally claimed fifty percent of royalties for their services. At the same time, salesmen would be flogging the sheet music, while bean counters in the back office collected royalties and kept an eye out for unauthorized versions. Then heвЂ™d send song pluggers out to place the tunes with stars whose recordings would generate income for the composer and the publisher, too. If he liked the songs, heвЂ™d sign вЂ™em up, transcribe вЂ™em and secure a copyright. Back in the вЂ™40s, when TRO was young, eager songwriters streamed in here to audition their wares for LarryвЂ™s dad, Howie, the firmвЂ™s founder.

The dusty old guitar in the waiting room was a relic of a long-gone era. I wanted to hear everything, but we were on opposite sides of the planet, so I said, вЂњHold it right there, IвЂ™m coming to see you.вЂќ I hung up, started packing and a few days later, I walked into TROвЂ™s HQ, a strangely quiet suite of offices in Manhattan. in Johannesburg, and Larry was telling me about his companyвЂ™s вЂњwonderful effortsвЂќ to make sure that justice was done to Solomon Linda. вЂњIt was a wonderful experience,вЂќ said Larry Richmond, hereditary present of The Richmond Organization. Solomon LindaвЂ™s heirs have fared better in recent years as their story has been more publicly told. ItвЂ™s a tale that has been oft-told in the biz of music.

While there is no evidence of criminal activity, a lot of their behavior could be characterized as unfair or exploitive. Instead, the money went to music industry professionals who understand the rules of music publishing. His heirs, similarly, received only tiny fractions of what was fairly due. Summarizing for the non-readers, The Lion King song, originated by Solomon Linda has generated many royalties over the years, none of which found their way to him. It appears in its entirety, because itвЂ™s an excellent piece of journalism that provides fascinating insight into the mechanics of the music industry.

#Solomon linda wimoweh series#

[ This is Part III of as series based on a story written by Rian Milan the appeared in the issue of Rolling Stone Magazine.Д®ditorвЂ™s note: This is a much longer than usual post for Silverback Digest, and most people probably are not interested enough to read the whole piece.