FANGS FOR NOTHING, FRANK - nypost.com — Page 2

Disgusting. While it is his music, this is such a slap in the face to the cast. And go Raul!

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WOSQ, in that email, Wildhorn states that he could not find an outside company willing to record it, so he's spending his personal money to do the CD.

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"It's a BUSINESS, and in no other business do employees feel entitled to things like they do in show business."

Really? How long have you been in the working sector? I don't think Show Business is the one to compare entitlement to.

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Age needn't be a determining factor for how long you've been in the work environment

My point is, that employees in just about every work place feel they are entitled to many things. That was my one and only point.

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All I'll add now is that this could/would set a scary precedent for the future of cast recordings....

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What a greedy, cheap b*stard! First, he adapts only public domain works so he doesn't have to pay any fees for them, then he screws the Broadway cast over because he doesn't want to pay their fees! I believe he owes the cast something for having to perform his drivel every night. God knows he can probably afford the $500k to pay for it, but won't.

Now that he's screwed over his cast and producers, maybe this will mean his work will never see the light of Broadway again. Hopefully.

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What I want to know is do you think this will hurt his chances for a Best Score Tony? Hmmmm, perhaps.

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Good grief, what a story.

WOSQ, original cast recordings of Broadway musicals don't always fall under the category of "Grand Rights."

I believe that every show has it's own contractual nuances, but Whildhorn is probably operating from the understanding of the music industry's version, which are known as "Mechanical Rights." Mechanical rights protect a composer from having his songs recorded THE FIRST TIME only. Once a song has been recorded, by anyone, everyone else in the world is free to record it. They have to pay royalties to ASCAP or BMI or SESAC, but they don't need permission to record the song, providing that it has been recorded once. However, a composer owns the mechanical rights to any composition he has written, and he or she has the final say regarding who records those songs initially.

As Whildhorn is from the music industry, he might be trying to play by those rules, as that's what he knows. In the music industry, the composer of songs always gets financial renumeration for his work. The singer on a record doesn't get royalties; but the composer always does. Wildhorn has made a fortune from "This is the Moment," because every time some television network airs it for a figure skater, he gets money.

Which brings up the real nasty thing, if this story is true. Wildhorn will always get financial renumeration from DRACULA once it has been recorded. Actors never get a penny from a cast recording's royalties, other than their initial recording session fees. Actor's Equity has very stringent policies regarding the recordings of Broadway shows, and Wildhorn will be screwed if he did what that article implied that he did.

It's fine for him to put up his own money to record his show. But he cannot use his actors without paying them the Equity salary for recording a cast album. Nor should he. He has the potential of making money from the venture; the actors do not.

Blame the union. Frank Wildhorn tried to go about getting the recording produced with the original cast, but because of the union rules about pay, cost-conscious record labels said no. I find it hard to blame the record labels for doing so. I also find it hard to blame Frank Wildhorn for coming up with a pretty creative alternative (and the funding) to create a concept recording with a cast of his choosing avoiding prohibitive payroll. You see, the union has an all or nothing attitude. Either you do things their way, or you don't do them at all. Frank Wildhorn wanted very much to use the original cast which is why he tried to sign a deal for an original recording using the original cast. (As an aside, it's not any kind of an inherent right that once an actor is cast in a show that he/she automatically gets to do the recording, unless it is specified in one's contract -- look at the recording for "Rags" for example which was made without the original leading lady). It's Frank's music, and he and his fans want an album, and if the show is ever to make money it will need an album to draw attention to it so regional theaters can become attracted to it. I realize this is emotional for the cast, and they understandably feel excluded, but the real road block for the original cast album is the union. Wildhorn is not the villan, he's doing the best he can

Sorry, it's not a 'concept' recording. That's ridiculous. A 'concept' recording, at least as it has always been, is a recording of music theatre that has yet to find a production. Am I wrong on this? If so, I apologize, but I have a hard time swallowing this as a 'concept' recording.

Blame the Unions? Oh yes...are you f*cking kidding me??? People stand to make quite a bit of money off this recording, except the performers. They get about a week's salaray, maybe two. No a particularly grand sum.

It is appalling that he started this process without telling the cast. That's just bad form. And is 19 weeks REALLY that long to wait? They did it for AMOUR, didn't they?

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VeuveClicquot

re: Michael Riedel. Did you read the full article? He has quotes from the union, Frank, etc. Doesn't sound like he's making this up...

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19 weeks after Jan 2nd, he can use the original cast without having to paying their Equity salaries. but why do that when we can have a DREAM cast record the songs and then even get to include songs that the producers shucked out of the version on Broadway? Personally, I'd much prefer a concept album so we can have an official recording of "The Invitation" and other songs that didn't make it into the show as it is. the original cast members are not entitled to perform on any cast recording unless it was stated so in their contracts, right? and it probably wasn't. So they're screwed. the end. now gimmie the damn CD.

Updated On: 12/15/04 at 07:30 PM

Wildhorn is fighting for his life.

The critics are openly hostile to him & will never give any of his shows reviews that would allow a long run. There was no cast recording of Civil War . I was unaware of the tremendous costs entailed with making a cast album & I see why many shows go unrecorded

The man is protecting his future . His music is his only asset & I do not blame him for what he is doing. The restrictive union rules seem to be the problem. If the union would give a waiver, maybe he could use the original cast. He has an upcoming tour so he needs the recording now. What is he supposed to do?

I want to hear the music. I would prefer the OBC but if that is not feasible & would stop a recording from being made, use the other cast

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