Progrock Records

[Bruce]

I'm surprised you were able to even do that much. My understanding was that SG was already wealthy from other business ventures, and if a guy that unethical succeeds, it is often by not leaving anything to chance. To wit, a contract such that if you had tried to sue, you would have found not only that you had signed over everything to him, but that it didn't specify in any meaningful detail what he had to do to fulfill the contract - and thus you had no grounds for suing and could have no grounds for suing. Or, that you were specifically prohibited from filing suit. And all of it written in such dense, prolix, and convoluted legalese that you'd need a very capable and very specialized lawyer to untangle the pages and pages of verbiage and find the parts that could come back to bite you.

He released the CD without a signed contract. And you're correct, his contract was full of exactly the sort of thing you're talking about, which is why we wouldn't sign it. We tried for over a year and a half to come to some agreement with him, which didn't happen. His "wealth" came from pulling this sort of thing on others, including investors in his other ventures. Since he lost he's obviously not quite as bright as he thought.

[Yodelgoat]

Starcastle didn't sue PRR, I did. The other guys were so terrified by Shawn and his very aggressive lawyer that they refused to get involved. .... I should post the entire story on Progressive ears sometime?

Bruce, I would pay money for that story. I was also advised by legal counsel strongly, against suing, or even getting involved with any lawsuit against PRR.

So, is there a possibility that the bankruptcy of CSV could have caused some of your losses? I chalked up most of my problems to that. CSV was perhaps the largest distributor in Europe, and when they went down, they lost lots and lots of inventory. I had somewhere in the neighborhood of 2k disks that CSV had ordered. I'm not defending PRR, but thats what I was told caused all my inventory to disappear.

[Bruce]

Shawn always had a reason that someone else was to blame. If Shawn told you that your losses were due to the collapse of a distributor, I wouldn't believe him. Who was the legal counsel that advised not going after Shawn? Was it Shawn's lawyer? Our trouble with PRR started long before any distributor went under. Shawn was issued a cease and desist in 2008 and after all this time I still see "new" copies of Song of Times being sold around the world. Knowing what this jerk has done not only to my work but to the last work of my best friend is heart breaking.

[Jefferson James]

I can be naive and forget that not everyone is into it for the music.

I've been caught off-guard by the growing trend of being contacted by people offering some kind of promotion scheme or deal -- for a price. Yeah, it's been happening forever but the past few years I've witnessed a sharp uptick.

This seems like such a small scene and yet there are still shysters out there trying to scam cash from every band they can dupe. Usually these folks appear to be big fans and supporters of the genre but when you scratch the surface you realize they are simply out to make a buck. Shows and festivals are avenues to potential income, events to be worked and networked; the music is an afterthought.

I have nothing against making a buck, I am just aghast at the idea of folks masquerading as supporters of the genre trying to milk a little cash from me especially when they are privy to the expenses a typical band incurs.

There is always some starry-eyed band willing to pay for promotional services, a record deal, whatever, and I find it deplorable people like Shawn Gordon are out there exploiting them, all under the guise of being a supporter of the scene.

It's like the upstanding coach the whole town respects, only to find out he's a child molester.

For the vast majority of bands talked about here, there is no money in this.

As for PRR, I was talking with Shawnpaige (pronounced champagne) back in 2009 and he offered me a deal immediately. I was hipped as to how he made money from a band like mine, something about paying the band some cash, say $2,000, upon delivery of the CDs, but PRR keeps all your stock and you never see a penny again. The handful of respectable names associated with PRR lent a false sense of credibility, but the sheer number of bands on the roster put me off. I wondered how PRR could possibly promote all those acts, and if I recall correctly I never saw much promotion from the label except for some posts here, the quarterly "blowout sale!"

I remember talking to Shawnpaige once and mentioning I was a fan of a band signed with PRR; he replied, "Who are they signed with?"

All this said, I have nothing personally against the guy/girl, it's a free country and he/she is free to do whatever floats their boat; however that doesn't excuse his/her deplorable behavior with regard to screwing artists over.

[JKL2000]

This is on his Facebook page:

June 10, 2015 ·

2 1/2 weeks ago I had a heart attack and nearly died. 1 1/2 weeks ago I married my fiance who was also responsible for me not dying. I'd like to simplify my life so we're going to keep these prices low on the site till we sell out of what is left and then wrap things up. Come on by to www.therecordlabel.net and enjoy the savings.

I wonder if his wife knows about Paige? Or if Shawn *IS* his wife!