In such reckoning shall be the revealing of such operations of such syndicates and their trades, such as: "clique" rackets requiring pay-into membership to receive certain services or recognition, contractual bondage, disrespect of earnings, theft of funds and/or artistic freedoms and ideas using diversion, using computated formulas to divert funds from artists and or entities under contract to the contractholders, supporting a pay-for-play racket on public television, radio and media in order to produce a "surreal" industry the music mafia can control and manipulate; inflation of cost to do business for independents, misrepresentation in markets due to such rackets and influence, etc... Even then, We shall bring more.
For We, the Underground, against the music mafia have been ripped off by their corporate tactics, lawyers, and greed. We have been forced to create our own industry, which at the first sign of success the music mafia controlled industries tries to buy-out or squash. Then we have been straight out lied to, stolen from, and done harm to from the tactics of the music mafia. Everything from inflating our costs to function and survive to outright black-listing and extortion. We have been under the rule of the music mafia dominated media as to our degree of exposure and success. This we are no more!
Our forces have been kept poor and downtrodden by the manipulations of the music mafia. From getting paid for our records, getting ripped off by Publishers in league with the music mafia, to being shut out of available avenues of finance. You, the music mafia in league with one another and those in the governments you control, have mis-represented our earnings, air and playtime to benefit your good, not ours, and have used lies and threats to make yourselves look good, and the indies bad.
NOW AGAINST SUCH, WAR IS DECLARED!!!
The United Underground will now prosper even more than it has as a seperate entity from your tactics. We won't play payola, and we will expose your rackets. We shall gain enough power and reason to not need your "mafia" contracts and avenues. We shall fight to keep the Internet free from your racketeering, and own our own radio which will not accept your advertising dollars, or if doing so we hold the price to our standards, not yours. We shall have our own cable and other digital/analog promotional delivery vehicles, such shall be successful even without your blessings.
Our media shall grow stronger, bigger and more effective outside those who do not league with us. Our media will not accept domination by music mafia monies.
We shall get around your concert touring scams by making ourselves the value to the Promoter; and set to expose those ungracious Promoters who do us wrong. We'll have our own plants to produce our music products. We have and shall extend our own avenues of product distribution, marketing and promotions outside your "cliques". We shall live and progress without you. In doing so we shall make it more expensive for you to do business as usual, and to "steal" underground bands and ideas once they're making it or becoming real, and to have people think your corporate pay-for-play is the only game in town. Those who do not respect independent artists, bands, and filmakers shall learn such talents are not dictated on the music mafia's terms, or mis-represented to the public. The Underground shall provide as the War progresses, even more of the originality we do now, and you shall learn from us, and learn to follow, even moreso than you do now. We shall constantly make it a better party, with much better bands. You shall not buy us out anymore!
We are not of violence, lest violence be raised against us. We shall stand and propser as Independent, away from your delusions, rackets and scams. Working with us is not out of the question, but trying to dominate us is fruitless. Our goal is to make you formally agree to fair terms, or take a fair share of your music business.
AS OF JULY 13, 1997 IT IS KNOWN:
The Underground uncover the music mafia industry by bringing to light those things which are done unto us disrespectfully and without cause except for need of greed.. There shall be Justice, as we are in this War to WIN.
