To All of the Men and Women in Uniform, Fans, Followers, and Supporters:
First, I would like to thank you all for your continued interest and support of my music. As some of you may know, the release of my fourth single (Dawgs of War) was met with unforeseen challenges, so I thought I’d explain.
I initially made the decision to try a new distributor (TuneCore) for the release of my new single, “Dawgs of War”. However, they decided not to release the single stating, “Your release has been temporarily blocked in our front end review process. It appears that you are using the mastered instrumentals for these tracks (ie from the original artists' versions).” I proceeded to reply with a lengthy response stating that I was indeed the originator of everything dealing with the track, from the composition, to the lyrics, and the art work. I provided the corresponding Copyright Identification Numbers for the song as well as the backstory of how it came about and still, they decided not to release the track. In fact, the Review Team still hasn’t responded to my email and it’s been over three weeks now! In any event, I was forced to go back to my original distributor (DistroKid) which resulted in a three-week delay of the song being released.
Now, I bring this incident to your attention for a few reasons. The first being to provide you all with an explanation as to why this particular song was delayed in its release and secondly, to shed light on TuneCore’s fraudulent and discriminating practices.
Being that this was my first time utilizing their services, I can only conclude that the cause for their irrational decision was based upon one of two things; either this is a common practice of theirs, as it is an easy way for them to rob unsuspecting artists while making it sound legitimate, or they hold anti-military views – both of which are reprehensible! I say this because as I stated earlier, this was my first time utilizing their services. As such, there was no history of “bad blood” between us. Likewise, there was no reason for them to have ill-will towards me, and vice versa. Having disdain for the song itself is an unlikely reason as I’m sure they hear music every day that they don’t necessarily like, but still choose to release for obvious reasons. To add to that point, the song is positive in nature as it promotes comradery, will, determination, and perseverance. On top of that, there’s no profanity in the song! I would argue that the message alone makes it hard for anyone to dislike!
In my response, I expressed to the Review Team that their worries of potential copyright infringement on my behalf were unnecessary given the fact that the song was undergoing evaluation by the United States Copyright Office (USCO). As such, they should be the determining factor, not TuneCore. This point has since been proven given the fact that DistroKid released the song without mentioning anything of the sort. Additionally, I’ve received copyright certification letters from the Copyright Office for the song in question which further cements the fact that their decision was completely unwarranted.
Since it is said that there are three sides to every story – in this case mines, theirs, and the truth, I thought I would bring the situation to light and let you all be the judge. As such, below you will find all of the correspondence between the TuneCore Content Review Team and myself. If you feel up to it, I ask that you read it in its entirety. Then listen to the song so that you can decide for yourself if their actions were indeed warranted or not. Should you reach the same conclusion I did, feel free to use the email links provided in their correspondence to drop them a line or two because as service men, women and family members, I feel that you all have just as much stake in this as I do. In millions of households around the country (and globe for that matter), it goes without saying that people are connected to the military in some way, shape, form or fashion. Whether it be through a spouse, family member, neighbor, or friend, we all know someone who has served, or is currently serving in the military. So by refusing to release this song for the vaguest of reasons, they not only spat in my face as a military veteran, but bigger picture, they essentially did the same thing to anyone who may be affected by this song! Keeping that in mind, the following is everything that transpired with TuneCore regarding the release of my single, “Dawgs of War” verbatim:
TuneCore Review Team:
Hello Thomas C. Tucker Jr.,
Thank you for choosing TuneCore to distribute:
Dawgs of War
Krydi
Your release has been temporarily blocked in our front end review process. It appears that you are using the mastered instrumentals for these tracks (ie from the original artists' versions). Any time you sample any part of a recording you did not record yourself, you MUST have a license from the owner of that original recording. You cannot distribute any content through TuneCore that you do not hold 100% distribution rights for.
If these recordings do not sample the original master recordings, could you please confirm they are licensed recreations?
As a reminder, by agreeing to the TuneCore Terms and Conditions, you have: (a) legally represented to TuneCore that you control or have obtained all rights required to exploit the Recordings (including the art/images you associate with such Recordings); (b) agreed that we may, in our sole discretion, disable access to any master recordings or other materials with respect to which we receive a complaint; and (c) agreed that we shall have the right to deduct from your account or charge your credit card a minimum of $300 to offset the costs of associated legal fees, if necessary, and also deduct any and all revenues from your account which are received in connection with Recordings if we believe, in our good faith discretion, such Recordings violate the TuneCore Terms and Conditions.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
TuneCore Content Review Team
contentreview@tunecore.com
www.tunecore.com
Krydi-Cal Team:
To The TuneCore Content Review Team,
Yes I do have questions...The main one being, what is meant by your statement, "It appears that you are using the mastered instrumentals for these tracks (ie from the original artists' versions)"? I am the creator of everything you hear in the song! It is indeed original content created by me and me alone. I composed the beat. I wrote the intro. I wrote the outro. And of course I wrote the lyrics. If you pay attention to the lyrics in the second verse, it is about my personal experiences while going through basic training. If it's the chorus you may be referring to, I wrote that as well...back in 1997! So, if there is another song out in the world that sounds like this, they owe me (not the other way around)! If you'd like to know the story behind it, I'm willing to provide that as well.
While stationed in Fort Knox, KY, in 1997, I was assigned to Delta Company 2/46 Infantry Battalion as part of my Basic Training. It was there where my drill sergeant queried my platoon asking the question, "Who here thinks they can rap?" to which I responded by raising my hand. I was then pulled aside and instructed to come up with a cadence "dissing" the other platoons. The chorus heard in the song is exactly what I created. Given the fact that Delta Company was referred to as "Delta Dogs", each "dog" name referenced in the song represents the name of one of the platoons (i.e., Big Dogs, Mad Dogs, Devil Dogs. -Of course, my platoon was called the Dawgs of War).
So once again, everything you hear is in this song entirely conceived by me with the exception of the end of the intro as that was a line our drill sergeant had us recite whenever he called us "men". For example, if our drill sergeant said, "Good night men." as he departed the barracks for the day, we were to recite the following:
Men, we're not men. We're animals! And you made us this way!
We don't walk. We don't talk. And we don't stumble in the night!
All we do is dress-right-dress, and kill, kill, kill - Drill Sergeant!
Lastly, because I do own my own music company, everything dealing with this song has been submitted to the United States Copyright Office. That includes the composition (ID Number: 1-11457682611), the cover art (ID Number: 1-11457739959), and the lyrics (ID Number 1-11470520521) and if they have no issues with copyright infringement, you shouldn't either.
As you may be aware, this is the first time I am attempting to use your service and while I understand you may be looking out for my best interest, this is not my first rodeo and I am well represented. If the information disseminated in this email is not enough to suffice your concerns, please know that I will be looking to receive a refund and I will simply use another distributor. As I alluded to earlier, there are systems and entities in place of which I am well aware that are designed to address the very issues and concerns brought up in your email. If everyone does their job, I'm convinced it'll all work out for the best in the end. But as I see it currently, I paid you to perform a service and at the moment, that service has not been rendered which technically constitutes fraud.
With that said, I'm sure an amicable resolution can be reached once greater clarification is provided on the matter.
Thank you in advance for your time and quick response.
The Krydi-Cal Team
And there you have it. By the way, I think it’s worth mentioning again that I haven’t heard anything from them since, and given the fact that the email links provided in their correspondence are the only ways to contact them, I imagine that’s exactly how they planned it. In any event, you are now completely abreast of the situation. So like I said earlier, if you feel compelled to say something, by all means, go right ahead. And if you side with TuneCore on the matter, I respect your decision just the same and I thank you for at least taking the time to read this.
In closing, I’d like to say that I truly mean it when I say this song is dedicated to “every soldier that ever graced this planet – past, present, and future”. As a military veteran, I know what it’s like to try to maintain a “normal” lifestyle between all of the field problems, deployments, and time spent away from family and friends. And though I never got called to go to war, I've lost friends because of it. I know people today who “jump” at the sound of a loud bang, or who, when after returning from a tour in Iraq, had to sleep in separate beds from their spouses for a time for fear of choking them in their sleep. I know people who received and sustained long-term injuries as a result of their military service. And I know people who paid the ultimate sacrifice. The people at TuneCore don’t know those stories, nor do they care to. Their actions made that abundantly clear. But I do, which is why I made this song. I want EVERY SOLDIER to know that the sacrifices you make on a daily basis do not, and will not go unnoticed! You are appreciated! You are appreciated! YOU ARE APPRECIATED! No one’s going to stop me from delivering that message!
And lastly, to TuneCore – all I have to say is…they should know who rocks this place – Anytime the Dawgs of War get all up in yo’ face! Wruff!