Wer einen Songtext schreibt, dem gehören die Rechte daran und derjenige hat auch das Recht auf Tantiemen – so weit, so gut in der Theorie. In der Praxis scheitert dieses Prinzip jedoch nicht selten. Wie zum Beispiel bei In Flames.
>>> Hört das aktuelle In Flames-Album SIREN CHARMS jetzt bei Juke
Die Band wurde nun von Henke Forss kontaktiert, der auf der 1995er EP SUBTERRANEAN zu hören ist und nun seine Tantiemen einfordern will. Da dies jedoch nicht so leicht durchzusetzen scheint, hat der Sänger seinen kompletten Schriftverkehr mit dem Anwalt der Band, Emil Winkler, via Facebook veröffentlicht (Übersetzung via metalsucks.net):
„I am contacting you on behalf of the Group of In Flames. You contacted [In Flames manager] Andreas Werling in an email on September 18 regarding certain rights to the album Subterranean. It is not clear what rights you refer and I’d love to see you clarify your inquiries regarding the work and the access to these works that you think that you have.“
– „I sang and wrote the lyrics to the album “Subterranean, which stands on the original release. If I remember correctly, it means that I am entitled to mechanical royalties and also replacement for sold phonograms and digital copies (including Spotify, iTunes, etc.) up to three (or five?) years back in time. [That’s] according to STIM, so it should be no problem to add me as the author of the songs I participate in.“
„It is the band’s perception that you are not the author of some of the works in question. This means you are not registered as the author of such works at STIM. I also note that you have never been there.“
– „I am very much author (texts) of the works I listed. It’s no secret. As I said, it is clearly printed on the press of the original album. But if the band claims otherwise, I wonder who [actually is] the author. Have I [misunderstood] in my years as a musician … that the author of the text is not at all the author of the text/work? If so, I owe someone a hefty sum of money.“
„At your exit in the band also ceded any copyrights to the band as well as other former members made. The band’s attitude is that today you do not have any rights in relation to the works that you specify.“
Wenn beide Seiten weiterhin keine Einsicht zeigen, kann man wohl mit einem Verfahren vor Gericht rechnen.
