Theres an interview where Steve Vai (legendary guitarist) sais he once asked Frank Zappa (even more legendary musician) for some words of wisdom on the music business, expecting Zappa to say something like "Just be yourself and do what makes you feel good". Zappa said "Keep your publishing rights." and Vai sais thats the best advice he ever got because it saved him millions.
That was also Prince's whole thing, where he always wanted to control his masters. Even the Beatles ended up getting screwed because MJ ended up buying out their catalogue from under them, now Paul has to pay to perform his own songs.
Zappa was one the most intelligent beings in all of music. It's amazing he performed and released as much albums as he did, while being mostly independent.
Real story, an Argentinian man spent years working on a game, and released it on steam. A company approached him wanting to do a developer edition of the game. He signed over his rights and months later the company went bankrupt. Since he no longer owns the game, and the company no longer exists, he can’t get the rights to his game again. Meaning this game, which is incredibly well made, can never be sold anywhere. The game is called “scratches” and only exists now on pirate sites
Wow it’s been a bit but I have this and played it on stream. It’s the Directors cut edition. Are you saying if I didn’t own it I couldn’t buy it now? From my understanding, there are many games that people have played for old Jen consoles that have gone through the same problem with the publishers, owning the rights and then going defunct. From a legal standpoint while you wouldn’t own the rights, you could theoretically reboot these games and profit off of selling them because if the rights holders don’t have proof that they hold the rights nobody can sue you. Of course if somebody popped up who did have the rights from the company they would be able to take all the money you made just by showing infringement. If I was the Argentinian man responsible for it, I think I would either re-upload it and just sell it again if possible you could change a couple models around and just retitle the game as game mechanics and ideas are very hard to copyright in general.
I think what impressed me about the company, when Thor spoke of it before, was that he returned the contract with all the changes he'd make, and they implemented ALL of them without a fight, and sent it back to him for approval. It's just nice to hear about companies willing from the beginning to work for what's right.
there's a lot of companies in every field that have it written where if you invented anything while you work for that company, at home or at work doesnt matter, they own it. so if you have some amazing invention that makes millions from something you made in your spare time, the company you work for can and likely will go after you for 'their' money
All the more reason for indie games to stay indie, I think. Marketing is hard, but it can be learned. And once you've got a good product to sell, you can put in the work to find the right customers for it.
Yeah they would literally let the industry burn than change that practice, and any hit in revenue would be shifted onto the lower levels of the company in layoffs before it ever reached the upper areas of management. They drink their own flavour-aid and they would see the world end before sharing a dime.
That’s insane too cause why should the publisher own the game forever when they didn’t make the game. They just do marketing and make copies to put in stores for people to buy. Those who make the game should be the ones who own the game since it is their creation.
@@zombieguy224 But we're literally talking about examples where the games are completed independently before the publishes even knew they existed. That's not a commission.
I worked for a pottery company that wanted to take all my ideas forever and wanted to prohibit me from working in a competing business forever. I fucking refused to sign that shit b
Welcome to the music industry. One of many problems that lef to current state of music. (Imo less creative amd individual"voices" out there. No albums only singles and less big vision type projects. Because that doesn't make money. Thats my opinion. Good muaic exists but it just iant the same at the top. You hwve to dig to find "artists who wpuld still make the muaic even if it didnt make money" type) Regardless the publishers help.contribute to thia as the artists loat the rights.
@@tylerfred7514 very true, hell the whole reason publishing rights and the rights system was developed in music was so that white owned record companies/ Sheet music producers, could steal from black musicians who were performing and often writing the songs.
Theres an interview where Steve Vai (legendary guitarist) sais he once asked Frank Zappa (even more legendary musician) for some words of wisdom on the music business, expecting Zappa to say something like "Just be yourself and do what makes you feel good". Zappa said "Keep your publishing rights." and Vai sais thats the best advice he ever got because it saved him millions.
That was also Prince's whole thing, where he always wanted to control his masters. Even the Beatles ended up getting screwed because MJ ended up buying out their catalogue from under them, now Paul has to pay to perform his own songs.
@@maluse227 I had no idea! Thats super interesting!
Theres an update to this story, back in about 2017 Paul is now getting back the rights to the beatles catologue @maluse227
Steve Vai is god.
I once was a shitty guitar player with a Jem7v
Now I am an ex shitty guitarist without a jem7v but with a Gemini pedal somewhere
Zappa was one the most intelligent beings in all of music. It's amazing he performed and released as much albums as he did, while being mostly independent.
Real story, an Argentinian man spent years working on a game, and released it on steam. A company approached him wanting to do a developer edition of the game. He signed over his rights and months later the company went bankrupt. Since he no longer owns the game, and the company no longer exists, he can’t get the rights to his game again. Meaning this game, which is incredibly well made, can never be sold anywhere. The game is called “scratches” and only exists now on pirate sites
Wow it’s been a bit but I have this and played it on stream. It’s the Directors cut edition. Are you saying if I didn’t own it I couldn’t buy it now?
From my understanding, there are many games that people have played for old Jen consoles that have gone through the same problem with the publishers, owning the rights and then going defunct. From a legal standpoint while you wouldn’t own the rights, you could theoretically reboot these games and profit off of selling them because if the rights holders don’t have proof that they hold the rights nobody can sue you. Of course if somebody popped up who did have the rights from the company they would be able to take all the money you made just by showing infringement. If I was the Argentinian man responsible for it, I think I would either re-upload it and just sell it again if possible you could change a couple models around and just retitle the game as game mechanics and ideas are very hard to copyright in general.
Feels like we need new laws for what happens to ip and such owned by bankrupt companies.
Liquidators should sell off all assets and the shareholders get paid for it. There's probably some way to buy the rights back.
@@woobilicious.
Big financial entities love to gobble up things like IP and stuff and sit on them forever.
What company did he work with?
I think what impressed me about the company, when Thor spoke of it before, was that he returned the contract with all the changes he'd make, and they implemented ALL of them without a fight, and sent it back to him for approval.
It's just nice to hear about companies willing from the beginning to work for what's right.
I'm gonna end up watching this whole podcast through shorts
Bro fr lol
I already did xd
there's a lot of companies in every field that have it written where if you invented anything while you work for that company, at home or at work doesnt matter, they own it. so if you have some amazing invention that makes millions from something you made in your spare time, the company you work for can and likely will go after you for 'their' money
All the more reason for indie games to stay indie, I think. Marketing is hard, but it can be learned. And once you've got a good product to sell, you can put in the work to find the right customers for it.
We as consumers should stop supporting those companies unless they change this practice. We can send a loud and clear message with our money.
hard to know which companies do this, since often these kinds of contracts cant even be spoken of, but I do agree
Yeah they would literally let the industry burn than change that practice, and any hit in revenue would be shifted onto the lower levels of the company in layoffs before it ever reached the upper areas of management. They drink their own flavour-aid and they would see the world end before sharing a dime.
most of the market is kids so thatll never happen
We are NOT _consumers._ we are _CUSTOMERS._
The problem is that the _consumers_ outnumber us 100 to 1. Our voices are not loud enough.
Worked with Bud light
this applies to more than just games
That’s insane too cause why should the publisher own the game forever when they didn’t make the game. They just do marketing and make copies to put in stores for people to buy. Those who make the game should be the ones who own the game since it is their creation.
Because they’re the ones who commissioned and paid for the game?
@@zombieguy224 no. The answer is "because it was in the contract you signed."
@@zombieguy224 But we're literally talking about examples where the games are completed independently before the publishes even knew they existed. That's not a commission.
I love these shorts man
I don't care if I literally had every single publisher but one interested in publishing my game, if I have to sign over my IP we do not have a deal.
Looking at Ubisoft, EA, Activision, Sony...the list goes on...
That guy is so sharp.
I worked for a pottery company that wanted to take all my ideas forever and wanted to prohibit me from working in a competing business forever. I fucking refused to sign that shit b
Don't marry the Vampire!
Its what killed KSP...
Welcome to the music industry. One of many problems that lef to current state of music. (Imo less creative amd individual"voices" out there. No albums only singles and less big vision type projects. Because that doesn't make money. Thats my opinion. Good muaic exists but it just iant the same at the top. You hwve to dig to find "artists who wpuld still make the muaic even if it didnt make money" type)
Regardless the publishers help.contribute to thia as the artists loat the rights.
To be clear it's very multifaceted but video game industry sounds exactly like the muaic industry years ago
@@tylerfred7514 very true, hell the whole reason publishing rights and the rights system was developed in music was so that white owned record companies/ Sheet music producers, could steal from black musicians who were performing and often writing the songs.
I wonder if you plaigarize your own previous work you could sue the company
So many fuckin hoops I hate business
Is the god of war one of those games?
This sounds similar to itchio's.
Names
When the only people u know r fellow twitch streamers lol