- Funk legend Nile Rodgers, a frequent user of Twitter, has spent the past few weeks talking about his ongoing process to locate and catalogue the many demo tapes he's found over the years. While a firm release plan has yet to be implemented, I'm getting the impression he's going to release some of them for free. So if you do that whole Twitter thing, follow him so you can get the scoop when it happens. (Of course I'll be posting when anything is released, too.)
- This isn't particularly release-related, but it was too odd not to share: '80s hitmakers Men at Work have been found guilty in an Australian court of borrowing a "substantial part" of the children's tune "Kookaburra" in their hit "Down Under." While I can't deny that the song is more or less there (listen closely to the flute line), the suit was only introduced in 2007. Had nobody in Australia noticed beforehand?
News Roundup: Demos C'est Chic, Paying Up in a Land Down Under
Mike Duquette
Mike Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he was a teenager. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, holding positions at Legacy Recordings and Rhino Records and contributing to Allmusic, Discogs, City Pages, Ultimate Classic Rock and Mondo Records, for whom he penned liner notes for his favorite piece of music: John Williams' Oscar-winning score to 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.' Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with his wife, a cat named Ravioli, twin daughters and a large yet tasteful collection of music.
Back Tracks: Men at Work
Yet another song that you don't know is copyrighted until you get sued for it... "Happy Birthday" being the best-known example.