Apparently the injunction TVT had against Vagrant Records, keeping them from manufacturing on projects that started under their contract with Vagrant, but were going to be pimped and fluffed by Interscope, has either been settled or expired, because the Hey Mercedes album is in production and is adhering to the original release date (By the way, bomb choice of a cover guys… someone running through a field? I think we saw that on the Saves The Day record already. And come to think of it I think those 6 post-Braid-breakup releases were more than our stomachs could handle guys, thanks, you can stop now). A couple of the other bands are all bummed because it's coming to light that even a 4000$+/month Vagrant publicity campaign can't cover the stink of the shit storm that currently surrounds the label. Certain bands have already made moves to sever their management deal with the label, and must certainly be bummed by realizing for example that they’ve only actually sold 20,000 records - a mere 2,000 more than they did for a previous “smaller” label. They are also likely bummed to find out Soundscaning 48,000 doesn’t mean you actually sold 48,000. We won’t even get into the Soundscan fraud stuff Vagrant is guilty of. But we guess that’s what big time “punk rock” managers are supposed to do huh? It doesn’t help that a certain band has to recoup an estimated 100 grand that Vagrant spent trying to turn them into Blink 183 so far. In the meantime, Vagrant is still sniffing for a deal with a major, among the labels they are sending boxes full of their releases to is Dreamworks. Good luck dudes… better yet, good luck to all the naïve bands on your label you are fucking in the ass. At least a couple bands on the label are smart enough to realize their rectum is indeed bleeding. Perhaps we’d go a little easier on Vagrant if they not only talked the talk, but walked the walk as well. Bragging to huge corporate rock magazines about how much money you make while still being “indie” and “punk” and then deciding not to pay the people who help you sell the records is super weak.

This originally was posted on both the formerly offical Alkaline Trio message board and the Vagrant.com message board:

THIS IS AN EMAIL FROM RICHTO SKIBA READ ON.
>From: HARD8MGT@aol.com
> >Date: Tuesday, October 16, 2001 12:24 PM
> >To: MattSkiba@aol.com, Airick72@aol.com
> >Subject: Vagrant
> >
> >Matt
> >
> >I wasn't going to send this letter, but after
> reading the completely
> >fictional write up on Buddyhead yesterday, I
> figured, what the hell, I am
> >going to tell you exactly how I feel.
> >
> >While I'm still just as sick/hurt over the whole
> thing and really can't put
> >it into words, I've had to face the hard cold
> reality, which is that I am
> >going to lose one of my favorite bands and what i
> thought was a good friend.
> >I'll deal with it i guess. But like i said, I can
> rest knowing that i did
> >everything and more than i ever promised you, and
> certainly more than anyone
> >else has in the past or Fat will in the future. But
> whatever, you will find
> >out for yourself.
> >
> >You say this isn't about money yet, this is the
> first time you ever
> >complained about making "too much" money....
> >
> >On your first high profile headlining tour of real
> clubs I got you b/t
> >1500--5000K per night (up from $400 per night).
> >
> >---I built a support package around you that
> assured you sold out venues
> >(none of the bands you had the courtesy to tip out
> by the way and they all
> >made comments about it). I put you on a bus (that
> you asked for) time and
> >time again (NON RECOUPABLE).
> >
> >---I tripled the recording & advance monies when
> your managers asked. I WAY
> >over spent on TV commercials, videos, tour support,
> etc. Why? Not to sell 5
> >times more than your last record in 1/5 of the
> time--which we have--but
> >because I love your band and there was nothing I
> wouldn't have done for you.
> >All I cared about was making you happy.
> >
> >Since I met you, you've
> >
> >fired 2 managers (one of which you called "a
> brother" the other, me, you
> >called a "member of the band")
> >
> >a booking agent (another "brother"--i promptly got
> you another agent)
> >
> >two drummers (i got you 3 replacements)
> >
> >tried to get me to drop Dashboard Confessional
> because you "just don't like
> >him"
> >
> >a publicist that you INSISTED come with you to
> Vagrant and i pay for (which
> >I
> >agreed to do even though she sucks and is a back
> stabbing scenester. When
> >you
> >fired her I got you the best publicist in the
> business) a business manager,
> >etc. etc.
> >
> >so I guess I'm not THAT surprised now that me and
> Vagrant are getting the
> >Skiba hatchet job.
> >
> >I am sorry if I don't fit into the Punk Rock elite,
> or act the way that is
> >considered "cool" by Fat Mike and Erin, (and that
> has EVERYTHING to do with
> >Face To Face---a band that helped put Fat AND
> Alkaline Trio on the map). I
> >am
> >sorry if Hopeless Records or Jessica Hopper think I
> am Satan because I won't
> >let them walk all over my bands.
> >
> >Actually, I am not sorry, I'll wear it as a badge
> of honor. Nobody ever
> >handed me anything in this scene (or in this world)
> my parents aren't
> >Beverly
> >Hills millionaires
> >(like Fat Mike's). Everything I've achieved has
> been by treating my bands
> >with the utmost respect and making sure they are
> taken care of before I am.
> >I
> >have never forced, or even suggested a producer, I
> never showed up at the
> >studio to give my opinion, I let you do what you do
> best...make art.
> >
> >Name me another label who would spend 500K in non
> recoupable money to pay
> >all
> >expenses for a summer tour and put everyone on
> buses while still paying them
> >headlining money. You can't because it has never
> been done before we did it.
> >
> >I don't act punk rock on the one hand and then
> screw bands over "in the name
> >of the scene." Fuck that. (Ask Fat Mike about
> paying Face To Face $50 per
> >night to open for NOFX and then taking that away
> from them when he realized
> >they were doing well in merch. Or trying to buy the
> gawdawful Mad Caddies on
> >to the Face To Face tour by offering to increase
> their royalty rate on Don't
> >Turn Away--ps Alkaline Trio got that tour instead)
> >
> >My single goal is to make sure that the bands that
> I work with are able to
> >make a living off of making music. I have aligned
> myself with two of the
> >most
> >slagged bands in punk rock---Face To Face and the
> Get Up Kids. You know how
> >much shit they get and why? Because they do it
> THEIR way, they don't follow
> >the bullshit rules laid down by the "scene". So by
> default I get lumped into
> >that. And you know what Matt? I couldn't be more
> proud to be associated with
> >those two bands. They are the most loyal, talented,
> hardworking friends I
> >have ever worked with. In the combined 10 years
> I've been working with them
> >we have had a couple communication breakdowns and
> you know what we did? We
> >talked about it and worked it out because our
> relationship is based on
> >trust.
> >
> >Do you have any idea how much money in commissions
> I have defered so that
> >you
> >and my other clients could put it into your pocket?
> Do you even care? Lets
> >just say its more than $75,000 this year alone. In
> addition, I haven't taken
> >a paycheck from Vagrant in more than 6 months.
> >
> >Frankly, I think the statement you made that "dark
> days are ahead for the
> >label" is a cop out. And if you truly feel that
> way, I want to thank you
> >for
> >bailing out on me when the going got rough. I would
> hate to be in a fox hole
> >with you Matt.
> >
> >While I was in New York fighting to keep my label
> in business and my bands
> >making a living, what were you doing? Plotting to
> abandon me. I could VERY
> >easily have take 15 million dollars from TVT and
> walked away saying "oh
> >well,
> >let the bands fend for themselves" you ever turned
> down the kind of money
> >that would set your loved ones up for life while
> EVERYONE is trying to get
> >you to take it? Try it sometime, its a real picnic
> lemme tell you.
> >
> >Then to try to lump yourself in with "other bands
> who will want to leave the
> >label" is just low class Matt and frankly wrong.
> You and Danny are the only
> >people on the whole roster who didn't call or write
> during the lawsuit to
> >offer support while we were going through the most
> trying time in my life
> >(second only to my Dad dying). What phone call DID
> I get from you in the
> >midst of all this? "We want to leave the label."
> Boy it really is times like
> >this when you find out who your friends are.
> >
>
=== message truncated ===

Also of interest, this was originally posted by Matt Felumlee, the brother of ex-Alkaline Trio drummer Mike Felumlee, also on the Alkaline Trio message board in response to buddyhead's comments:

Here's the deal, Ash: 99.9% of the bitching that goes on here is from people who know only what they have heard from third-hand rumor. People are way too involved (or think they are), and have way too much time on their hands. In the grand scheme of things, this petty business is far from important.

I don't know Rich or Vagrant, and so I don't defend them. Mike likes Rich and appreciated his hard work and dedication; I trust Mike's judgment, but like I said, I don't know Rich personally. What I DO know is that the Buddyhead article is mostly crap and spin. Matt is trying to save his ass (or, rather, what's left of it).

Case in point--and this is just one of several examples I could refer to: was the Trio "bummed" to learn that they "scanned" more records than they actually "sold"? No! They thought it was a great idea. They knew about it up front. Matt thought it was genius. They knowingly participated. There is no disputing this. This is a "fact." Pretending, now, that this is all a surprise, is quite simply a lie.

And, in fact, what Vagrant did is a very, very commonplace practice within the industry, at all levels. It's not illegal, or shady--it's just business. You see, not every mom & pop store can be tracked in terms of sales (soundscan). To make up for it, some small stores "scan" 3 or 4 sales for every one actual sale. The idea is that this accounts for the other small stores not factored in at all.

When the Trio went on their record release tour, they had reps from the "soundscan" stores sell records at the shows. So, it's true, that if they sold 100 albums on a given night, it would actually "scan" as several hundred.

The result? Cracking the Billboard Top 200. Publicity. SPIN magazine. MTV. Blink. Q101. All the "sellout" stuff that Matt wanted.

That's just the biz, kids. Everyone who makes a buck in the industry does it--has to do it.

Fact: Vagrant put more into the Trio than anyone else ever has or ever will. They had a great plan, and executed. If the record doesn't sell, it's not because people don't know about it--it's because they don't WANT it! That's a tough pill to swallow for "some bands." The answer, of course?? Fire the label! Call them assholes and sellouts!

It's so easy, and so transparent. Look at Matt's track record, and if you don't come to the same conclusion, well, you just don't want to.

Later-

-Matt