Magpie

Saturday, October 18, 2003

Irish musicians protest against Green Linnet.

Since Monday, Magpie has been trying to find information about the Green Linnet 5's protest at the doorstep of their record label, Green Linnet. Through the help of a reader, we finally located this story from the Irish Echo.

To bring you up to speed, the protest took place this past Monday, October 13, across the street from Green Linnet's headquarters in Danbury, Connecticut. It was organized by the Green Linnet 5 — Mick Moloney, Eileen Ivers, Joanie Madden, Cherish the Ladies, and Altan — all of which are involved in a long-running dispute with the label over allegedly unpaid royalties. According to Maloney, the amount owed is 'well into six figures.'

Green Linnet owner Wendy Newton declined to comment to the Echo about the artists' complaints.

[Guitarist/singer Dáithí] Sproule acknowledged that "Green Linnet did great things for Irish music. They really did, and so much great creative music is tied up in that company. But clearly something has gone terribly wrong, which is why we're here today. It's a sign of how badly musicians feel that we've been pushed to this. We don't want anything vindictive or destructive at all. We just want to be paid what we're owed and be treated in a way that is decent and fair."

Ryan, former lead vocalist with Cherish the Ladies, said: "We shouldn't have to be here fighting for what is rightfully ours." She cited her own song "The Back Door" as an example of this alleged artist exploitation by the label. It was the title track of Cherish the Ladies' 1992 debut on Green Linnet. "Wendy has been making money on my song for all these years, and I've seen none of it."

Affirming his solidarity with the Green Linnet Five, [Robbie] O'Connell said: "I never got a penny for the three Green Linnet albums I made with Mick [Moloney] and Jimmy [Keane]. I would at least like to get a royalty statement for those records." [...]

On the status of lawsuits filed against Green Linnet by Moloney, Altan, and Cherish the Ladies, and arbitrations filed by Madden and Ivers, Bob Donnelly, a lawyer for the Green Linnet Five, said: "We're in the discovery phase. I know there's a date certain for the three cases in the New York State Supreme Court, and I believe there's a date certain for one of the two arbitrations. I expect these will take place before the new year."

About the possibility of auditing Green Linnet Records, Donnelly added: "We requested a formal audit, and we've hired auditors to do one. Chris Teskey [Green Linnet's chief operating officer] always told me that their books and records are open to us any time. Well, now's the time to prove it."

Thanks, Lila!

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