Sound Riot Email's to Gaia Epicus

Let me do a little comment on this statement that Sound Riot
have responded regarding my statement against them.
At the bottom of the page is 2 emails that i have recived from them.

(SR) = Sound Riot - (GE) = Gaia Epicus

(SR) When the technical problem on the songs-order of their second album
happened because a mistake on the Master in April 2005.

(GE-Answer) Technical Problem??? I have emails from Sound Riot stating
that they did this because it would be more professional. And then later when
the cd’s should be returned to the factory it would be called technical problems.
Look at this statement from their email: email date 20.03.05 Who's the liar???

In this next email they state that they have already been paid for many orders
and that they also have booked many ad's for magazines. First off all they now
say that albums are being paid later and that the orders was very low. And also
that they have already done and booked ad's for this album? as far as i know there
haven't been 1 single ad for this album "Symphony of glory". They also told me
they had booked a ad and a interview for Scream Magazine, but that was also a lie.
Here they say that they have sent me an email regarding this, but it must have been
lost? if an email is lost it will return to the sender. And they also say they don't know
what emails they have sent or not, and what they have said or not. The distributors
have promoted the album? when i talk to all the distro's they say to me that SR
never do any promotion, and if they did our albums would sell much more.
They offer to have 2 versions of the album, and that is good cause just a few BIG
bands get to have 2 versions of their album! (GE-Answer) ha ha ha ha
Look at this statement from their email: email date 21.03.05

(SR) they wrote immediately to many other record labels, our distributors and magazines
saying that we were forbidden to sale this release because they had already the rights to
offer this album to a new label.

(GE Answer) Not all correct! Yes we did contact many other labels as we have
done for awhile, since we would be needing a new label after this album anyway.
We have NEVER! statet that we had the rights to release it on a new label. What
we did say was: Gaia is looking for a new label for the 3'rd album, and since we
are in trubble with our label Sound Riot things might end up that we can offer
the release and re-release on both of our albums. But this we dont know for sure yet.

(SR) We have tried to be professional with them and of course, we have been reasonable
and smooth because that haven’t been easy to work with the band and we wouldn’t like to
get more problems or conflicts with them in the future.

(GE Answer) Ha ha ha ha ha Best joke I have heard all day :)

(SR) As they always keep saying (or better, doing marketing!) about the super
production of their album.

(GE Answer) I cant recall ever promoting the album as "Super Production".

And so comes allot of bla, bla bla we have paid so and so much for the album,
production and so on... Well, it's their job! And it don't give them the right to treat
bands like crap. That's the big problem why this Music Industry is corrupt, bands
don't fight back! If more bands would say "Just because you are kind to release
my/our music doesn't mean you can walk all over me/us" then I believe the industry
would be a better place. Cause after sometime the bad labels would disappear
for good. (many does anyways, so that's good) Be honest always !!!

(SR) e think that isn’t considered few for anyone. Now, if all the Japanese companies didn’t
get interested to license this album in Asia as well as the CD doesn’t sell well in other places,
is our guilt if the most of the people and the press haven’t enjoyed the music featured on this album?

(GE Answer) If they would promote the album then people would know it exist, and
they would buy it. Most of the people and the press haven't enjoyed it??? We have
had just as many great reviews on this album as on "Satrap" and people seem
to enjoy it allot. I have read over 50 reviews of the new album so far and only a few
have been bad. There is people contacting us everyday telling us how good our
music is. And many radio stations are also doing the same thing. I think I have sent
out over 600 copies of both albums together as promotion, since SR aren't doing
much about it. Many have tried first to contact SR but after a few months they give up
and contact Gaia instead. Our music video for "Hand of fate" got downloaded
over 3000 times the first 14 days and has now passed over 9000 downloads. We also
have good traffic on our website from all of the world everyday so don't tell me that
no one has any intrerest in Gaia or thinks the music is good.

(SR) we sent 140 copies of the CD as bonus to band and we have paid the royalties of the
325 sold copies after 6 months of the release. Thomas Hansen (the man that has never told a lie!)
mentioned on their declaration that we haven’t still paid them the royalties of their 2nd album until now.
But we have already made the payment to their bank account there is 1 month ago!

(GE Answer) to get bonus cd's for your own album is very normal, and a 140 cd's
is not very much. And they also don't cost very much to make for the label.
Yes they have now paid for the "Fake" number of sold cd's, but that statement
was taken from an email made earlier, before they paid the money. Why don't they
explain about the wrong release where they say it sold only 2-3 copies? when
I have proof that one store alone sold over 20 in a weeks time?

(SR) if the band hasn’t paid 1 cent on the production of this album but they have got CDs
of this album as bonus, payment of royalties (1 Euro per each copy)
for the sold copies and plus, worldwide promotion.

(GE Answer) What Promotion? id like to see that.

(SR) If Sound Riot is the worst label and that isn’t a good support to an underground band so,
we are living in the wrong planet! This is a nice manner that they found to
say us “THANK YOU!” after of all our support, dedication and effort to their band, wonderful attitude!

(GE Answer) Well, Sound Riot might try and move to another planet, maybe the
planet "We screw our bands and lie". Have a good trip :)

(SR) About these other “problems & mistakes” which they have added concerning some other bands,
are facts happened there are 2 or 3 years ago, however, they show all these old problems like if we
haven’t still solved they until today.

(GE Answer) No they haven't improved! and Idon't think they ever will.

(SR) They have used old messages of one band or other to show a problem which don’t exist anymore.

(GE Answer) Yes some mails are old, and some are new. And problems exist today!
I am still in contact with these bands so I know it for a fact.

(SR) If these “were” current problems, then, why aren’t there the dates mentioned of these messages?

(GE Answer) I have the mails on my computer so if you want the dates I'll provide it for you, no problem.

(SR) And of course, they didn’t also mention that we have solved the situation with these other bands
in the past and also, what we have done of positive to Gaia Epicus or for these other bands.

(GE Answer) By solved you mean, they just accept that they have been screwed?
Yes I know some bands have accepted your little offers just to get on with their
lives, but some bands like us had to use legal advisors to get their way and that
should not be necessery. Positive things: okay! they released 2 of our albums,
Thanx!... It's been sold most part's of the world, Thanx... Does this give them the
right to screw us and other bands over? NO !!!

(SR) This is only a question to be humble and accept your own fault, tries making a better work in
the next time, be creative and writes good songs so; an album can get good sales really if the people
enjoy the music on it! Don’t blame only the label because that!

(GE Answer) So now they are saying our music is crap? why did we get signed then?
And why have they told us before that our music is great? These people should be
comedians and not a record label.

(SR) Maybe Thomas Hansen has inspirations to write movies and their first one will be
“The sum of all mistakes of my ex-record label”. Thomas, be sure to add more one mistake to “our” list:
“When we got the unhappy idea to have signed with Gaia Epicus”. Man, make a favor to yourself, stop
of boring the people with these stories about your band and forget us please!

(GE Answer) Hmm... great idea :) i'll make a movie and i hope you will star in it?
I don't think people/bands are bored when someone finally stands up and brings out
the truth, and gives a warning about making a bad mistake.

(SR) Only wait for the upcoming sales-statements and future payments that we will do to you every 6 months.
Thomas, our relationship of work already has over there is almost 1 year!!! Look for some useful thing to do
in the life; we haven’t time to lose with you anymore.

(GE Answer) Im so happy to hear that :) and im looking forward to the day when
you will make the next misstake regarding the contract. I dont think it will be long.

Thomas / Gaia Epicus

____________________________________________________________________________

MAIL1

( 20 march 2005 )
Hello Thomas,

We have contacted Scream, anyway, but if possible, try contact they via phone soon.
Correct, the final CD have a best quality than CDR. I hope you can to add mp3 soon!

The Track list of Twilight-vertrieb on site them is correct regarding new Gaia Epicus.
We have decided change the track list because Japanese don't enjoy too much the album,
and we lost the chance to get licensing to Japan. so we were forced to change something to
European public, we don't like to get similar problem! Anyway, we sent promo-CD to 10
webzines we have friendship, and they helped to know what are best songs on Symphony of Glory,
so this track list was well elaborated with help other people (French, American, German), not only ours.
This decision was only professional to get best "sales" to Symphony of Glory!

Time and Space is mastered in the CDR have sent you. I think studio mastering forgot that.
We have asked to Frode (Scream Magazine) to do the interview together with AD !

Best regards,
Gilson

____________________________________________________________________________

MAIL2

( 21 march 2005 )
Well, about the track-list, I had informed you a few weeks ago but you haven't answered,
so I think the mail was lost. As we are doing a lot things, so I can't remember all mails that
I have sent to people, and re-send it all time. So, "Symphony of Glory" was finished and
released like that. Some distributors have already received the CDs but everybody will be
getting the CDs in the next days.

Another detail which is important to everybody on it, we did a big compromise with our distributors
and they have already negociated/promoted "Symphony of glory", and they have got orders with their
local record-stores. So, as you can imagine, there are alot of people waiting for this CD which have
been paid for many companies. Return of CDs and payments would be a chaos for the distributors
and a bad reputation for the record-label and band. If that happens, every distributors won't feel safe
to sell this "Symphony of glory" again because such problems that they got with your local partners,
do you understand? This is very serious to each company and that would affect negatively everybody
on this work! We have already AD's (advertiment) in many magazines including Scream and other booked ones.
Now, it is hard to give a step back.

Well, what we can do regarding the tracking-list is the following:. When the first pressing of this CD get
out of stock so, we can release a "second version" of Symphony of Glory with the tracking-list that you
wish for it and plus the bonus track that would be used in the Japan, what do you think? That would be
a intelligent way for this problem and also, a good kind of marketing to get more sales. So, other people
(Distributors, mail-orders, fans, press, etc) will get two versions of the new Gaia Epicus, which few big
bands got released. And then, the band will get a bigger promotion done by Sound Riot to Gaia Epicus!!

___________________________________________________________________________