George Clinton is doing just fine, thank you, and he wants his fans to know it.
A New York Post piece, written without a byline for the paper’s Page Six gossip section, recently reported that the funk legend was in such dire financial straits that he needed funds to complete his recording studio and was selling off phone calls, private concerts and memorabilia.
Well, that’s not quite the case. But yes, you can contribute to Clinton’s musical legacy via www.indiegogo.com, a micro-financing site that allows individuals and small companies the opportunity to source funding from the public.
Clinton’s C Kunspyruhzy and What production studio, based in Tallahassee, Florida, needs several items, including soundproofing, roof repair and microphones, as well as other construction and studio equipment. Clinton is looking for a total of $50,000 and is offering rare personalized memorabilia and recordings, a chance to chat up Clinton and longtime collaborator Bootsy Collins and get album shout-outs for varying prices.
The most exclusive of the items offered is a private concert for you and 100 friends at The Moon nightclub in Florida. (Travel and lodging is not included.) If interested, be prepared to cough up $25,000. That’s just $250 apiece for your 100 friends.
The fundraiser comes in the wake of a Florida judge’s decision in 2001 to deny Clinton the rights to all the songs he wrote between 1976 and 1983. The judge said that Clinton signed his rights away to Bridgeport Music in 1983.
As that time period included some of Clinton’s biggest hits, the singer expected that earnings from a successful suit would be in the hundreds of millions. Instead, as it stands now, Clinton does not own those songs.
Clinton, now 70, says he didn’t sign the contract, nor did his wife, who co-owned the songs, but a handwriting expert testified that Clinton’s signature was authentic. Bridgeport Music testified that Clinton signed the rights over for about a million dollars that he needed at the time.
“We literally were expecting millions of dollars out of this,” Don Wilson, Clinton’s attorney told ABC News. “This just means we regroup and decide how to exploit the songs we do have rights to.”
Clinton told “The Tom Joyner Morning Show” today that he does retain the rights to four of his most significant releases, including “One Nation Under a Groove.”
“We’re still in court,” Clinton says. “We’re not broke.”
Still, he says not to call off the fundraisers just yet. He wants to use the money to preserve the music he’s made, as well as create more. About $9,000 has already been raised, but it’s far short of his goal of $50,000.
Clinton has mounted an aggressive campaign to win back the rights to songs that he’s recorded, and getting compensated from artists who’ve sampled his work without permission. He hopes his efforts will eventually help other musicians.
“I worked my entire career to make music, and I trusted that established companies and some top level industry executives would not lie, steal or cheat,” Clinton said in a statement. “I have been working with congressmen, elected officials and quality lawyers in order to right a ton of wrongs, not just for me, but for songwriters, composers and copyright holders everywhere.”
He recently partnered with Canadian entrepreneur Howard Mann to form a company called MixMine, a social media entity that hopes to use social media to further Clinton’s music and his publishing catalogue.
Just last week, Clinton received an honorary doctorate from Berklee School of Music in Boston after a four-day residency at the renowned music college.
“Most lawsuits are just about money,” said Clinton. “This one’s about what’s FUNKIN’ right!”
