Paul Firek original Copyright Form for the Apples and Oranges Album and registered with the Library of Congress....This copyright pre-dates any other claim on Paul Firek music released as Paul Tripp by Tito Batista and Stewart I. Rosenblum...Paul firek and his collective work work has been released on the net as Paul Tripp Battery Operated Orange but illegally now since the time allowed in the contract is up and the people collecting off of the sales are infringing on Paul Fireks rights of undisputed ownership to the said album. I have been told that what they are doing is fraud and a felony.My Copyright has been infringed on Big Time as several people are selling this album Battery Operated Orange Illegally and then collecting money on my art that does not belong to them. Paul FirekIn 1998 I Paul Firek was looking for a way to get management for my career and came across an ad in musician magazine. The company was Talent 2000 and they asked for a few hundred dollars to help artist find contacts within the music industry. I went ahead and used the company Talent 2000. Talent 2000 turned me on to a music publisher in Long Island New York. The music publisher Tito Batista said he liked my sound and asked if I would like to come to New Jersey and audition for himself and a big time record producer. I said I would come and paid the $500 dollars to rent the facility in Jersey and audition for the Publisher and Producer. We went and performed a pretty hot set I thought and the publisher Tito Batista signed me to an instant publishing agreement. The producer asked me for $40,000 to produce my album but I refused as I thought that the fee was a bit high and was wondering why he would want money from me if he was such a big time producer???The publisher Tito Batista stayed in contact with me and kept insisting I need to make a new record so he could get me a record deal. He was always asking for money to promote and do things for me I thought he should be doing on his own but being young and naive I continued to send the money he asked for every time in hopes of getting discovered.Eventually the publisher Tito Batista linked me with his friend the music attorney in Pennsylvania. The attorney told me if I had a new record he would flip me to a major label but the music I had recorded at that time was not good enough and I needed to record a better quality album......"Paul Firek"Low and behold the publisher Tito Batista had a friend with a recording studio in Brentwood New York and he could get me in for $10,000. Being young and wanting success a few of my friends and I got together $10,000 dollars and sent it to the music publisher Tito Batista who set up a studio for us to record our album....."Paul Firek"When we arrived in New York we met with the publisher Tito Batista and he told us he was sorry he could not visit as he was on his way to Paris to shop a deal for us but just to record the record and he would talk to us when he got back. That was the last time we ever saw our friend the publisher Tito Batista......" Paul Firek"We began recording the album and the studio owner was not very helpful and not working out very well as he only wanted to give us a few hours a day although we were 600 miles away from home and living in a hotel. We got into an argument one day with the studio owner and complained that we had paid $10,000 for the use of the his studio .
The owner informed us that his friend the publisher only gave him $2000 for the recording of our album. We were able to work it out with the Studio owner who told us that the publisher was known for not always being the most honest person but since they were friends he would make it up to us. I continued tracking the album and left town with the masters....I eventually got the publisher Tito Batista on the phone and he told me Paris was a success and he had a label for us when the record was done.We spent an additional $2000 and finished the album here in Detroit as I was not wanting to go back to New York and give them more money for studio time and was still upset that the publisher Tito Batista took $8000 of our recording budget and went to Paris but he told me that is the way the music business is sometimes and he struck a deal anyhow and $8000 was a small price to pay.Once the album was done the publisher Tito Batista insisted we signed a contract with his friend from Pennsylvania’s label as he would take the indy label and get it over to the major label in Paris but we needed $20,000 to make this all happen.Falling hook line and sinker we got hold of our investor and eventually got him to invest another $20,000 to make all of this happen.We sent the check along with the finished album. We were verbally guaranteed we would be with a major label within a few months and just to be patient but they needed to press up 20,000 albums so they could have distribution set up for the major label to eventually pick up.Almost a year later we received 2000 copies of the album as it was put on hold and could not be produced since the printer had other projects in front of ours.We released the album and now had product to sell at our gigs.The album was posted all over the internet and we thought that we were finally on our way. When we sold all of out inventory and wanted more albums were we told that they were $5 a copy and we would have to buy them if we wanted anymore so we continued on buying our own albums back from the publisher Tito Batista to sell at gigs and promote our band. The album was never stocked in the locations they were sup[posed to be and when fans tried to order it they could not get a copy.The album ran it’s course and we were dead in the water as after giving the publisher and label in excess of $30,000 dollars and without the major label they had promised. The band eventually split up and we went separate ways.I being persistent and at the urging of the investor continued to be in contact with the publisher Tito Batista on an almost daily basis trying to get things going again.I could no longer get the publishers friend or the record label out of Pennsylvania on the phone as the number had been disconnected.The publisher Tito Batista informed me that the friend in Pennsylvania had passed on and that he no longer had anything to do with the album either.As the years passed I would call my friend the publisher Tito Batista and ask what ever happened to the album and why is it still being sold on the net, can you help me get a deal now, is there anything we can do with this music or my new music, ect ect etc.
The publisher Tito Batista continued to talk with me and be a friend schemeing and asking for more money to make videos and buy web site space from him but I always refused and told him he should do these things for me since Tito Batista had taken a lot of money from us and never delivered anything he had promised.I finally gave up in about 2005 but called every once in a while to see if things had changed and he could do anything but his only response was that the label owner was dead and that there was nothing he could do.In 2007 I began using myspace and the net in general to try to make something happen with my career. I was amazed that when I goggled Paul Tripp Battery Operated Orange that my album popped up and was for sale all over the world.
I once again called the publisher Tito Batista and asked for help getting my music back as the label owner was dead and the terms of his contract had expired. He said that there was nothing he could do.In April of this year one of my friends told me that they had bought the album online and liked it very much. I of course did not receive a nickle yet this person like many others in the past 2 years had bought my album from amazon or some other internet music dealer.I called the publisher and told him I was upset that my stuff was still on the net and he should help me get control of it as it is selling and I am not getting anything in return. Tito Batista began screaming and me and became very irrational and hung up on me. I tried to call back to settle him down but he did not answer.About a week later one of my friends forwarded me a Blog the publisher had written on the net chalked full of many untrue and unflattering statements about me.If what the Blog says is true then the publisher Tito Batista has filed false police reports and has falsly accused me of melisious behavior and is trying to discredit me.My only response to his Blog is that what you wrote it is not true and my questions for you sir are What are you trying to cover up Mr. Publisher? Where is the money you owe us? Why do I not have control of my art on the net since the terms of the contract are over and the album has reverted back to me on paper?I am not thinking that many will put much stock into the publishers Blog if they stumble across it although it is very untrue and slanderous. I stand in the light of the Lord and know that the truth always comes out.
My only wish is that this cruel human being can be punished by the law for the scam he has pulled on me and apparently from checking around quit a few other artist.
This man is no better than Bernie Manoff in my eyes and just another scam who steals for a living rather than being honest in his business dealings.
This man should be in jail for interstate fraud and making false police reports just off the top and I am sure there is all sorts of other fraudulent activity in his background as well when he is investigated.I thank you all for reading and if you are an artist please never give anybody money to distribute your music or have an attorney shop it as it is nine out of ten times a scam and remember that the bottom feeders of the industry are there only to cash in on your dreams and fill their own pockets.Remember one thing Mr. Publisher and Mr. Label owner remember what comes around goes around and You have to live with who and what you are.Me Oh MY
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