The tragic story of Irene Cara: Ripped off by her label, blacklisted, abandoned by Hollywood... and paid less than $200 for "What a Feeling"
The tragic story of Irene Cara: Ripped off by her label, blacklisted, abandoned by Hollywood... and paid less than $200 for "What a Feeling"
The tragic story of Irene Cara: Ripped off by her label, blacklisted, abandoned by Hollywood... and paid less than $200 for "What a Feeling"
Cara, who passed away in 2022, was an incredibly talented singer and actress.
In 1983, her song "What a Feeling" was number one on the Billboard chart for six weeks.
Yet by 1987, her album was scrapped by her label, amidst a lengthy legal battle for unpaid royalties.
She eventually won the lawsuit, being awarded $1.3 million in unpaid royalties, but was blacklisted by both the record and film industries:
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Things are so much different today in music (not so much in film). Record industry blacklists you because they actually had to pay you after having a number 1 hit? Fuck 'em. Record and release your own shit. It's risky, but certainly way more doable than it was in the 80s and 90s and you already have an audience plus some money to live on while you get going.
That's not to say it's not hard work, but it was almost impossible back then.
@TexasDrunk @ajsadauskas Others are certainly doing it today and I'm happy that they're successful.
Check out what happened to Poe ... 2001-ish, her best-selling album, *Haunted*, scrapped, and she was gagged, legally not allowed to make music, for something like a decade.
There are other examples. It may be different today, but I don't think it's better.
... found it.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe_(singer)#Effect_of_AOL%E2%80%93Time_Warner_merger
@trinity @TexasDrunk @ajsadauskas The difference today is awareness & knowledge. Corporate labels will try to benefit themselves as much as possible, whatever they can get away with. But now contractual advice & tales of woe are a click away; back in the day you had to read up on your own in a library or get advice from someone you were lucky enough to meet.