Hendrix songs catalog sold

[Analogman]

NEW YORK - An unidentified bidder spent $15 million to purchase guitar legend Jimi Hendrix's entire song catalog, but the rock star's family said Friday that the music, including classics like "Purple Haze" and "Voodoo Chile," still belongs to them.

 

The rights to the rock legend's songs were auctioned off Thursday by the estate of former Hendrix manager Michael Frank Jeffrey, said Wendy Chou, spokeswoman for Ocean Tomo Auctions, LLC. She declined to identify the winning bidder.

 

A Hendrix family spokesman said the term "winner" was relative.

 

"You may buy the right to become a defendant in a lawsuit," said Bob Merlis, a spokesman for Experience Hendrix, a Seattle-based company owned by the family. "If someone infringes on our rights, we'll deal with it."

 

Hendrix, whose brilliant career ended with his 1970 death from a drug overdose in London, created some of the 1960s most indelible music on such albums as "Electric Ladyland," "Axis: Bold As Love" and "Are You Experienced?"

 

According to Merlis, the Hendrix family had warned before the auction that they believed the Jeffrey estate had no claim to the catalog. In a variety of previous court cases, the family's ownership of the catalog was established and reaffirmed, Merlis said.

 

"We sounded many, many cautionary notes," he said of the latest auction. "Basically, somebody bought the Michael Jeffrey estate claim, which was heretofore judged worthless. I'd file this one under 'go figure.'"

 

Auction house spokeswoman Chou said that Ocean Tomo would have no comment on the charges from the Hendrix estate. Jeffrey died three years after Hendrix.

 

 

This shit is weird - Michael Jeffery was a pretty shady dude - and (?) died in a plane crash. The Hendrix family has sure been through a lot of legal stuff the past few years.

[rareair]

This shit is weird - Michael Jeffery was a pretty shady dude - and (?) died in a plane crash. The Hendrix family has sure been through a lot of legal stuff the past few years.

 

if the family has already won a lawsuit against the jeffery estate, there will not be much in dispute.

 

i agree that chain of title for a catalog can be some weird shit.

 

George Clinton's former publisher admitted in prior litigation to having cut and pasted Clinton's signature on various transfer documents and won a case AGAINST CLINTON because clinton's attorneys did not know up from down.

[Analogman]

The family was just in a big battle with Leon (Jimi's brother) not to long ago. I have a Hendrix book by the title of Setting The Record Straight - which goes into detail about a lot of this stuff. The family went through major shit just to get ownership from MCA in the first place. They have done some weird things - but they most certainly have produced the best sounding cds of Jimi's music.

[Analogman]

Two press releases from the official Hendix website:

 

 

NEW YORK, October 26, 2006 - On October 18, 2006 Experience Hendrix filed a complaint in the US Federal District Court in the Southern District of New York, seeking to enjoin pending auction sales by Ed Chalpin and one or more of his "PPX" companies in the Ocean Tomo auction scheduled for today, October 26, which has been promoted as a sale of numerous properties related to Jimi Hendrix. Chalpin and PPX Enterprises have owed a $727,000 court judgment to Experience Hendrix since 2003, and have made no payment whatsoever. The complaint alleges fraudulent conveyances of the auction properties between Chalpin and his commonly controlled PPX companies.

 

On October 23rd attorneys representing Experience Hendrix, LLC, auction firm Ocean Tomo, LLC and Ed Chalpin and his related companies appeared before Judge Lewis A. Kaplan at United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Experience Hendrix sought to ensure that auction proceeds from the Chalpin-related lots would be applied toward payment of a debt of over $941,000 (including accrued interest) which Chalpin and his principal company PPX Enterprises owe to Experience Hendrix pursuant to 2003 court judgments. Judge Kaplan at that time issued a temporary restraining order against proceeding with auction of the Chalpin-related items.

 

In a further hearing yesterday, attended by attorneys for Experience Hendrix, Ocean Tomo and Chalpin and his companies, Judge Kaplan modified the order to allow the Ocean Tomo auction of the Chalpin lots to proceed, provided the sales proceeds are paid by Ocean Tomo into the court until the debt repayment amount is fully reached.

 

The temporary restraining order remains in place, as modified, until Ocean Tomo deposits the sales proceeds into the court. Under that order, Chalpin is enjoined from transferring any property or property of his companies to any third party. The order is worded to incinclude "all persons in active concert and participation with them who receive actual notice of this order" -- which would include any buyer of these properties outside the auction who has actual knowledge of the order.

 

Chalpin and/or his companies are involved in three of the auction lots. Lot 64 claims to contain the early recordings of Jimi Hendrix with Curtis Knight, which PPX has licensed for decades. Lot 62 claims to contain rights to an unreleased live Public Enemy album. Lot 65 claims to contain Hendrix-related rights of the revived estate of Jimi Hendrix's manager Michael Jeffery, who died in 1973, and his father and heir Frank Jeffery, who died later. Chalpin revived these estates and is now the administrator. His claim is based upon allegations which a New York court dismissed as a fabrication several years ago.

 

 

 

 

SEATTLE, AUGUST 20, 2006 - Ocean Tomo, LLC has announced an auction that includes various properties related to Jimi Hendrix. These promoters have led would-be buyers to believe they are offering for sale rights to music and film and a trove of unreleased discoveries. The reality is that there is nothing of value to buy. The promoters are offering rights to the Jimi Hendrix catalogue of music that the seller doesn't own, rights to film that another seller doesn't own and tapes that are largely dubs and duplicate work tapes that had been used in the creation of a number of CD and DVDs previously issued through the auspices of Experience Hendrix which owns and administers the Jimi Hendrix music rights including Jimi's songs and sound recordings.

 

Experience Hendrix has owned all rights, title and interest in the musical compositions, sound recordings, and other assets of the Jimi Hendrix legacy for many years. The Jeffrey Estate does not own those rights. Similarly, Chuck Wein and Antahkarana Productions do not own the rights to the film "Rainbow Bridge" and a Court ordered them to refrain from dealing with that film or the sound tracks.

 

Experience Hendrix owns the vast majority of original master recordings from which the duplExperience Hendrix owns the vast majority of original master recordings from which the duplicated tape copies identified in this auction were drawn. The copyrights in certain other recordings in this collection are owned by third parties such as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The BBC has issued to Experience Hendrix an exclusive license to distribute these recordings throughout the world.

 

The auction also makes available duplicate copies as well as alternate and rejected mixing tapes created by Are You Experienced Ltd., the predecessor to Experience Hendrix, for various album and video projects released decades ago. This is not "unreleased material" but rather a collection largely comprised of two track tapes, copies and mixes of original multi-track masters owned by Experience Hendrix. Experience Hendrix owns not only the copyrights in these recordings but also the Jimi Hendrix musical compositions in them, and will take all necessary legal actions against any attempt to release infringing products made from these recordings.

 

Experience Hendrix CEO, Janie Hendrix commented, "Since its inception, Experience Hendrix has been singularly dedicated to maintaining the legacy of Jimi Hendrix and issuing releases of his music of the highest possible quality. It is painful to see this apparent yard sale masquerading as an auction of intellectual property. As has been our continuing commitment, we will take whatever measures are warranted to preserve the quality of Jimi Hendrix's musical genius throughout the world."

 

The auction also is offering Umatic