[klaatumail] Re: Macca/Brithdays!
- From: Jaimie Vernon <bullseyecanada@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <klaatumail@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:17:51 -0500
> Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:46:28 -0500
>
> It seems like forever ago really.....I wanna say 1996-97 or so...is that
> even possible? I looked up the old files I had when I did the KAAS
> Website....and see that date around quite abit.... if so...that's like
> 13 years ago!
Sounds about right. I didn't join this list until 1996. After a suggestion from
Mark Hershberger who I met through a Goldmine Magazine ad -- where he was
looking to BUY Klaatu memorabilia.
I had already met Dee and Terry in 1994 up at the old Second Sun Recording
Studio in Richmond Hill for an interview I conducted for my old Great White
Noise Magazine (and had dealt with label guy Frank Davies in 1990 before that).
After getting on the original mailing list, I started fielding requests from
fans and taking them back to Draper once a week or so to be answered. Then the
ultimate question was posed: "When are the rarities coming out?"
Having already been running Bullseye Records for 10 years I offered to put the
stuff out. Terry called a meeting with him, me and artist Ted Jones. I'm sure
it was September '96...cause the meeting came shortly after Terry's birthday
that year. In that 3 or 4 hours over dinner we established what potential songs
would go on this "Raarities" disc and how the artwork would pan out. The plan,
at that time, was to have a crop circle on the cover featuring the Klaatu
sun...and on the back would be a profile view of the field with mice running
out of the grass carrying crop sheering tools, sickles and grass cutting
impliments. Alluding to the fact that crop circles were the work of MICE...and
not aliens. [I still think this idea would have LOOKED great...alas...it never
came to pass].
The hitch to this whole deal was the fact that Klaatu was still tied to Attic
Records (who had first right of refusal to the rare tracks) and I had zero
track record with a major act (having only released independent records by my
own acts and those of friends). Woloschuk was going to be a hard sell.
So a long-term plan was hatched. Terry wanted to release a solo album. With it,
I could start working a major distribution deal nationally, get Terry's AND
Klaatu profile rebuild in this new age of the "interwebs" and ultimately go
back to Woloschuk and show 'result' oriented business practices.
So we did that in '97. The fanbase exploded and this mailing list started to
grow exponentially as the word got out that at least ONE Klaatu member was
active again. Then the fire was fueled again when Dee wanted in on the action.
We released "Digital" and "BHB4" in 1998. That attracted a money investor and
Bullseye was up and running. I secured major distro in 1999 which was another
piece of the puzzle that would allow us to pitch a new deal at Woloschuk when
the Attic deal expired.
At that point I wasn't satisfied to just chase after the "rarities" collection.
We wanted the whole catalog so it could be promoted and marketed directly to
fans -- not just slapped together and tossed into retail like Capitol and Attic
had done.
Then there was a snag. Attic Records got bought out in 2000 and subsequently
went bankrupt later that year. Another label out of Montreal began sniffing
around wanting to BUY Klaatu's mastertapes from them for $250,000. The boys
juggled this deal for several months before realizing a) they would have to
give the rights up to the masters and b) that's all the money they'd EVER see
from those songs ever again. They scrapped the deal leaving an opening for
Bullseye to finally show them how to monetize and license the product, keep
full control, AND re-issue the CDs the way they were meant to be done.
And I've been doing that since 2001.
Bullseye, for all intents and purposes, no longer exists. But Klaatu has
maintained their deal with me...personally...so that we can continue putting
material out as long as it remains practical and cost effective.
PS - We're going to be working on the DVD release again in the new year -- now
that the "Solology" has been out and has been received with open arms.
Jaimie
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