Thanks for asking BT, my eye felt much better yesterday and today, almost cleared up now.

Oh that's great. perhaps reading HP is more restful then sitting in front of the PC screen. Are you enjoying the book? Are you wearing ear plugs so the girls don't let anything slip that you don't want to know yet?

A few days ago I wouldn't have been able to read as reading tends to aggravate it. I'm about half way through now. Luckily the girls haven't been around much to let anything slip - Claire went to her friend's house overnight and Hayley fell asleep yesterday evening at about 5.30pm and didn't wake up till about 9am this morning. She is now on the mugglenet site discussing the book and waiting for me to finish.

I thought I'd better get a move on as some I know read it Fiday night. I can restart my previous book now.

I'm only about half way as well, chapter 20.

I unfortunately over heard something about the end pages in Asda as I was waiting to pay and tried to dismiss it....then my son told me something which he felt wasn't giving anything away but the 2 things added together :(

Just got back from church and would love to read but my dogs want to go out and I told mum I'd visit...wish I could do the 2 things together.

When she lived just off the canal it was great I could walk the dogs and visit her.

I'll read 1 more chapter while I'm having a coffee then go out.

Oh forgot to say 'glad you're eye is almost better' :)

I thought I'd better get a move on as some I know read it Fiday night. I can restart my previous book now.

:o have you finished it ?

Yes. I wasn't surprised. It was much as expected. Which is good as it meant the author didn't cheat. I wont say anymore until you finish

finished :D

excellent

"Blue skies smiling at me. Nothing but blue skies do I see."

 

It should be a day for action but other than what I have to do, I've no enthusiasm or energy.

I'm trying to return a camera that developed a fault to Amazon. hey don't seem to want anything returned to them that you've had for more than 30 days but the manual says that it must be returned to the seller. It puts me off buying on the internet someimes.

No blue skies here...just grey dull depressing.

Must take these hounds out before it pours.

 

Which camera is faulty Meg?

The litle fujifilm finpix one we got for Dave's pocket. Nice camera, it's a shame it's stopped working

Oh dear it's not that old.

 

Are you having any luck?

I've not even had a reply. They make it difficult to get in touch with them and I can't find anyway of returning anything older than 30days. I ordered this last November for Xmas.

just saw this article!

 

Artists taking credit for other's songs

 

jam.canoe.ca

 

NEW YORK (AP) - Of all the names in music, Chantal Kreviazuk may be the least likely to appear in a headline. Although she recently released her own album, the songwriter usually stays behind the scenes to pen hits with artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani and Avril Lavigne.

 

But earlier this month, Kreviazuk rocked the pop music world by suggesting that Lavigne was a collaborator in name only. Although she quickly retracted her comments and others defended Lavigne, the flap illuminated a long-standing fraud that has become more prevalent than ever: "singer-songwriters" who do much less songwriting than their publicists would have you believe.

 

"It's crazy!" exclaimed Grammy-winning songwriter Diane Warren, who has written for artists such as Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Mary J. Blige. "How can someone look in the mirror and know they didn't do something and their name is on it? For money? For credit? It's a lie."

 

This being the music industry, money is, of course, a factor, since the writers of hit songs can earn more than the singer over the long term. But today's singers also press for writing credit because it gives them more of a cache, presenting them as more of a "real artist" in comparison with a star who doesn't write a note.

 

"It's a practice that's been going on, but now it's really prevalent in every situation," says songwriter Adonis Shropshire, who helped pen the hit "My Boo" for Alicia Keys and Usher, and has worked with Chris Brown, Ciara and others.

 

Shropshire says that many artists will only allow songwriters to work on an album in return for song credit, and "if they do write, they ask for more publishing than they honestly contributed . . . it is the way it is."

 

 

The practice has been prevalent for decades. Elvis Presley's manager, Col. Tom Parker, manoeuvred to give the King songwriting credits on early hits like "Love Me Tender" even though he never wrote a word. James Brown was sued by an associate over song credits. Lauryn Hill settled a lawsuit by a group that claimed she improperly took sole production and writing credit on her Grammy-winning album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill." And Diddy seemed to acknowledge claims that he wasn't really writing his raps in the "Bad Boys for Life" song with the brush-off line: "Don't worry if I write rhymes, I write cheques!"

 

The notion that serious artists have to write their own songs seems to have grown over the past two decades. Today, even the fluffiest of pop acts is credited as having written their own material.

 

"We as an industry . . . don't look at someone who has an incredible voice as an artist, whereas having an incredible voice is artistry," says Jody Gerson, an executive vice-president of EMI Music Publishing. "I think people place more of a value on an artist if they write their own songs; it gives them credibility."

 

Indeed, Lavigne's songwriting abilities have been touted since she broke out as a teen with the hit "Complicated." But how much she contributed to her music has long been scrutinized.

 

On her first album, Lavigne worked with the writing trio The Matrix, but ditched them on her second album when she felt they were taking too much credit for the songs. "I am a writer, and I won't accept people trying to take that away from me, and anyone who does is ignorant and doesn't know what they're talking about," she defiantly told The Associated Press in 2004.

 

She connected with Kreviazuk for her sophomore album and the two became close friends. Kreviazuk lauded her songwriting ability in an interview with AP, also in 2004 - which made Kreviazuk's comments to Performing Songwriting Magazine all the more curious.

 

"I mean, Avril, songwriter? Avril doesn't really sit and write songs by herself or anything. Avril will also cross the ethical line, and no one says anything," Kreviazuk - who was not included on Lavigne's latest album - told the magazine before retracting her statement. The Matrix later came out to defend Lavigne's songwriting integrity.

 

Grammy-winning songwriter Dallas Austin says he's had a manager rave about a song Austin wrote all by himself, and then tell him, "We wanna know if we can get a piece of the pie on it because (the artist) wants to feel like she has a part ownership on the song.

 

"And I'll say, 'In all fairness, no. . . . If you want to work with me at least sit here and put something into it, instead of coming after I've done everything and try and claim percentages on it."'

 

Gerson calls the practice unfair but says it's "pretty prevalent in pop and R&B . . . I think the way people now divide publishing splits is who was in the room. 'OK . . . I changed the word 'the' to 'a,' and I deserve 10 per cent of the publishing."'

 

Sean Garrett, who has created smashes for Beyonce, Kelis, Fergie and others, says he gave up credit when he was just starting out, which is common for newcomers. "It bothered me, but I knew it was just a price that I had to pay to continue my career and stay focused with the big prize," he says.

 

Ne-Yo, a true singer-songwriter who co-wrote Beyonce's "Irreplaceable," says early in his career he had to deal with the same thing. He says some artists feel they are doing a novice a favour by recording their song - especially if it becomes a hit - so they deserve a piece of the royalties.

 

"If you're an unknown songwriter and you are lucky enough to get on a superstar's album and you know that the song is going to be a single," Ne-Yo says, "and it means if it becomes No. 1 everyone is going to know your name because you wrote it, I think it's worth giving up a piece of publishing . . . you are going to make your money back."

 

Shropshire recalls working with an A-list singer, whom he did not want to name, who wrote two words on a song and ended up getting a large piece of the publishing rights. But he couldn't complain when the song became a hit.

 

"It didn't really bother me that much. The song came out and it did wonderfully well," he says. "That's just the way the industry works."

 

That shouldn't be the case, says Warren. Although she had credit taken from her early in her career, she quickly put a stop to it. Later, one major superstar demanded some of Warren's royalties for the privilege of said superstar recording her song. But Warren refused.

 

"It's like, 'OK, you want some publishing? OK, then, give me a piece of the money you're making touring for the next five years for the hit I just wrote you."

 

But now that songwriters like Warren, Garrett and Ne-Yo are established, they rarely find themselves taken advantage of any more.

 

"I give other people credit where credit is due, like Beyonce really did vocally arrange ('Irreplaceable')," Ne-Yo says. "So for someone to come in and take my credit because they are who they are? That doesn't work for me. I don't care who you are. . . . I'm not going to give you something you don't deserve."

 

now isnt this exactly what pete Glennister was on about..and how he loved the fact the misfits didnt have much to do with darius' songs! not that darius gets any recognition for songwriting..while these sharlatons get hyped to the hilt on the back of lies.

Amazon has replied. They say I have to contact Fuji - they have given me the email though

At least that's something, megham. Is it still under warranty?

 

Thanks, pip. I saw that in the culture forum earlier today I think and thought it was interesting. It's something that's gone on for years.

 

Pete Glenister was quite dismissive of some credits, saying that some artists got credits for just being in the room when the song was written. That article makes it seem that some artists can't even make that much effort.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pete Glenister was quite dismissive of some credits, saying that some artists got credits for just being in the room when the song was written. That article makes it seem that some artists can't even make that much effort.

I'm sure I heard that a while ago.....is that right, are the 2 articles different?