Letter To Kurt Cobain/Nirvana Fans From The Family Of Kurt Cobain
By: Source: Mi2N Newswire -
December 14th 2001 10:12am
What should have been a private business negotiation has become a very public lawsuit. There are many issues that were left unresolved after Kurt's death that we're finally trying to put in order. Other parties have talked about finding "a personal sense of closure" with Nirvana's music. That's exactly the opposite of what should happen. We want to celebrate Kurt's life and music and make sure Nirvana finds as large an audience as possible. We want future generations of music fans to give the band its rightful place alongside the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Bob Dylan. Kurt's legacy should have impact for generations to come and we want the world to focus on his accomplishments and his gifts. Kurt Cobain was Nirvana. He named the band, hired its members, played guitar, wrote the songs, fronted the band onstage and in interviews and took responsibility for the band's business decisions. Kurt Cobain wrote almost all of Nirvana's music. Over 93% of the band's song copyrights are in his name. There is a large trove of unreleased tapes that deserve a proper release, tapes that include several songs that neither Krist nor Dave have ever heard. Krist and Dave made an enormous musical contribution to Nirvana's success and they have been exceptionally well paid for that contribution and will continue to earn royalties from the catalog's success. Kurt Cobain refused to sign a partnership agreement with the other members of Nirvana when he was alive, so any claims that the band was a "partnership" are at best revisionist history. The partnership agreement that exists now was forced upon Kurt's heirs. The family signed it after attorneys threatened them with a Washington law that supposedly would have required the family to turn over all interest in Nirvana to Krist and Dave. That assertion was untrue, but the threat was used to deprive the family of its rights to manage Kurt's legacy. The "partnership" has proved to be unworkable and we're addressing the situation now to make sure the next Nirvana releases are of the quality the fans deserve and that future generations of Kurt's family have control of the family name. In their press release, Krist and Dave have distorted the real issues with unwarranted and spurious personal attacks. Under United States law, Kurt's interests pass to his heirs who then have the responsibility for overseeing his interests. Finally, we'd like to offer very sincere and heartfelt advice to everyone who's in a band: Take care of your business. Make sure you know what the contracts say and that your copyrights are in order. Remember that the lawyers and the managers and the accountants are your employees and that their job is to represent your interests. We look forward to many years of great releases from Kurt and Nirvana. We wish Krist and Dave great success in their current careers and hope they will soon leave control of Kurt's legacy to his rightful heirs. Thanks for your support and your patience. Regards, The Family of Kurt Cobain
 Copyright 2001Tag It
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