Dream Wired
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop
No Result
View All Result
Dream Wired
No Result
View All Result
Home Music

Burton Cummings Makes Drastic Move to Stop ‘Fake’ Guess Who

rmtsa by rmtsa
April 12, 2024
in Music
0
Burton Cummings Makes Drastic Move to Stop ‘Fake’ Guess Who
74
SHARES
1.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


You might also like

The Nigerian Star Redefining Global R&B

Taylor Swift Scores Another Chart Double

Wilco, Billy Bragg To Join Forces Again At Solid Sound

Burton Cummings, the founding singer and songwriter of the Guess Who, has taken an extraordinary measure to stop the band’s current iteration from performing his songs.

In October, Cummings, along with original guitarist Randy Bachman, filed a lawsuit to stop the current version of the Guess Who to stop performing under that moniker. At the time, it was the latest chapter in a dispute that stretched over a decade, with Cummings and Bachman fighting with bassist Jim Kale and drummer Garry Peterson over the band’s name. Though the lawsuit is still ongoing, Cummings has opted to terminate certain rights agreements on his songs to stop the Guess Who from performing them in concert.

It’s a complex strategy that breaks down something like this: Virtually every venue in the country has an agreement with performance rights organizations, commonly called PROs. These organizations collect royalties on behalf of songwriters whenever their work is performed. By ending the agreements pertaining to his songs, Cummings has made it impossible for the current version of the Guess Who to perform the material in PRO-aligned venues.

READ MORE: Top 10 Guess Who Songs

“I’m willing to do anything to stop the fake band; they’re taking [Bachman and my] life story and pretending it’s theirs,” Cummings explained to Rolling Stone. “They’re not the people who made these records and they shouldn’t act like they did. This doesn’t stop this cover band from playing their shows, it just stops them from playing the songs I wrote. If the songs are performed by the fake Guess Who, they will be sued for every occurrence.”

Cummings’ Action Will Have Serious Repercussions for All Parties

According to Rolling Stone, venues which booked the Guess Who could also face legal repercussions if the band decided to continue performing Cummings’ material without the proper licensing.

It’s a bold move that could seriously damage the ability for the Guess Who to make a profit. Cummings penned some of the group’s biggest hits, including “American Woman,” “These Eyes” and “No Time.” The band would be hard-pressed to put a show together without such classics in their set. Already, the Guess Who’s next five shows have been canceled due to Cummings’ actions.

Though the move has stifled the Guess Who, it also poses significant risk to Cummings himself. By canceling his PRO agreements, the songwriter will not be able to receive royalties for his work. In addition to live performances, PROs collect payments for material played on the radio, television, in commercials and other public spaces. As such, Cummings’ action amounts to revenue suicide – the cancelation of the PRO agreements leaves him unable to earn money off of these songs.

‘The Name Is Worthless Without Those Songs’

“Yes, I’m going to lose some money, but we’re going to find out what’s worth what. I will not have this fake band going on any longer,” Cummings explained, noting the risk in his decision. “I’m going to lose some money, but… the name is worthless without those songs. So what are they going to do? ‘Hey, the Guess Who Is playing but we can’t do ‘Share the Land’ or ‘American Woman’” we can’t do ‘These Eyes.’ Nobody’s gonna be there.”

“How much is my life’s work worth? You can’t put it in dollars and cents,” Cummings continued. “It’s wrong what they’ve done and for years, nobody did anything about it. But we’re doing something now, and this may set some precedents because there are other acts out there that aren’t real either.”

READ MORE: 22 Scathing Rock Star Breakup Quotes

In the 2023 lawsuit, Bachman and Cummings were seeking more than $20 million in damages. The singer insists his latest move has nothing to do with money, which is why he’s willingly abandoning his revenue stream.

“This is about way more than just money, I wouldn’t have pulled the catalog if it wasn’t,” Cummings noted. “This is about the legacy of the songs and the fact that the cover band is doing anything they can to erase me and Bachman from the history of the group. I see advertisements for their shows, and it’s me singing ‘American Woman.’ What they’re doing is fraud because they’re using real songs from the real guys to push their fake band. I’m protecting the name of the Guess Who, I’m trying to protect what we did.”

Rock’s Ugliest Band Breakups

Ugly band breakups are a sad fact of life in the world of classic rock – along with death, taxes, hair loss and yes, profitable reunion tours.

Gallery Credit: Matthew Wilkening



Source link

Tags: BurtonCummingsDrasticfakeGuessmovestop
Share30Tweet19
rmtsa

rmtsa

Recommended For You

The Nigerian Star Redefining Global R&B

by rmtsa
October 24, 2025
0
The Nigerian Star Redefining Global R&B

Source: Burak Cingi / Getty Tems — born Temilade Openiyi on June 11, 1995, in Lagos, Nigeria — is a remarkable force in global music today. From advocacy...

Read more

Taylor Swift Scores Another Chart Double

by rmtsa
October 24, 2025
0
Taylor Swift Scores Another Chart Double

Australia’s latest chart week was pitched as a fight of two heavyweights. In one corner, Taylor Swift’s incumbent, The Life Of A Showgirl (via Republic/Universal). And in the...

Read more

Wilco, Billy Bragg To Join Forces Again At Solid Sound

by rmtsa
October 24, 2025
0
Wilco, Billy Bragg To Join Forces Again At Solid Sound

Between 1998 and 2012, Wilco and British troubadour Billy Bragg released three Mermaid Avenue albums inspired by a trunk of unpublished Woody Guthrie lyrics uncovered by his family....

Read more

Foolio’s Friend Gives Tearful Testimony During Murder Trial

by rmtsa
October 23, 2025
0
Foolio’s Friend Gives Tearful Testimony During Murder Trial

Foolio's friend delivers a tearful testimony on the first day of the trial for the rapper's 2024 murder.On Wednesday (Oct. 22), opening arguments and testimony began for the...

Read more

Ace Frehley Honored at Memorial Attended by Ex-Kiss Bandmates

by rmtsa
October 23, 2025
0
Ace Frehley Honored at Memorial Attended by Ex-Kiss Bandmates

A private memorial service for original Kiss lead guitarist Ace Frehley was held on Tuesday in Yonkers, New York, and attended by fellow original Kiss members Gene Simmons,...

Read more
Next Post
Costco Now Sells Up to 0 Million in Gold and Silver Each Month • Hollywood Unlocked

Costco Now Sells Up to $200 Million in Gold and Silver Each Month • Hollywood Unlocked

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Browse by Category

  • Celebrity
  • Comics
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • Music
  • TV
  • Uncategorized

CATEGORIES

  • Celebrity
  • Comics
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • Music
  • TV
  • Uncategorized
No Result
View All Result

Recent News

  • The Ed Gein Story’s Brock Powell on if He’ll Return as Leatherface a 4th Time
  • Kim Kardashian’s ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ & The Power Of Love
  • Summer Walker Gets Real About Catching Lil Meech Creepin’

Copyright © 2023 DramaWired.
DramaWired is a content aggregator and not responsible for the content of external sites.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop

Copyright © 2023 DramaWired.
DramaWired is a content aggregator and not responsible for the content of external sites.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In