Music record labels are notorious for their loose morals and ethics - and, lets face it, being all-round douchebags. But there are some labels that are a little more douchey than others. I had one of my photographs stolen by the music label Global Underground for one of their recent releases and its been fun dealing with them - or not, as you will see.

Original shot on my photography photoblog.

The cover art for GU release with my photo used illegally as cover art.

Here’s what happened. On September 10 the above release went on sale and I was surprised to see my shot used for its cover art. I immediately sent an email to a couple of artists that have had their works released on GU to let GU know of this illegal copyright infringement. I was assured that GU had been contacted and knew of the situation. Days went by without a word from GU. I was adamant that I will not lower myself to contact them, for after all they stole my work. couple of more nods from friends to them I finally get this response from Bonnie O’Hara, GU’s Label Manager:

from Bonnie O’Hara <-----@globalunderground.co.uk>
to: faisal sultan | friskyRadio
date Wed, Sep 22, 2010 at 10:44 AM
subject RE: Sultan Shot

Hi Faisal

First of all massive apologies from all of us here for this misunderstanding. Our designer Chris is based in Taipei, and when he received the batch of pics for Trafik’s single he wrongly assumed they were for him to use across any release.

Fully understand if this has pissed you off. Rest assured it was not intentional. The matter has only came to light after we saw comments on Twitter and realised the mistake.

If you would prefer we would be happy to change the shot to something else – just say the word.

Once again, apologies for any inconvenience – let us know what you would like us to do.

Best,
Bonnie

I love how they throw their designer under the bus. Nice managerial work!

She asked me what I wanted them to do - So I did. My response:

from Faisal Sultan
to Bonnie O’Hara <-----@globalunderground.co.uk>
date Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 12:00 PM
subject Re: Sultan Shot
mailed-by gmail.com

My usual rate is $400 for licensing my work for non-exclusive use. Invoice attached.

f.

This was the last correspondence. My email remains unacknowledged, the invoice unpaid. The shot is still being used. So to my fellow artists - this is GU. This is how they treat artists. Dont think for a second that just because you make music and I do photography Im less of an “artist” and therefore less deserving of credit.

Photography is not my profession. I dont make a living out of my work. Photography is immensely personal to me. Im not a talented person (far from it) and the fact that I have this singular passion that Im actually proud to share with the world is deeply satisfying. Im also a very private person and the fact that I even chose to share this personal thing with the world takes a bit of courage. That is why this blatant theft is not only a theft of a photo, but its a theft of something I hold dear. That is why I have taken this more personally than some others would.

To be clear - other labels have used my work with my authorization. Ive given them my work for free in some cases because like I said, I dont do it for the money. FADE records recently licensed this shot for their release Audio Tour 3. Buy it now to support them!

This is also not the first time my work has been stolen by record labels in the industry and probably wont be the last. Last year, Liquid Inc used one of my shots for their cover art - but the label owner Hector, to his credit, fessed up, acknowledged responsibility paid me the licensing fees immediately, which is more than I can say for a so-called industry giant like Global Underground.

The reason why I sent them an invoice for payment: I am a firm believer in all artists being paid for their work. Like I said, I hardly need the money - yet I always charge licensing fees for use of my work in a gesture of solidarity for my fellow photographers that make a living out of their art. Too often amateur photographers short-change the community by giving their work for free in exchange “for credit.” While it might feel good to them to see their name under a shot used in a newspaper article or a magazine, it wont pay the bills of the struggling photographer. Im well aware that when I ask for fees for licensing my work, people go elsewhere to another photographer who is willing to give them their work for free. Thats fine by me. But I stand firm on principal.

You dont become a leader in an industry by being the oldest, or biggest. You become a leader by doing the right thing.