Complaint Review: Al Gomes Big Noise Now

I appreciate the fact that you are trying to look out for the best interest of your daughter, but I have to butt in and say that you're wrong. First, who I am... I am a recording artist in the Las Vegas area, and have released an album, with a single coming out at the end of the summer, and another set to release at the end of the year. I work with a grammy award winning producer based out of LA. Here's the deal. You have to pay. It's not a scam.

I took the same route when I met my producer. I asked him if we could go off a "points" system for payment (similar to percentages) or giving him a percentage. He said no and wanted cash. I thought that was shady and started looking around. I have to tell you I had gone through interviewing about 10 producers, all big name, and all reputable, and they all said the same. I ended up going back to the first one and paying him, and he made the album a success... really really worked his butt off on it.

I couldnt be happier. Here's the deal. No one will work for you or with you, regardless of how much they like you or your voice, no matter how successful they think you'll be, unless you pay. the industry has changed. It's not the same as it used to. There are millions of talented artists out there who can sing, and have the image, that will NEVER get signed and NEVER make a penny. If a producer or A&R Rep took a percentage of every one of them, they would be dead broke and out of work. 

I know you think your daughter is the next best thing to R&B, and you should support her like that... she's your daughter... But from someone who has been going through the same reality check, you need to understand that she is a dime a dozen, and no one is going to take a chance, unless it's the label themselves, on working out a contract where they were not compensated up front, but instead paid off percentages. Believe me, even now I'm getting calls from A&R Reps who want to sign me to a contract, and every single one of them ask for the payment first. No percentages. And these are VERY reputable firms. 

If she was Rhianna, then yeah, all for it... cause they KNOW she'll make money. But until she has that fan base, and is selling multi-platinum albums and selling out arenas, plan on forking over the cash upfront if you want to see results. And THAT's the truth buddy... it's just how the industry works. Sorry to burst your bubble, but good luck to your daughter. 

I appreciate the fact that you are trying to look out for the best interest of your daughter, but I have to butt in and say that you're wrong. First, who I am... I am a recording artist in the Las Vegas area, and have released an album, with a single coming out at the end of the summer, and another set to release at the end of the year. I work with a grammy award winning producer based out of LA. Here's the deal. You have to pay. It's not a scam.

I took the same route when I met my producer. I asked him if we could go off a "points" system for payment (similar to percentages) or giving him a percentage. He said no and wanted cash. I thought that was shady and started looking around. I have to tell you I had gone through interviewing about 10 producers and they all said the same. I ended up going back to the first one and paying him, and he made the album a success... really really worked his butt off on it.

I couldnt be happier. Here's the deal. No one will work for you or with you, regardless of how much they like you or your voice, no matter how successful they think you'll be, unless you pay. the industry has changed. It's not the same as it used to. There are millions of talented artists out there who can sing, and have the image, that will NEVER get signed and NEVER make a penny. If a producer or A&R Rep took a percentage of every one of them, they would be dead broke and out of work. 

I know you think your daughter is the next best thing to R&B, and you should support her like that... she's your daughter... But from someone who has been going through the same reality check, you need to understand that she is a dime a dozen, and no one is going to take a chance, unless it's the label themselves, on working out a contract where they were not compensated up front, but instead paid off percentages. Believe me, even now I'm getting calls from A&R Reps who want to sign me to a contract, and every single one of them ask for the payment first. No percentages. And these are VERY reputable firms. 

If she was Rhianna, then yeah, all for it... cause they KNOW she'll make money. But until she has that fan base, and is selling multi-platinum albums and selling out arenas, plan on forking over the cash upfront if you want to see results. And THAT's the truth buddy... it's just how the industry works. Sorry to burst your bubble, but good luck to your daughter. 

Re Al Gomes, I've posted my dealings with him and, in my opinion, show him for what he is.

I also sent, in one of my last emails to Mr. Gomes, a dance track, performed by my daughter, Amanda, and written by myself and which is entitled: "Loving You".

This particular track was best described, by an internationally-established manager, as having "broad appeal on an international scale". I hope Mr. Gomes forgets all about this track and doesn't try to do anything with it.

Here's a breakdown of my telephone calls to a certain number - something familiar about it, wouldn't you agree:

International Calls

Date Time Number Destination Duration Cost

09/12 00:24 0014012744770 U.S.A. 00:00:12 0.000
09/12 11:54 0014012744770 U.S.A. 00:00:52 0.000
09/12 18:40 0014012744770 U.S.A. 00:04:10 0.000
09/12 22:42 0014012744770 U.S.A. 00:00:17 0.000
09/12 22.57 0014012744770 U.S.A. 00:02:19 0.000

If anyone reading is wondering why their is no cost for all off my calls, I get free calls to the USA and most European countries.

Below is an email from Al and my reply where I try to improve on the story he wanted me to print here:

Re: Removing Report

Al Gomes
...
AddFriday, 13 February, 2009 16:14:24
To:Stuart Stuart

Looks great!


Stuart Stuart wrote:
> Al,
>
> If you say I phone Al Gomes again, anyone reading would wonder why I didn't go through to the wrong number again.
>
> I would say something like: I just phoned the number posted by Al Gomes and was rather shocked to find myself speaking to someone totally different from my first call.and, who it turns out, is the real Al Gomes.
>
> I have double-checked the number on my phone bill against the one posted by Mr. Gomes and, to my horror, have discovered there is a one digit difference in them, which means whoever it was I first spoke to was NOT the Al Gomes replying to my original post here. Whoever I spoke to must have been at it in winding me up as they did and had a good laugh at my expense.
>
> I cannot apologize enough to Mr. Al Gomes and any of his staff who may have been affected and embarrassed by my mistake and, having checked out, properly, his background, I have discovered he has indeed helped out not just a few dozen, but actually hundreds of recording artists over quite a few years.
>
> I hope Mr Gomes can find it within himself to accept my apology and this will definitely teach me to be much more rigorous and careful in my future dealings with anyone in this business.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Stuart
>
> From: Al Gomes
> To: Stuart Stuart
> Sent: Friday, 13 February, 2009 11:40:09
> Subject: Re: Removing Report
>
> Stuart:
>
> My partner is still trying to resolve this -- it's possible to do that.
>
> Is it OK if we post this on your behalf in the meantime:
>
> I phoned Al Gomes again and found it was not the same person I originally spoke to on December 10, 2008. I discovered there was a one-digit difference in my telephone bill statement to your phone number, which means I must have phoned someone else that day.
>
> I apologize immensely to Al Gomes and regret posting this report on him. Upon further research, I've found that he and his company have helped hundreds of recording artists to achieve their dreams.
>
> Stuart, Glasgow
> >
> Let's talk further about Amanda after this is posted.
>
> Al
>

I will be posting, over the next few days, emails between myself and Al Gomes, showing him asking me to change my story, which he first did in a recent telephone conversation between the two of us when he offered to promote my daughter's profile for nothing if I said, in print, we had not originally spoke on the phone and he had NOT said what he did, that I had, mistakenly, phoned another number with a one digit difference and got through to someone else, when, in actual fact, the number WAS Al's as my detailed telephone bill will prove.

I have to admit, I was a naive idiot to listen to him and I even tried to improve upon the story he came up with - most of us learn the hard way at some point in our lives and I did in trying to deal with this slithering character.

Please let me clarify something from my last entry.
Al accepts NO money whatsoever to submit his artists for the Grammys.

No part of the fee that I paid Al to help shape a game plan for me, raise my profile, promote my music, and help put my career on track, went towards his submission of myself to the Grammys.

Once one of his artists' recordings is compleated, and if Al deems that recording to be of the standards of quality and excellence that the Grammys aspire to, then yes, he is proud to submit his artist to be considered for a nomination.

Kurt Crasper

February 12, 2009

I just phoned the number posted by Al Gomes and was rather shocked to find myself speaking to someone totally different from my first call and, who it turns out, is the real Al Gomes.

I have double-checked the number on my phone bill against the one posted by Mr. Gomes and, to my horror, have discovered there is a one digit difference in them, which means whoever it was I first spoke to was NOT the Al Gomes replying to my original post here. Whoever I spoke to must have been at it in winding me up as they did and had a good laugh at my expense.

I cannot apologize enough to Mr. Al Gomes and any of his staff who may have been affected and embarrassed by my mistake and, having checked out, properly, his background, I have discovered he has indeed helped out not just a few dozen, but actually hundreds of recording artists over quite a few years.

I hope Mr Gomes can find it within himself to accept my apology and this will definitely teach me to be much more rigorous and careful in my future dealings with anyone in this business.

Sincerely,

Stuart

My name is Kurt. I have been in and out of the music business for 30 years at least. It is the hardest business to break in to, almost impossible, on a large scale, from what I can tell. I finished my album Wolftickets in 2006. I signed a promotion contract with Al Gomes. He told me he would promote my music by shoping it to the record companies, managers, booking agencies, and so fourth. The other thing he told me is that he may possibly be able to get me on the 50th anerversery Grammy Ballot, he had done it for other artists before. He e-mailed me the contract. $360 00 down and $260 a month for 4 months. That was $1400.00 total. I called him and said. " you can do all that for 1400 bucks? " He said he loved my music and fealt I had a pretty good shot at the industry. I was a little leary just like any one else would be so booked a flight and flew out to Rhode Island and met with him over lunch and when I left I handed him a check and told him I trusted him and I still do.

On December 6th 2006 Al called me extatic and told me the National Achademy of Recording Arts and Sciences had placed me on the 50th Anerversery Grammy Ballot in 2 categories

category 6 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance entry #.028 for the song
" Ramp Tramp"

category 11 Best Pop Vocal Album for the album " Wolftickets "

I have recently signed a new contract with Al, I am in the process of compleating my second album " Honky Tonk Amnesia " and look forward to working with him this year. Hopefull I will get signed this year , or not ? Who Knows ? Maby Al can get me to the Grammy Ballot again this year. I am confident he will do every thing he can to honor our agreement.

Hi Al...good to be in contact with you again, unless this is another mental breakdown I'm having and it's all part of my disturbed imagination.

Ok, let me see, you've told all the good folk reading this that we've never had ANY communication in the past, that you are, more or less, the victum of some nutter or it's a genuine mistake.

Al, you're not thinking deep enough on how to cover your tracks and keep up the appearance of being a good boy - think, Mr. Gomes, there is a very easy way for me to prove we indeed DID have our conversation...got it yet?

Still not sure what I'm talking about? Then let me put you out of your misery. If our conversation never happened, then I wont have, on record, a printout from my telephone company showing, in great detail, the destination/phone number, time and date of call and cost, to you - is that right?

Maybe you're still going to say you never took the call at your place or office...maybe some competitor, jealous of your runaway success, is sneaking in after you've gone home for the evening, answers the phone and gives out doggy info?

As for getting performers, from all over the world and some very strapped for cash, to foot the bill and phone you, I have still to come across a decent, reputable, blue-chip company who indulge in this practice, The so-called reason you give for doing this leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Stu

p.s. If you want me to post a copy of my phone bill, showing our our conversation did indeed take place, just ask.

This conversation between myself and a man named Stuart from Glasgow never happened. Let me repeat that. This conversation NEVER happened.

This individual did indeed receive my email and seems to have called another listing / phone number in the Bandit Newsletter and had this encounter with someone else. But it wasn't me (love the multiple typos in the posting, by the way, which puts its validity and truthfulness in question, especially in getting the location of our business correct).

I have never spoken to someone from Glasgow, or for that matter a new artist in the UK since the spring of 2008.

And in 19 years of business, I have only spoken to one father about his daughter named Amanda. She is a recording artist with whom we have had a very fruitful and great working relationship and accomplished many great things together. That is the only Amanda we've ever come in contact with.

We're very proud of our work over the last 19 years and we do indeed get hired to do what we do. We give all of our clients not 100%, but 300% of our blood, sweat and tears to make sure their career goes where it needs to go. When we work together as a team, amazing things happen.

We have won many accolades and awards for our work since our inception, and we've assisted many great artists in the launch of their careers.

Our clients repeatedly tell us that the time they spend working with us is the most fun and best experience they've ever had in their music career, and they continually tell us they have never been treated with more respect as artists.

As to the details in this postings of this supposed conversation on 12/10/2008:

I do not 'mumble' or 'stutter and stammer' when I speak. I do not hesitate when answering a potential artist's question, as I am very confident in our knowledge, our abilities, and as to what we can do for artists we work with. In fact, people who call our office for the first time repeatedly tell me it's the best and most honest conversation they've had that day with someone in the music business.

We do not ask an artist to contact us back to 'foot the bill,' as he states. Asking an artist to call us is a barometer for us to see if they're truly interested in working with us based on our great history, and that they're not just spamming people in the industry to see who bites. We want them to be as excited about us as we are about them.

I do not tell people who contact us that we'll 'be back in touch in around 6 weeks with a price.' We usually decide together right then and there if what we do is right for them. Artists usually tell us what they've accomplished in their career thus far and we usually discuss a ballpark budget for what we need to do at that moment. Granted, we have set times in the year's calendar when we begin working with new artists, and we do we tell them that we will get back to them when we are ready to begin. So for Stuart to say that I was getting back to him with a price,' again, never happened.

And if someone is unemployed, I would never be so insensitive as to say the words, 'get back in touch if things changed,' as if money is the only thing that makes us do what we do (we have assisted many clients over the years that fall on hard times). I do tell artists without the budget to work with us the first time that they call us, 'We've been doing this for 19 years.
We're not going anywhere. We love what we do. And at some point, if you think we can work together, you can call me back anytime. The door is always open.'

For the record, we were indeed contacted by John Waterman of the Bandit Newsletter and were told that listings in the newsletter are only for companies that work for a commission. We specifically told him we were an award-winning creative firm that gets hired to do what we do. Why we were eventually listed in issue 251 of his newsletter is still a mystery to us.

I welcome any artist who is thinking of working with us and has any questions and wants to talk about the listing posted here about us, and about my rebuttal, to call me any time at 401-274-4770 USA.

Thank you.