R.A.G. - Recording Artist Guild is a Fraud & NOT what they present to be to the aspiring artists. They prey on those dreaming to be a success in the music industry, & charge exhorbitant fees and lead people to believe that they are similar to a unionized body or professional association like S.A.G. - the Screen Actors Guild. In fact they are a FOR PROFIT company lead by a producer Byron Booker with minimal credits. No major industry prominent indivis=duals own it. There is NO association with any collective such as SAG or the Sreenwriters Guilds.
RAG charges hundreds of dollars in fees & 'memberships', & for services with little or no direct affiliation with the actual music industry leaders. They are no governmental body or not for profit association, as they like to present themselves as, ala SAG. But a straight commercial venture FOR PROFIT, offering PAY TO PLAY gigs, questionable 'health insurance', digital distribution that is easily gained without going through a PAY TO PLAY organization like this. They claim the distribution is through 'Universal Music Group', when IN FACT is with a third party company that has a basic deal with Ingrooves Fontana. That company once had an association with Universal as a partner.
Their leadership is from a small time producer with marginal credits acting like he was or is an industry 'bigwig' & was 'elected' to this association. When in fact it is soley a FOR PROFIT company that only benefits him, & provides marginal overpriced services through questionable companies like A&R SELECT who has hundreds of FRAUD & RIP OFF REPORTS through bilking artists with no results of promised claims. Their association with CINSAY is just an 'on demand' printer who makes MOST the profit of an artist having their fans 'order a shirt or item' at a highly inflated price.
We paid $600.00 for a 'membership' that has proven worthless & overcharged for every serice, having spent over $2000.00 on 'services' with no results or real credibility in the actual music & entertainment industry. When asked no refunds or reports were given. They ARE not to be trusted or believed that they are some non-profit association of artists. Just another FRAUD to keep Byron Booker in a flashy car & rented office, leading a 'playboy lifestyle' on these poor aartists fees!
Music Label
Cleveland,#2Author of original report
Fri, January 03, 2014
Where SAG (Screen Actors Guild) is a federally recognized Union, a non-profit association, RAG is simply a FOR PROFIT company, that has very questionable tactics, value & associations - ALL for the profit of one Byron Booker. Byron was never even an accomplished heavyweight in the industry, just a small time music producer who had an idea to profit from unsuspecting artists trying to make it. RAG misleads them to believe they are 'like SAG', when they are completely opposite. For profit, in conjunction with companies like A&R SELECT who has massive complaints & horrible reputation in the industry, & RAG doesn't offer any sunstantial services. Discounts on health care that anyone can get on their own, 'digital distribution' through third party deals, & 'promotions' by marginal third parties with questionable skills & reputations. We were SHOCKED how faulty the company was & how they constantly hounded us to 'pay more, pay more & pay more' for silly gigs or theit SXSW 'floor show' that they had to pay Sean Combs a QUARTER MILLION Dollars (125k+125k) to come & speak for 10 seconds (that's TWENTYFIVE THOUSAND a second) & then leave PISSED! Spoke to him after & he was LIVID - hated the organization, thought Byron was a JOKE & asked his people 'WHO tha F*** was that?" & to 'never have me associated with them again!'. That's their big 'claim to fame'??
Pathetic excuse to prey on all these artists trying to have REAL TANGIBLE help. Just say 'STAY OFF THE RAG!'
mel
Manhattan,#3REBUTTAL Owner of company
Fri, January 03, 2014
An A&R person from RAG contacted me (Jessica) and told me they love one of my songs. Please contact us to discuss details. When I contacted them I asked which song they were interested in and where they had listened to it. She told me the name of the song and that she heard it on my Reverbnation page earlier that day and felt she could really help me place the song. I told her I would get back to her later that evening. I went to my Reverbnation stat page and had noticed that none of my songs had been played for over a week. I let her know this fact and all of a sudden she was no longer interested in talking to me. Of course in the first conversation she was looking for money to join RAG and promising all kinds of benefits. I later spoke to my many friends from that music site and found out that they recieved the same message claiming that RAG was interested in one of thier songs. A while back I got an email from A&R Select saying the exact same thing about one of my songs and wanting me to give them $699 to make a better recording. Now I see the two companies are some how connected. These made up companies pray on unknowing independent artists and are money making SCAMS!
Music Label
Cleveland,#4Author of original report
Wed, December 04, 2013
When you have to 'SELL TICKETS' to an event THAT is 'PAY TO PLAY'. The 'Guild' is a sly way of attempting to present RAG as a 'Nonprofit Association' for altruistic reasons, when it is a FOR PROFIT Company out to benefit Byron Booker. It is misleading those to believe it is similar to SAG or SWG, clearly different types of organizations.
So CINSAY has been there a year, so what, it's still overpriced T-Shirts & merch that pay a small fraction of the cost back to the selling artist. A LOSE-LOSE situation, the fan gets bilked for overpriced items (hoping to support the artist) & the CINSAY & RAG get the LIONSHARE of the fees paid. Nothing better than an artist can do on their own with a TON of companies, & don't need to pay 'membership fees' for that.
He didn't address THE FACTS their main Film/TV placement company A&R SELECT has TONS of complaints of Artists getting RIPPED OFF & mislead, with reams of complaining artists! The FEW placements mentioned is a 'drop in the bucket' of fees artists were charged, a fraction of what they might have 'earned'.
The Whole RAG concept is misleading, artists thinking they have 'joined some union or association' like the MUSICIANS UNION or SCREEN ACTORS GUILD. The minimal services they provided for my steep costs we paid for 'membership' don't equate. we can get SUPERIOR SERVICES for LESS with MORE FLEXIBILITY & don't get charged every month to be a 'member', that really does't mean ANYTHING to the REAL MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY! We say 'GET OFF THE RAG!'
Byron Booker CEO
Hollywood,#5REBUTTAL Owner of company
Wed, December 04, 2013
I'd like to first mention a few key points. One is that Cinsay is full a partner with is us for over a year. Here is a press release going over this:
prweb.com/releases/2012/12/prweb10230111.htm
It is also important to note that we have had absolutely zero negative complaints in all our years in business helping artists.
We successfully booked over 45 artists and bands at this past SXSW and had Sean "Diddy" Combs hosting our event. We will be booking more than that for 2014 SXSW. We already have a venue locked in and have began booking our artists.
Here is a press release going over Sean "Diddy" Combs hosting our even at this past SXSW: prweb.com/releases/2013/2/prweb10444552.htm
We have also had our artists placed into major motion pictures along with much more in film & TV, and have run plenty of successfull radio campaigns with our artists.
Here is a company we work with to acheive opportunity for our artists for film & TV placements:
mechanismmedia.com/publishing.html
Although it is sad to see a negative review after working so hard for our artists, these things are bound to happen at least once I suppose.
On one more final note, all members of The Recording Artists Guild can book gigs with us at our showcases, or venues without paying to play. We have never booked any of our artists at showcases, gigs, or SXSW and had them pay to play. As a matter of fact the artists that played at our event at SXSW "Rags 2 Riches" hosted by P-Diddy, got payed.
I do not know who the person is who posted the negative comment here since they do not state thier name, email, or any contact info. There is no actual proof this person is even a client with us at all.
We will be very happy to help them of course and get any matter resolved that may exist.
I look forward to continued success with our aritsts and bands now and in the future.
-Byron