Waterman, attending Simon Cowell's 'This is Your Life'
Millionaire British songwriter and entrepreneur Pete Waterman is upset with Google over the paltry royalty checks he’s been receiving from them for Youtube’s play of Rick Astley’s song “Never Gonna Give You Up,” a tune that Waterman penned.
Waterman only receive[d] £11 (about $16) in royalties last year from Google, despite being the man behind the song that spawned the Internet phenomena known as Rick Rolling. The number might be a tad on the low side, but we’d hardly call it exploitation. PRS for Music (the royalty collection agency that Waterman employs) and Google are working to reach a new licensing agreement, but have yet to strike a deal regarding how royalties should be dolled out for streaming online content.
Waterman, who in 2004 was estimated to be worth £47 million (just shy of $69 million), recently held a press conference in which he compared his plight to that of exploited migrant labor in Dubai.
We’re talking about a man with so much scratch that he collects antique trains– not tiny model toy trains, but actual, full-sized locomotives. Show me a migrant laborer in Dubai who has one of the world’s largest collections of antique locomotives, and then maybe I’ll care that you’re only getting paid a little bit of free money for doing nothing.
To be fair however, this is Dubai we’re talking about. For all I know, their idea of poor, exploited migrant labor could be displaced former AIG executives forced to drink 10-year-old (instead of 40-year old) scotch and sleep in 5,000 square foot, 4-bedroom “shacks” with no bidet.
Migrant workers in Dubai make far more than any of us do.
Way to miss the point.
I’m going to go Google “Never Gonna Give You Up” a few times just to piss off this pathetic douchebag.
Live in Dubai do you, Anonymous? Watch the queues of poor, undernourished workers who are the closest you’ll get to slaves in this day and age? They’re not making more than you do. And I doubt I do either – we’re not all playboys.
Ah whatever @ this guy.
I just bought Rick Astley’s CD for my brother at the Virgin store for $5. I’ve paid my dues, and I feel no guilt for Rickrollin the shit out of people every day for months back in 2007.
By the way, Kelly, you are amazing. Every single post is hilarious. Thankyou!
Pete Waterman is an Arse and he almost killed pop music with Stock & Aitken.
C’mon, give this ol’ chap a break. I mean when’s the last time someone from Dubai wrote a song that after repeated listening makes you want to blow your brains out just to relieve the pain?
Pete is good at what he does and is a very nice guy once you get to know him..