Let me tell you about it...

Hello.

It's been some time since I've posted a blog. So...Happy New Year I guess.

Before I get into the "Doom'n Gloom" I just want to get some housekeeping out of the way. The month of January has been Kakuranger Month on my Youtube channel. Last weekend I uploaded the third of five total videos. I'm feeling great about the videos since I loooove Kakuranger. It's also great to see that everyone out there seems to not only like the show and the toys, but also the videos I've made. For that, I thank you.

Kakure Daishogun was my 247th video. Ninjaman will be my 248th video. The final Kakuranger video which is a secret will be my 249th video. Big plans for my 250th? You bet! On February 5th I will show one of the rarest toys note the word RARE. Not only is a Dragonbuckler NOT rare, but I already reviewed it four years ago not only in my collection, but one of the rarest Sentai toys to be released in the last ten years. It's going to be exciting. I have already spilled what it is on my twitter feed, but if you don't follow...well, you're just going to have to wait.

That is... IF I make it to 250...

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Youtube has a three strike system. In the span of a week I managed to get one and two. My channel is currently hanging on by a thread. I can't say I'm outraged or even mad by the sudden attention by Record Label X, but I am puzzled for a number of reasons.

1. Removal - I have had labels give my videos notice in the past. Primarily my car reviews. I am quite cunning in how I choose my music when it comes to my car reviews. I do the reseach into what label owns what song in addition to making sure I pick fitting music. This has kept me very safe. I have gotten attention from the labels, but the worst that has ever happened is two of my car reviews being blocked solely in Japan. The others just have adverts slapped on or something minimal.

The problem I'm facing involves my bread and butter--my Sentai videos. Record Label X apparently doesn't take kindly to having some of their music featured in my videos. Again, fine by me. Instead of making a little bit of money off of me using their out-of-print music, they sought to out right remove videos featuring the music. If I woke up tomorrow and my videos were coated with ads, I wouldn't care one bit. As long as I can make the videos I want to make i.e. videos that don't involve some schlub blabbing on about a toy with intermitten movement I would be happy. I'll do the leg work, you make the money. Removing it outright is a dick move. It's a dick move that they're entitled to make, but it's still something that doesn't really help them make any money off of what is, essentially, dead music to them.

2. Their choice in videos - The first wave of videos removed was a pretty big chunk. Removed from my channel were all but two of my Ohranger videos and my RV Robo [from Carranger] video. I would really like to know... Why *those* videos? I'm trying to find the common thread. I know they were mostly from the same series, but RV Robo leaves me puzzled. The tracks had various composers and singers, so that isn't it. Someone at Label X has a serious hard-on for Ohranger...and RV Robo.

The second wave was more of a little splash. One video removed in the second strike, my video on the Go-onger Song Collection Engine Soul. You know, the video where the music is coming from the Engine Soul. At this point, I just feel like Label X is digging way too deep on this.

3. Oh sure, *I'M* the one using all the unauthorized music - As a music aficionado, I own pretty much every disc Label X releases for the shows I watch. No kidding... Here is a picture I took just now of a small sample of my massive, and legitimate, music collection...




If you look closely, that is a handful of CD Singles from Label X between 1998-2000. My CD Singles span from 1989-Present for Label X with many more from other labels. Now, I'm not saying that owning tons discs gives me the right to it's contents--oh no. The main point I'm getting at is... I've been watching you, Label X. You're bigger crooks than what you make me out to be.

After the whole Kenji Yamamoto scandal from last year, it was revealed that Label X, as well as a few other labels, had been basically putting out music that this scammer of a composer had been putting his spin on for years. The earliest work of this particular composer that I noticed was from a piece from Dragon Ball Z called Battle Point Unlimited. It's very little more than a mashup between three songs from the German band Propaganda. The song in question was released in 1991--a full twenty years prior to the "discovery" by not Label X, but Toei Animation. It's funny how Label X is a huge offshoot of a huuuuge entity, yet they didn't discover even the most blatent of his ripoffs.

A timely example has reared it's ugly head in my beloved Kakuranger via composer Eiji Kawamura. I even featured this particular example in one of Kakuranger month videos. Check it out...

Listen to me...

...and now listen to me...

That is the kind of shit that Label X either plays dumb about, or worse, turns a blind eye to. Seriously...wasn't Blade Runner a huge darling as a film AND as a soundtrack? Tsubasamaru's theme IS an uptempo version of the creepy End Credit theme from the film. It doesn't resemble it...it IS it.

I am trying to document all the weird things I've noticed in all of my years listening to music from Label X's composers. Some brief examples...

-Liveman steals not only the theme from the classic Adam West Batman series, but the theme from Magnum PI.
-Janperson steals from the theme from Star Trek: The Next Penetration Generation.
-Blue SWAT has the hilarious theft of the Back To The Future theme song.
-Moero!! Robocon's second (I think) ending song steals from Rod Stewart's "Da ya think I'm Sexy?"
-Zyuranger's theme was composed by Mr. Scandal himself, Kenji Yamamoto. Need I say more?
-Dairanger stole from Star Wars. I can't stand Star Wars, but even I enjoy how comical it was that the "Imperial March" somehow made it way into one of the best Sentai shows of the 90s.

...and so on. I might include some samples of these in the future. It would be a little time consuming to put all of these tracks together. Maybe. Stay tuned.

My point is, Label X has been operating with it's fingers in it's ear for decades and now wants to end my channel? OK. I'd be a little more accepting if they released a whole disc of good, honest music from a composer who isn't a scammer.

Atleast I'm not the one who has made a red cent out of any of this.

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I do have these parting words for this blog entry:

I am CCLemon99.

The channel might change in the future, but I will always be CCLemon99.

You have watched my videos for almost five years now, and I thank you deeply. Even if my options totally dry up, I hope my videos gave you atleast a little bit of entertainment.

OK, OK. I know my videos aren't to be taken too seriously, but I have met a ton of wonderful people over the years, and hopefully I have earned those 3,400+ Subscribers and 30,000,000+ video views. It certainly has been a ride and an experience.

I wish to continue as long as I have the power to.

Keep it real!

-CC