Wow wow wow, I really wanted one of these. Glad I didn't get it but this is truly upsetting to see so many people lose money for something that means a lot to them. I'm very sorry for anyone that paid for this.
The amount of money put into this project converts to nearly 7.5k in USD.
You know what I would give to have had even a small fraction of that $7.5k when my cat was dying of cancer and I was barely scraping up enough money just to afford consultation appointments to find out what was wrong with her so I could have ended her suffering sooner?
You know what I would give to have had a fraction of that money just to have helped family members of mine afford treatments to help ease their agony and get them comfortable while they endured terminal illness?
And yet I have to see someone use that much money (that wasn't even theirs to use to begin with,) to pay off a Mac computer and a Netflix subscription, among other luxuries, and chalk up such irresponsible financial decisions as "essential to human existence." I think everyone continued to lead quality lives just fine without DVDs being shipped to their houses in 1998 and their favorite shows being streamed directly to their devices since 2007.
I thought the case of Ethan Couch would have been the first and last time I had to hear about the poppycock diagnosis of "affluenza"; clearly it is contagious and exists in various strains.
You know what I did when my Spotify Premium subscription was up and I couldn't afford to pay another month? I didn't renew it.
You know what I did when my PlayStation Plus subscription was up and I couldn't afford to pay for another month? I didn't renew it.
You know what I did when I quit my job in November under the false pretense that I had another job lined up, and couldn't afford Christmas gifts because I was unemployed? I didn't spend money I didn't have, and I told everyone not to worry about me for Christmas.
I especially did not use money given by people, who were customers expecting a product to be developed and distributed to them as promised, to pay off debts I racked up under my own accord.
As someone who suffers from depression, anxiety, and OCD, that open letter was absolutely cringeworthy to read, because I saw more investment in elaborate and outrageous excuses to justify irresponsibility, practically begging readers to say "Oh, I TOTALLY get that," than I saw investment in assuming full responsibility and remorse for letting one's personal issues cloud their judgment.
As the son of a business owner, and as a partner of a creative business, that open letter was absolutely cringeworthy to read, because under zero circumstances do you touch a single red cent of your customers' monies before you provide them absolutely 100% of your services. You do not touch a single red cent of your customers' monies before you provide them the quality product they paid for.
Putting the copyright legalities of the lyrics alone aside, as far as the use of pictures go, that money could have been used to pay artists to replicate photos or even contribute their own art for the project. I can already tag a handful of members on this forum who are talented and aspiring artists/graphic designers, and would have loved to contribute to this project for a small fee, or even for free, had they been asked or offered the opportunity.
He says he intends to refund everyone, but I have to chuckle at the advertising of snapbacks, as though his reputation as a seller has not been compromised in the slightest, and anyone who already lost money investing in the book, would be inclined to confidently put another dime into his business. Bite the bullet, try harder to find work, and actually earn the money that is going to be used to pay everyone back.
Even then, let's say that he gets a job where he is paid $9/hr. or better, and intends to put $200 aside out of each paycheck to pay off the debt his shenanigans caused him. If he is paid bi-weekly, he is only seeing a paycheck 26/52 weeks a year, which means that it would take him at least a year just to pay off $5.2k of what he owes everyone, adding on another 11.5 weeks to pay off the remaining $2.3k or so, if I am doing my math right.
With that kind of time-frame, I'd love to see how well he commits to this lofty attempt at redemption and compensation, as nice as the ideal sounds when you are looking at it through rose-colored glasses. It sounds like there is an overwhelming amount of customers to keep track of, and I'd be concerned that, eventually, he would lose track, and either forget people, or accidentally give people double or triple the amount they are owed.
I certainly hope he figures it out as soon as he puts his life, his values and his priorities in perspective, and I certainly hope everyone who invested in this failed project gets their money back, one way or another; and if the above theory is the most likely approach to each customer seeing their refund, they start thinking about if they are willing to wait that long, or intend to take other measures to get the refund they deserve. PayPal only handles claims within 180 days of the transaction so I wouldn't expect them to willingly rush to everyone's aid.
I also hope that the moderators have been considering how to possibly handle future situations like this, should another member attempt to use their fellow peers and their love for an artist to gain profit, and fail to carry out their obligation as a vendor/seller with the utmost integrity and consideration; and so it is not misunderstood (as I love and respect each of the mods here,) I am not saying "I hope" as a passive-aggressive jab. I am saying it as a genuine inquiry because as a fellow member here, the integrity of our community is just as important to me as I know it is to everyone else, no matter who was involved in this.
Underneath the layers of excuses and awkward attempts to persuade everyone into pity and understanding, this was still a scam like any other. Regardless of whether or not anyone involved could have used better judgment than to invest in a product, that didn't even at least make it past the prototype phase, friends and peers were manipulated by a member of our community, with whom they had entrusted a monetary investment. It is just as much of a display of poor character as it is when members here spread false rumors of unreleased music to garner attention, and not for the sake of a laugh or to make a point. We've had good members who have been banned for less and never got to explain themselves.
At least Katy can hold a note (even if it's horrid), and Marina can write original music, unlike Satan Swiftler's gargled flatline voice and copying and pasting Born to Die aesthetics for two consecutive albums
I just woke up to the whole Marina & Lana thing and I am having a meltdown my two favourites omg. Even if this doesn't mean a collab, I'm just so happy that they acknowledged each other. I love them. #larina4ever
Not that I would ever expect Marina and Lana to collab anyways, but all of y'all calling Marina's music trash are just objectively wrong. Don't discount my girl Marina like that
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