Robert Fripp is engaged in a legal dispute with the David Bowie estate over his role on 'Heroes'.
The guitarist helped record the seminal 1977 album, the mid-way point of Bowie's famed Berlin Trilogy.
Returning to the Bowie fold on 1980 full length 'Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)' his distinctive Frippotronic sound pushed Bowie in a fresh direction.
Now it seems that the relationship between Robert Fripp and the David Bowie estate has frayed. In an extensive new statement the musician has detailed his legal struggles to be termed a 'Feature Player' on those albums.
He writes: "The dispute centres on the refusal of PPL and the David Bowie estate to acknowledge that RF's contribution to the Heroes and Scary Monsters albums is that of a Featured Player. This accreditation as a Featured Player is supported by Brian Eno, Tony Visconti, David Bowie himself (although the terminology was not then in use), and the Court Of Public Opinion over four decades."
The arguments are ongoing, with Robert Fripp helping to break down the legal terminologies by referring to his own experiences in the music industry:
"Dear innocent, reasonable reader: please note – we are dealing with the music industry here. Fifty-two years of direct, hands-on experience suggests to me that the majority of players who operate the system, operate the system to serve their own interests."
"There are a small number of players whose aim is ethical action in business; not directing the industry to promote their own personal interests; these assertions supported by decades of documentation."
Check out the full statement below.
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