A Guy Called Gerald launches crowdfund to fight 'Voodoo Ray' royalties battle

A Guy Called Gerald has launched a crowdfunder in order to fight the unfair treatment he alleges against the Rham Records label.

After making a statement earlier in May, Gerald Simpson is looking to claim royalties for “Voodoo Ray” and Hot Lemonade, due to their charting success.

His crowdfunding page reads:

"As 'Voodoo Ray' raced to No.12 in the charts, I had to live in a squat, work at McDonalds and give interviews out of phone boxes. Yet the guys running the label, selling my music, never paid me a single penny for my part in the label's success."

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Simpson goes on to speak about the frustration he felt due to the label treating him unfairly, saying:

“Acid House's summer of love was in full swing and all I could think about was survival, while these guys spent the next four years exploiting my music.”

The records were uploaded to streaming services by Rham Records after they reappeared in 2019, many years after the label was abandoned in 1992. Simpson says that the label did this without permission.

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Simpson is aiming to raise £20,000 in order to fight the legal battle.

He said: "My work is blatantly being taken advantage of, again, and it's time to end this, there is no agreement between me and this new company, verbal or otherwise, and I'm reaching out to you, asking for your help to stop this crook who is stealing from me."

You can find the crowdfunder here.

Tope Olufemi is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow them on Twitter