Video Interview: Fireball Ministry Fought for Their (Album) Rights – and Scored a Big Victory
The track record of musicians suing the record labels that employed them is pretty dismal. The reason is obvious: Artists generally aren’t very wealthy. Meanwhile, the companies that hire creators for their services – and not uncommonly have a sick fetish for screwing them over when the relationship sours – have more money than they know what to do with.
That’s why it’s such a cause for celebration when artists defeat their employers, which are typically corporate controlled, in David-beats-Goliath fashion. One of the most heartwarming examples of an underdog band scoring a major court victory over their former label recently transpired when pioneering stoner-rock squad Fireball Ministry won back the rights to what is largely considered their best record, 2003’s The Second Great Awakening.
Thanks to their big win, Fireball Ministry reissued The Second Great Awakening in conjunction with their current label, Ripple Music, roughly a month ago. The colored vinyl re-release comes with the song “Dark Descend,” a bonus track previously available in Europe only. Earlier this month, The Bad Penny caught up with Fireball Ministry co-founder and guitar virtuoso Emily Burton to witness her excitement over the result of the litigation, as well as to learn about the exhausting experience she and her bandmates went through to achieve it.
For more on Fireball Ministry, visit their website, Facebook page, Instagram account and Bandcamp profile.
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