A reader just informed me that APPLE's recent Logic Pro X includes "Drummer", a virtual drummer plug-in. One of the virtual drummers is named "aidan", who apparently cannot find the CAPS key on his virtual MacBook. In Aidan's "Portland Kit" we find styles named with Portland, OR-specific titles, like "Powell's World" and "Burnside." Okay, whatever. But one of the styles is named "Jackpot." Now one might know that I've owned a studio in Portland named "Jackpot!" since 1997. And I've recorded many well-known "indie rock" records there. It also appears our virtual "Drummer" Aiden plays "indie rock beats."
I'm totally pissed off. I've spent my life serving the musicians of the Northwest and beyond with an affordable studio and great results. If a mega-huge corporation like APPLE Inc. wishes to create virtual drum beats for people to use, they can start thinking about making up their own names or licensing names that they think may give them a cachet. If my studio was named "Abbey Road" I can guarantee you that APPLE would never try and steal that name for their own products. Once again, I'm pissed. APPLE is using a name that they think sounds "cool" with no regard to what it may imply.
I dropped my lawyer a line. It looks like no matter what, it would just cost me money to get them to cease and desist. It's certainly doubtful they would ever make reparations on this. It's bad enough that the tech sector has opened the gateway to hell and has destroyed independent labels, record stores and the like. Now they're happy to steal the "idea" of your hard work and your identity and sell it to the world. Your whole life can be sold off like some "cool" commodity. Great. Wonderful.
Fuck you, APPLE.
