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Authenticity is Everything
WARNING! Elton John's store selling Autopens as real
FB RACC members who bought these sold as signed by Elton John in his store have compared theirs—they're Autopens, essentially identical.
Infuriating!
Tags: autopen, elton john, store
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by David Blaydes on
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just received a reply just told to return for a refund
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I don’t think this is about theses artists seeking to make money from autopens - they’re already minted - there is an evolving method of marketing a new album so it charts as high as possible on the week of release by offering bundles, as fans often buy multiple copies - pic disc, coloiur, signed print etc.
The last 2 Van Morrison albums are examples of releases that without signed options they would perhaps not have charted top ten - these artists don’t want the money they want the chart position.
This approach can be positive - new bands like Sports Team, Lathums etc. using signed bundles and appearances in record stores to meet fans and build a following - but also negative where an established artist’s marketing team takes the technique but don’t put in the effort.
Personally I would never buy a signed item from a ‘legend’ artist like Elton John or Van Morrison without unequivocal proof they personally and individually hand signed it - ask yourself, is it really likely Elton is going to sit down and sign hundreds of albums?
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Permalink Reply by Kai Jones on
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But he did sit down and sign tons of stuff in the last 2 yrs. - so why was this particular release autopen? That is the mystery.
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Permalink Reply by Jason H on
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Yep, he signs TTM still even now but not as much as in the past. He's had autograph events in person such as his book release many years ago. Ive always thought of elton as someone who loves to see his name written and takes pleasure in doing so. His autograph was always pretty easy to obtain and cheap on the secondary market up until about 8 to 10 years ago. The release of his movie coupled with his multi year farewell tour have skyrocketed demand. Maybe realizing this, on top of signing thousands of autographs for the last few cd releases got to him?
One possibility is this is all decided and produced by management teams. In the case of Dolly Parton for instance, she has a VAST amount of merchandise out there. Hundreds maybe even in the thousands of items. Its possible she signed a release for the use of an autopen machine for marketing, to be used by her team as they see fit. Theres no way to know for certain what goes on behind closed doors but I can totally see management making a decision to use her autopen on certain items because legally its permitted and or its a cost and time issue.
I'm not defending this practice at all. If you know me, you know how much I despise the use of autopens, especially for profit on the backs of fans and collectors. Ive never seen an autopen used for Elton before and this is very surprising to me. Im just saying that it may be possible that these celebrities have no clue to how their facsimile signatures are exactly used until we start complaining. If management is able to sell out, while reselling a few returns without any noise being made, why not keep doing it?
Logically, you have to think these celebrities are completely aware of whats going on. Dylan admitted he knew, sinead o'connor admitted as well. Anyways, I had a half hour to kill so figured I'd write a bit about how I feel with this one. Its uncharacteristic of Elton and crazy anyone would still try after the backlash with Dylan, even if it is technically for a free item with purchase. Its still false advertising. Celebrities and their management both need to be held accountable and know we will not take it. This is why its important to make some noise every time this happens, even if you did not make a purchase.
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Permalink Reply by JIMMY JAMES on
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Jason H , I agree with you 1,000% !!!
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Permalink Reply by Yony Mark on
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| is it really likely Elton is going to sit down and sign hundreds of albums?
If Keanu Reeves, James Hetfield, Geddy Lee, Geezer Butler, and all five members of Avenged Sevenfold did it this year... and RHCP, Ozzy Osbourne, Def Leppard did it last year... then the anwser to that is Yes.
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Yeah, I really don't get it, the d**k measuring contest these artists get into. Jimmy Buffett passed away a billionaire, had a great life, and obviously didn't need the charts to be the end all, be all for him. Just good marketing, creating his own label, and touring made him rich af. Truman Capote and Hunter S Thompson as your friends? That's a pretty amazing life. F**k the autopen weasels.
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Permalink Reply by Jor-El on
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It's not about the artists. They have become a brand carried by a company behind it (UMG or any other label). That label has employees; a whole bunch of people depending on the brands for their salary. Those employees work in a warehouse distributing CDs, vinyl and merch for all their brands (artists) combined, they assist in planning and executing tours, they work in marketing. They need their artists to stay on top to make enough money to keep the machine running and people employed.
New albums need to be produced, marketed and sold to stay relevant. A high chart position brings exposure and more business (physical album sales but more importantly merchandise).
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Yep, totally understand the Pink Floyd "Have a Cigar / Welcome to the Machine" aspect of the music business, the artists are merely numbers on a piece of paper that need to generate maximum profits. It's the whole "lie, cheat, and steal" illegal part of the business that's perpetrated over and over that's a bit infuriating, to put it mildly. But hey, waddaya gonna do?
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I explicitly asked them for a replacement with an authentic signature. Obviously I am not holding my breath but it would be the right thing to do. The problem is that, by doing so, it could represent an indirect admission that the item is not authentic and they would need to bother Elton John (assuming he is not involved in this mess) to make it right.
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