JOE FOSTER AND ROGER ARMSTRONG--LIARS AND THIEVES

Joe Foster

Joe Foster

Joe Foster Director of Rev-Ola Records UK


Roger Armstrong Director of ACE Records UK- Photo by Michael Daks



A much younger Roger Armstrong Ace Records

I have not previously been as blatant as I will be in this post, regarding my opinion of Joe Foster of Rev-Ola Records UK and Roger Armstrong of ACE Records UK. There are too many who come to me and voice their support for Foster, Armstrong, Alec Palao (consultant for Ace Records), and others, such as Cherry Red Records UK, who have all been involved in the theft and reissue of SONGS OF PROTEST AND ANTI PROTEST by Chris Lucey aka Bobby Jameson in 2002.

I am the last person anyone should come to and voice that opinion. At this point Joe Foster and Roger Armstrong are both shiny suited record company and publishing executives of the worst kind. They have long since faded from true creative endeavors, and have become the money hoarders and new power brokers, of the UK Reissue Empire.

Roger Armstrong and Joe Foster have grabbed, and continue to grab, as much money, publishing, and master rights as they possibly can to pad their own wallets. While Joe sits in Glasgow living a comfortable life, provided to him, in part, by money he has refused to pay to those to whom it is owed, but who are ill equipped to force him to do so, Armstrong provides himself with an even more lavish life style in London and other parts of the UK.

Joe is part of a group of people, which includes Roger Armstrong and others, whom he confers with on an ongoing basis. They advise each other on matters regarding the protection of themselves and their assets. Joe deals with Ace Records, Cherry Red Records, Rev-Ola, and a number of others, as a means of keeping viable his ongoing reissue slot machine and publishing interests. Joe Foster's company, Sterling Music, and other entities, such as Little Nemo Music and Poppy Disc Records, feed his pockets and ego. The same is true for Armstrong.

Through publishing, reissue exploitation of other artists' work, and motion pictures, Joe Foster and Roger Armstrong, and a host of other questionable characters, collect money through the placement of songs, and the reissuing of masters, for which the writers and artists are seldom paid. Their word means nothing. Their promises are lies dressed up in future hopes. They extend themselves as little as possible to gain whatever control they can over the music and recordings of artists and writers.

They use the names and likenesses of those artists and writers, and sell their work to the world. A little money in front and promises of royalties down the road, which rarely happens, is the name of their game. Once in control of the music and master recordings, Joe Foster and Roger Armstrong are as ruthless as any executive from companies around the world.

There is never an accounting by Foster, with regard to the number of units sold by Rev-Ola UK. The same is true for Armstrong and Ace Records UK, as well as Cherry Red Records UK, and Fallout UK. They all rely on the fact that most will find it impossible to audit their company from a foreign country, because of costs and legal jurisdictional differences. It is the fucking UK Reissue Empire.

In 2007 I offered both Alec Palao, who was representing Ace Record's interests with me, and Joe Foster of Rev-Ola, a deal that would have settled our problem for good. I suggested to both Palao and Foster, that ACE and REV-OLA get together and pay me a minimal amount, so we could all move on. Both Alec Palao/Ace, and Joe Foster/Rev-Ola, refused to accommodate this simple fix, saying, "They owe me nothing."