February 21, 2011

Dear All,

The last eighteen months or so have been quite a journey, since I was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer - as some of you who read this board and various other 'BadIveys' related links over the internet already know. Anyway, last September I received an excellent blood test result - and on February 7th another encouraging result, which touch-wood, means I am on the road to recovery - at least for the foresee-able future... I am still hoping to be the first in my family to reach 100!

I want to go public on a few matters - having kept quiet for far too long. Firstly I owe a big thanks to Dan Matovina! Dan discovered Joey Molland had been receiving all my royalties from an organisation called Sound Exchange going back to 1996. They procure the money for the performers of a songs' airplay across the digital domain. Every song I was on and entitled to such money - e.g. "Come And Get It" and "Carry On Till Tomorrow", was going into Joey Molland's pocket. Do you think Joey informed them of this mistake? Not him... the man has no conscience! Well after Dan made this organisation aware, they are finally paying me my just rewards and have diverted any future money due to me.

It is not widely known, But Joey Molland has been getting all of my sales royalties from Magic Christian Music songs since 1970. I was not informed of the legal proceedings in 1985 that involved the Iveys and Badfinger money, even though I was apparently listed in the initial lawsuit. So I was not given a chance to have representation. For the record, I did NOT sign off my royalties to Joey Molland. I was only paid some of the royalties I was owed by Bill Collins around 1970, but not a penny since. It was always too expensive for me to get a lawyer to fight this, although I would have loved to have pursued the matter.

Make no mistake, I would never have agreed to share in Pete and Tom's "Without You" or any other members song-writing. As it is, I don't even get to own my own copyrights!

I wish to state - that I respect Joey Molland as a musician. But that is where respect starts and finishes. I am absolutely sickened by the outrageous and slanderous campaign that Joey and his dear departed wife, Kathie, along with their parasitic disciples, have been executing against Dan Matovina. I suppose the truth is too much for them to take. All Dan has ever been doing is to seek fairness across the board. And he has put a lot of money into the pockets of the various Badfinger families. I am sure many of you have seen how blatantly, Joey Molland vaulted himself into attention at that ASCAP award show, punching the air and celebrating for 'co-composing' "Without You" - which should have been for the glory for Pete and Tom and their children and extended families. In the words of my dear departed mate, Mike Gibbins, "Joey is a nasty piece of work." And d'you know what... He was right.

Ron Griffiths