Tabitha's Secret: an overview
Okie.. this is just a little introduction to the Tabitha's Secret story.. we feel we have to include it cuz we have the TS lyrics on our page (they are just too damn good to leave out). So, here it goes:
Tabitha's Secret began with five members: Rob Thomas on lead vocals, Brian Yale on bass, Paul
Doucette on drums, and John Goff and Jay Stanley on guitars. They didn't have an album or a record deal, they were mostly just playing gigs and getting radio time. They were a beginning Orlando band, young and inexperienced, but anyone could see they had a lot of talent. And someone did. Matt Serletic, the producer for Collective Soul, heard TS play. He decided to sign them for his record label, The Antlantic Group (Lava, Atlantic, Melisma). But for some reason, the guitarists of TS didn't like the deal. Rob, the lead singer, wanted to sign. Brian and Paul wanted to sign too. And so Matt Serletic offered to sign Rob, Paul and Brian, and leave the guitarists behind. This didn't make for an easy descision, but Rob, Paul and Brian signed with Atlantic. Jay Stanley and John Goff no longer had a band. But TS wasn't over. When Rob, Brian and Paul, along with their two new guitarists, released a CD containing a song the five orginal members of Tabitha's Secret had created (3am), Stanley and Goff sued. They claimed Matchbox20 was using their music, and they wanted a cut of the royalties. Whether or not MB20 WAS using TS' music is not so cut and dried. They had a right to the lyrics, Rob had written them. They had a right to the basic melody which Rob had also written. And they had a right to the drum and bass parts which had been written by Paul and Brian. The guitar parts that had been worked out by Stanley and Goff were another story. That was their creation. However, whether or not MB20 used that should've been the real matter in dispute. Cuz after all, Matchbox20's guitarists were musicians too. Given the same song to work with, they could easily have written their own guitar parts (which would've sounded similar, this was, after all, the same song). There is nothing that says Matchbox20 took a look at TS' version of the song and copied the guitar part from that. In any case, Stanley and Goff sued. They also released a CD of Tabitha's Secrets's previously recorded songs, which has become available in a lot of music stores. And that is the story of TS so far.
Now, there are a lot of theories and write-ups and well, rumors, circling around out there about what actually happened in the Tabitha's Secret thing. I have no proof that what I have here is true. I didn't hear it from anyone on the inside. But I have read a lot of those theories and this is the main theme I have taken from them all. This is how I think it happened. If you disagree, well go ahead and tell me what you think. Email me.
Wellio, I have recieved another opinion of the Tabitha's Secret issue. I decided to post it 'cause it's different, and well, I wanted to! So here it is:
About your opinions on the TS thing. You got a couple of things mix up. They are not sueing Rob Thomas and the rest of MB20 for stealing the tune of 3am. You ""can't"" reserve rights on melodies, only lyrics. They are sueing MB20 on breech of contract. John and Jay are sueing Matt Serletic because he made improper contract deals. Matt did not want to do a one cd
deal like John and Jay wanted. John and Jay wanted a one cd deal to see how things would work out for the band. Rob, seeing as a once in a life opportunity, had to go for what Matt S. wanted, which was a long term contract ( I do not know how long though ). So Rob did what he had to do? Was it right? I don't think so, but it's also hard to get a record deal. Most artists don't get one. I probably would of done it. hehehe. Tell you the truth, I think Matt S. is screwing MB20 over, but that is my opinion.
This was submitted by Mike
If you wanna send in your opinion about this, feel free to do so and I'll post it here.