Career Artist Struggles to Make Headway Since Covid-19 Outbreak

Vocalist, actor, songwriter, and producer Terry Barber was the guest on Episode 333 of the weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast.  In the time since that interview was released, following him on social media has been a study in watching a lot of what he built up come falling down, as he details in this guest blog.

Facebook: The $52 Billion Dollar Company That Doesn’t Care

On June 25th, the night before my worldwide streaming release of the song “When the World Falls Apart,” my music page on Facebook was hacked and stolen.  I had spent countless hours and almost $10k on the “verified” page over the years, mostly promoting my live tour shows and more recently my original songwriting as well.

When I reported the page to Facebook, a process that involved research and completion of online forms since the company refuses to provide a customer service phone number, Facebook also took down my personal page!  I can only guess that they did this because the pages were linked and both associated with the same email address.  My 20k+ Facebook network of people who potentially care about my performing arts career and recording releases was gone.  I was paralyzed.

It has been over 40 days since the incident, and I still get the same “under review” message when trying to log in.  Most of my content at facebook.com/TouringArtist remains intact, except the video post of my crisis song which was going viral with over 150K views and 1,000 shares.  The video is at my youtube.com/TerryBarber channel, has made it to the final round of the UK Songwriting Competition, and charted at #7 on iTunes in Canada.  (I ask that you do NOT contact the Asian women who’ve taken control of my page as that may only alarm the thief and cause them to take down more of my content.)

I reported Facebook to the Better Business Bureau and did get some (incompetent) responses.  The first of which asked for the email associated with the pages, which was clearly included in the initial complaint.  The second and final response offered a link to request part of my ad spend back.  The link requires that you sign into your Facebook page.  My music page was hacked and my personal page taken down.  Again, this was explained in the complaint.

I reached out through a personal friend who had a contact at Facebook.  I received three emails saying, “It looks like your issue has been resolved.”  It hasn’t.

I have created a new – hopefully temporary – page at facebook.com/HearTerryBarber.  However, I implore you, my friends, to get the contact email of your friends and followers.  If I have learned nothing else from this, it is that Facebook is not reliable and doesn’t care.  I cannot speak with authority about the many cases against them for ethical reasons to do with stealing or selling customers’ private information, but, suffice it to say that I have serious doubts about the company’s ethical choices as well.

As the World Turns Its Eye Toward Injustice, I Ask The Recording Community To Look Under Our Noses

In the time since this infraction, I was focused on promoting my crisis single and making a plan for several more original song releases including, “Only Love Can Move Mountains” Aug. 7, “This World Turns Around” Aug. 21, and “Mr. Space Man” Aug. 28.  In an effort to test the waters with various song promotion companies, I hired three who promised organic growth focused on Spotify playlist ads.  Unfortunately, one or more of the companies or the playlist curators they partner with, were using “bots” to get streams, Spotify suggests.  They took down my single and its associated link, a link that is being used by the Recording Academy for Grammy consideration, and for three songwriting competitions.  If one or more of these entities were to go to the link and it isn’t active, my consideration is kaput.

This has been a trying several months for the world.  In the grand scheme of things, I am doing my best to stay positive since I have my health and my family.  I am reminded of what is important.

I have been fortunate to make a career in music as a touring performer until the Covid wall came down, typically with 50+ international live concert dates a season.  I have enjoyed the songwriting process since then and have been searching for ways to monetize that process.

Before I get off this soap box once and for all, I want to make a plea to the recording community.  To those radio stations, major record labels, and signed artists that benefit from the current version of “payola” that precludes indie artists from any involvement in commercial radio, and to the major label artists at the top of the food chain who are allocated “black box publishing” royalties (millions of dollars left uncollected each year by indie artists who aren’t familiar enough with the process to register their songs with the three necessary publishing collection agencies) that should, in my opinion be given to a charity that supports indie artists.  The world has their eye on injustice right now.  While the world has its eye on injustice, we need to look right under our noses.

Hear more from Terry in the NHTE 333 podcast from late June and in the exclusive bonus audio recorded with him too.  Visit Terry’s official website at www.TerryBarber.com and use the links there to purchase his music and to connect with him on social media.  Share your reactions to this blog on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or via email.