Hi, guys. As you can tell from the subject, I've had to abandon my campaign to revitalize or at least repopularize the music of Will Holt. I have finally received a knowledgeable response from a contact for Will Holt and the answer is, predictably, no, we can't make copies and distribute them for free or otherwise. Given that Mr. Holt's copyrights are all still in force, there shalt be no unlicensed distribution. Which is fair. What I really wanted as in the movie, "Disclosure," was "to stir the grass to startle the snakes." The very nice person who agreed to serve as a contact for Mr. Holt at least conveyed to him my love and gratitude for his music and agreed to contact the Elektra/WEA/WMG conglomerate. I suspect we'll never hear from them, however, having already tried a total of five times.

What puzzles me is why the music companies have never gone into the print-on-demand business. Amazon has shown it's profitable with books, so all the music people need do is digitize their existing inventory (think of bringing back all those wonderful Odetta recordings, and yes, I know some are available, I have them) and other great recordings back into circulation. They could even send files for printing covers and liner notes on CD liners. But, apparently, such is not to be. Or at least not in my lifetime.

But for those of you interested in Will Holt, there are still plenty of copies selling at eBay and whatnot. At reasonable prices, even.

Special thanks to Thomas Stern for finding a Will Holt contact for me. If nothing else, it's nice to be able to convey to your favorite artists how much their music/writing/art/etc. has enriched your life.

Thanks to one and all for your comments and support. It's been a real joy discovering MudCat Café. I'll drop in from time to time; I've already passed the URL to my music-maven step-son.

Best to all of you and the MudCat management. Sing on!

r