Bernard Stollmanfaced allegations of not payingroyaltiesto the artists that were signed to ESP-Disk.[5]Tom Rappof the bandPearls Before Swineclaimed that: "We never got any money from ESP. Never, not even like a hundred dollars or something. My real sense is that he [Stollman] was abducted by aliens, and when he was probed it erased his memory of where all the money was".[6]Peter Stampfelof the bandHoly Modal RoundersandThe Fugsclaimed that Stollman told him that "the contract says that all rights belong to me. You have no royalties ever, ever, ever. The publishing is mine. You don't own the songs anymore. We don't owe you anything".[7]Members of The Fugs have also stated claims that they received an unfavourable record contract.Ed Sanderssaid that "our royalty rate was less than 3%, one of the lower percentages in the history of western civilization".[8]801 Magazine,which featured an interview with Stollman in 2008, said that Stollman claimed that "he paid all the recording costs and gave the musicians small advances", and that "he never made any money from the music".[9]
