Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry

• Dave Navarro: A Witness to Murder | 49

  Imagine being David, a 15-year-old kid growing up in Southern California. You’re already typically confused because, well, you’re 15. You’re an only child, and your mom and dad have divorced, resulting in a joint custody situation that adds to your confusion. Your mom is dating again. Her current boyfriend doesn’t seem to be a good dude…your only solace is music… Then, one morning in late February 1983, you’re sick in bed and home from school. Mom is out for a morning jog. That’s when you hear someone breaking into the house.  When you get up to look, you’re confronted by someone pointing a gun at you by someone you know…you’re handcuffed and locked in the bathroom…when his mom got home, she argued with the gunman. Before he took off, the guy let Dave out of the bathroom and told him, “Don’t say anything…keep your mouth shut—or else”—and then he left. Young Dave was terrified, so he kept his mouth shut. But that wasn’t the end of it, though…a week later, this same guy returned to the house and shot David’s mom and her best friend dead…he then went on the lam for nearly a decade…  The trauma that David experienced was unimaginable…even though he grew up to be the guitarist for Jane’s Addiction, one of the iconic alt-rock bands of the late 80s and 90s, processing what happened on that day in February 1983 sticks with him to this day… I’m Alan Cross, and this time, it’s all about Dave Navarro and his witness to murder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Morris Levy’s: Music’s Most Mobbed-Up Man, Part 2 | 48

  The influence of organized crime extends everywhere…drugs, loan-sharking, protection rackets, shakedowns, gambling, prostitution, money laundering, waste disposal—and the music industry.  It’s not something we hear about so much anymore…but in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, it was very much a thing…and if you were operating in the music business during those decades, you would have come across Morris Levy.  He liked to project the image of the savvy businessman, an entrepreneur running a successful record label who was also a philanthropist, raising money for charities like opera companies and children’s hospitals.  But sitting atop his pyramid of companies, Levy stole money from artists, shook down record retailers, laundered money, cheated record pressing plants, and threatened people who got in his way…his influence was far, far greater than the size of Roulette would indicate. If you wanted to stand up to Morris, you had to be careful…there was a .38 in his desk drawer and he had several associates on the payroll that carried baseball bats in case a meeting turned difficult…and if that didn’t scare you, there were his silent backers in the mafia. With this backroom help, Morris was able to get his way with everyone from young emerging singers to—believe it or not—John Lennon. Levy ran his corner of the music business his way for decades—until he couldn’t.  This is part two of “Morris Levy: music’s most mobbed-up man”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Morris Levy: Music’s Most Mobbed-Up Man, Part 1 | 47

  There are all kinds of shady and dangerous creatures lurking in the music industry. Since about the mid-20th century, the mob has found ways to extract money by getting involved in record labels, radio stations, artist management, and live music venues. Although things aren’t what they used to be, the mob’s involvement played a key part in the development of the music industry for decades. One of the key figures in all this ran a New York-based label called “Roulette Records,” which started business in 1957. One of the co-founders was Morris Levy, who got his start in jazz clubs. At his peak, Levy headed 90 companies employing over 900 people, including music publishing, the independent record label game, running record stores, operating record-pressing plants, tape-duplicating facilities, artist management, and a music distribution company. Some called him an “entrepreneur”…but the truth was Morris—“Mo” or “Moishe” to his friends (and a few enemies)—was a crook who controlled far more of the industry than people realized…and much of his business was connected to organized crime. Morris was probably the most mobbed-up music man in history…a lot of people were ripped off for tens of millions of dollars…and more than one person got hurt. I’m Alan Cross, and this is episode 47 of Uncharted...Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• The Life and Crazy Times of Ozzy Osbourne | 46

  You don’t get much more Rock Star than Ozzy Osbourne. Through more than 50 years, his wild persona and crazy behaviour not only made him an icon of rock 'n' roll, but also a larger-than-life cultural figure popular with three or four generations. Given the abuse that he inflicted upon himself, it’s a miracle that he made it to age 76.  On this edition of Uncharted, we’re going to trace the insanity that was Ozzy from birth to death. And you can’t do that without honouring his music. He will be rightly remembered as the Godfather of Heavy Metal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Green Day's Cigarettes and Valentines Stolen Album Caper | 45

  Theft is rampant in the music world, and it takes many forms. Musicians regularly deal with stolen gear…guitars disappearing from stages, rehearsal spaces being robbed, or entire vans being emptied. These losses hurt, but they’re tangible…physical items taken by force or opportunity. Then there’s the more invisible kind of theft…the kind that bleeds artists financially. Fraud, embezzlement, and dodgy managers can silently drain income. In today’s digital age, streaming fraud has emerged as a new threat, with royalties being diverted through suspicious tactics. Identity theft, stolen song credits, and outright plagiarism all fall into this category, along with illegal file sharing and bootlegging from inside CD factories. But the rarest and most cinematic form of music theft? Stealing the recordings themselves right from the source, at the recording studio. Such a theft like this should be entirely impossible, yet this is what Green Day says happened to an album they were working on called “Cigarettes and Valentines”. They went into work on the record one day, and the tapes were just…gone! Green Day has always insisted that these tapes were stolen. However, there was never any police investigation, no suspects were named, and no trace of the tapes or the music contained has ever been found anywhere outside official channels.  This is episode 45 of “Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry”… the real story behind Green Day’s stolen “Cigarettes and Valentines” album. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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