Damages in the Toyota, MySpace, MySpace Records Rock The Space contest may exceed 450 Million Dollars
As a result of the alleged fraudulent activities in a contest sponsored by Toyota of America, Toyota, MySpace, and MySpace Records that was advertised as the Rock The Space contest. As well as possible involvement by News Corp., Fox News, Universal Music Group, Advertisers, Sponsors and Administrators of the Toyota / MySpace contest called "Rock The Space." This effort was initiated at the www.stopthespace.com website.
Many questions are being raised by Stop The Space due to indisputable evidence that directly connects all five finalist of the contest to MySpace Records, NBC Universal, and/or Universal Music Group prior to their selection as finalists in the contest. Universal Music Group is MySpace Records distributor.
Artists who participated as contestants in this contest are being asked to review the Lawsuit link within the Main Menu.
Artist's assistance is being requested in an effort to hold those responsible for their alleged activities by reporting them to Stop The Space. It is also being asked that anyone with information that is associated with the Toyota / MySpace contest, including current or former employees of News Corp., Fox News, Toyota, MySpace, MySpace Records, Universal Music Group, the Advertisers, Sponsors and Administrators of the "Rock The Space" contest contact Stop The Space. That you provide us with any relevant information that may be helpful in holding them accountable for their questionable activities and conduct as it relates to this contest.
Stop The Space has gone public with this matter in an effort to make people aware of the activities and motives behind contests such as the one Toyota, MySpace, and MySpace Records sponsored. If you are aware of anyone that believes they have been defrauded by any contest sponsored by Toyota, MySpace, MySpace Records, or Universal Music Group. Then please ask them to visit the stopthespace.com website and provide any relevant information regarding fraudulent activity they may have experienced in any contest sponsored by Toyota of America, MySpace, or MySpace Records.
What does Jack Black's movie "School of Rock", and the Toyota, MySpace, and MySpace Records contest called "Rock The Space" have in common? Could it be that they both involved contests where the winner or finalists were predetermined?
Could "the fix" have been in before
Toyota, MySpace, and MySpace
Records even announced the "Rock The Space" finalists? Did Toyota Music, MySpace and MySpace Records create a contest designed to advertise and promote their products and services by using over 18,000 MySpace artists, knowing full well that none of them had a chance of winning, let alone the opportunity of even being judged?
It should also be noted that MySpace and MySpace Records is owned by News Corp., which also owns Fox News and several other media outlets. You should be aware of this if you start to hear the standard Fox News response in defending Toyota, MySpace, or MySpace Records by their television network, papers or magazines as it relates to this contest.
You should also be aware that prior to this undertaking both lawyers and representatives of Toyota of America, MySpace, Fox, and MySpace Records were contacted and asked to resolve this situation amicably. As a result of their failures to even acknowledge they may have been caught "like a deer in the headlights" as it relates to their activities associated with this contest. It was their continued failure to address this matter, or make any attempt to resolve it that has caused us to pursue other options in order to resolve this matter.
Through the Stop The Space web site, News Releases, interviews, press conferences or other methods that may be utilized to address issues, concerns, and the activities of MySpace, Toyota of America, MySpace Records, and Universal Music Group as it relates to the "Rock The Space" contest. The objective is to stop these types of contests and activities by unscrupulous individuals and corporations who regularly involve themselves in these types of less than honest activities.
In the interest of fairness it should be noted that there is factual basis accompanied by undisputable documentation that supports every representations that may be made as it relates to the Toyota contest / MySpace contest, MySpace Records, and the "Rock The Space" contest.
With that said, you should first be aware of some basic facts:
1. MySpace is owned by News Corp., which also owes Fox News and MySpace Records.
2. Toyota of America advertises with MySpace, Inc., Fox News, and MySpace Records.
3. Toyota was contacted, provided an outline of the issues and concerns, asked to intervene, and they promised someone would respond back. Even though they were provided with contact information and kept up to date by email as it relates to MySpace's continued failure to address these same issues and concerns. Toyota of America refused to address these concerns directly, or intervene in this matter as was requested, as it related to the questionable activities surrounding the Toyota - MySpace "Rock The Space" contest.
4. The record reflects that representatives of MySpace promised on several occasions to respond to these same issues and concerns. However, they refused to respond until after they were provided with a link to a draft of this web site, informed that the web site would go live, and that a public awareness and media campaign would be initiated.
5. MySpace representatives, after being advised as described in item four (4), then responded with threats as to the actions they would pursue if a News Release was distributed, and the web site went live.
6. At no time did Toyota, MySpace, MySpace Records, Fox, or Universal Music Group attempt to resolve this matter, or have any interest in discussing the specifics as described to them. They never offered to review the documentation that supports that this contest may have been a fraud imposed upon over 15,000 musical artists (according to their representation), as well as the millions of people they attempted to reach through their alleged scheme and adverting campaign.
7. That they could not have reviewed every contestant that entered the contest as described and contained in the contest rules as represented.
8. That each and every artist selected as a finalist in this contest has a prior business or personal relationship that can be traced back to either MySpace Records or Universal Music Group.
9. It is alleged that this was never about providing contestants a fair opportunity at winning a record contract with MySpace Records. Rather it was an advertising scheme developed and implemented at the expense of 15,000 artists that entered the contest and believed they had a fair chance to win.
10. It was implied that contestants would benefit and improve their chances of winning if they distributed widgets that tracked how may views they received, how many were placed on their fans, friends and family's pages across the internet, as well as providing each contestant with the means to track those statistics.
11. On the Toyota Music MySpace Page they provided a ranking or standings section that showed which artists had the highest rankings, yet now claim that had no factor in determining the finalists. These statistics included overall rankings and standings for each of the13,908 contestants, as well as a break down of the totals in genre and by location. At best this was a blatant and dishonest representation by Toyota and MySpace to entice contestants into spreading these advertising widgets across the internet.
12. However, upon review of initial material provided to contests that entered the contest it is clearly stated that this would affect their chances of being selected as a finalist.
13. MySpace now claims that these rankings or standings had no effect on the selection process. It is obvious they were misleading contestants into believing it would help their chances of winning based on these totals. Otherwise there would not have been any rational explanation for these widgets to have been provided to contestants. These widgets served no real purpose other than to advertise Toyota, MySpace, and MySpace Records.
14. That if their representations are to be believed, as it relates to the selection process, then this contest would have only required artists to submit their song and await an announcement as to who the finalist were. It is clear, by any rational person's review of this contest, that they were misleading and using contestants for the sole purpose of advertising Toyota, MySpace, and MySpace Records, rather than operating a fair contest.
To reiterate, because this is one of the most important issues as it relates to the contest allegedly being fixed, and a fraud perpetrated upon both the contestants and public. It is documented that each of the five finalists is either represented and/or has an affiliation with a representative who has a personal and/or business relationship with MySpace Records or Universal Music Group.
The objective from the outset was to provide Toyota and MySpace a way to resolve this matter without taking this to such extremes. However, their position from the outset seemed to be if they ignored it, and it will go away.
This may have been the biggest miscalculation on the part of Toyota of America, MySpace, and MySpace Records when they were forced to address this matter. This seems to be supported by their actions and the arrogance in which they responded to any inquires when confronted about their alleged efforts to perpetrate a fraud of this magnitude upon 15,000 artists, as well as the public itself.
We are seeking assistance from the media to investigate this matter beyond the resources we have available to us. As well as providing coverage that shall assist in making the next "victim" aware of what they should be looking for when solicited to participate in any contest set up with the intent of perpetrating a fraud upon its contestants.
At this time we are concentrating our efforts in reaching out to the artists who were contestants of the "Rock The Space" contest and gathering information to strengthen our case against Toyota, MySpace, and MySpace Records.
Artists should click on the Lawsuit link under the main menu and review that section. If you feel you have been damaged as a result of this contest, then you should provide us with the requested information so we can pursue this matter, and possibly prevent this from happening again.
