The PreaturesThe Preatures' management have today admitted that a “misunderstanding” between themselves and APRA AMCOS was behind the controversial photo circulated to media last week after the band's songwriter Isabella Manfredi was awarded $50,000 in the Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition.
Last Friday it was announced that Manfredi had won the first place prize for Is This How You Feel?, which APRA claim is the richest first prize in the world for a song comp, but the win turned into controversy after Manfredi alerted fans that the picture submitted to media to be used with the announcement had been doctored to remove a political anti-Tony Abbott message.
Today the band's manager Andy Cassell of Winterman + Goldstein sought to put an end to the issue.
“OK, so here's the final word on photogate,” he told theMusic.com.au. “I've been asked why and how it happened and I can confirm that it was a simple miscommunication between me and APRA AMCOS during a very fast moving period before the news of Isabella's win went live.
“So to be 100 percent clear: there's nothing sinister or deceptive to see here – just extremely good intentions and an unintended impact. APRA doesn't care about politics or censoring writers – they care about the songwriters and music.
“And how great is it that Izzi and the band were part of something that raised over $166,000 for music therapy for kids and adults with physical, intellectual and behavioural disabilities?! Now that's a story!”
For the award ceremony Manfredi had made a t-shirt which read “F##K ABBOTT” but in the supplied photo, in which she stood beside APRA AMCOS CEO Brett Cottle, the word Abbott was removed.
Taking to Facebook, Manfredi said she found the altered image “both amusing and upsetting. Is this Australian media at its worst? Or were they just being polite?”
The image as it was circulated to media.
