A number of false statements have been made in this forum concerning the
relationship between Nathan Jantz and Synaptic Records. I am the sole
investor (having spent my entire life savings of $45K and gone $20K in debt
to start this business). I owned 98% of Synaptic Records (since disolving
the partnership with Nathan, I am now sole owner). I will try to set out the
facts below without judgement and without anger. Almost everything that I
say below is verifiable -- I have the documentation if anyone cares to see
it. I am very sorry that Nathan's anger over losing a very sweet deal has
resulted in a private dispute becoming public.
I hired Nathan as manager at $9.00 per hour ($2.00 above what he was making
at Albums Up!) and gave him 2% ownership of the business (I invested $45K
and he invested nothing.) Ben and I have worked 70 hours a week since we
started (without pay) and are working other jobs to support the business.
Nathan was paid for 40 hours per week and often worked less than 25..
Ultimately, I told him that I could no longer pay him since to do so I would
have been bankrupt (literally) within another month. I offered him the
opportunity to continue to work under the same terms that Ben and I are
working -- working other jobs in the hope that this business will take off
well enough to pay us all in the long run. I offered to increase his share
of ownership in return for his continuing to work with us. He declined
without even asking what percentage I could offer.
Nathan is hurt because he wanted to make this HIS store with no risk and
good pay from the start. That wasn't the agreement. In addition, he was
using the store's long distance phone lines, the computer, and the internet
account to work on his own side projects while I was paying him. Finally,
he lied to our customers (claimed to have bids in his fax auction when no
one had bid on a particular item) and, when I told him that because of the
high cost of paying him (including taxes) he suggested that I pay him under
the table. This is a legitimate business and I refused to break the law or
lie tomy customers just so he could work at a record store.
As for the internet busines -- I have been operating on Internet since it
started and on Bitnet before that. I was a Professor of Business
specializing in electronic communication for 15 years. I designed the web
site myself (incorporating a few pieces that Dave Alexander had done for
Albums Up!) and have done most of the maintenance on it. Nathan
occasionally updated the site for me. If you doubt this, watch for a decline
in the quality or originality of the work -- I guarantee you won't see it.
Nathan is under the mistaken impression that he is the only one who knows
this music and the web business. He is wrong; the three of us all
contributed but , because he spent so much less time on it than Ben and I,
he contributed much less.
As for contacts, Ben and I are well conected in the music business and are
resourceful enough to find the additional contacts that we need. I don't
deny that Nathan brought a number of established relationships with him when
he moved from Albums Up!. He was well paid for that and could have likely
made a great deal of money had he been willing to work hard and sacrifice in
the short run for long terms gains via ownership of the store.
I tried to keep all of this on a professional level and certainly had no
intention of making our personal conflict public. I deeply regret his
decision to do so.
Synaptic Records (Rick and Ben)
608 S. Broadway
Denver, CO 80209
vox: (303) 722-9428
fax: (303) 722-9540
synaptic@eazy.net
www.eazy.net/synaptic-records/