Ourstage.com Fraud, False Advertizing, Breach of Promise, Internet

I won the monthly Latin TR3 music contest in May 2012. 11 months have passed and I have still not been paid the $100 promised on the ourstage.com site.

Like the previous musicians complaining about ourstage.com's non-payment of awards here, I received an email explaining that I would be paid eventually, after I wrote asking when I would be paid when 6 months had passed since winning. They had previously written me that I would be paid within 6 months.

Apart from their failure to fulfill their promise to pay contest winners, I like ourstage.com. I appreciate the fact that the site has allowed me to reach new international listeners and get feedback on my music. I enjoy watching my pieces move up (or down!) in the daily standings. My emailed questions about the qualifications for entering various genre contests were answered fairly and courteously.

But the fact remains that for almost a year they have failed to fulfill their promise to pay me for the contest I won. If you go to their site you will clearly see they are continuing to promise cash prizes for contest winners. If they can't afford it, they should stop promising it. Therefore I must sadly but honestly accuse them of fraud, false advertising, and breach of promise.

I'm a professional writer as well as musician. If I don't get my award soon, I will begin a publicity campaign to bring to the attention of other ourstage.com musicians and the general public that they are a dishonest rip-off, whatever their other virtues.