Music Ally Focus

"This isn't just another #MeToo issue... it's way bigger than that." Sexual violence, NDAs, and the music industry – with Caroline Heldman, PhD and Samantha Maloney of the Sound Off Coalition

May 23, 2024

Caroline Heldman and Samantha Maloney from the Sound Off Coalition discuss their report on sexual abuse in the music industry, calling for the end of NDAs. They address the pattern of cover-ups by big music companies, shareholder activism, and the challenges faced in making a difference. The report details over 200 pages of allegations against well-known music names.

46:20

Creator website

Episode guests

Samantha Maloney

Caroline Heldman

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The Sound Off Coalition's report exposes a history of sexual abuse and cover-ups in the music industry, highlighting the need to end NDAs silencing survivors.

Systemic corruption within the music industry incentivizes abusive behavior by well-known figures, creating a challenging cycle to address misconduct.

Deep dives

Corporate Corruption in the Music Industry

The podcast exposes corporate corruption within the music industry, unveiling a history of decades of sexual abuse and cover-ups by artists and industry executives. A coalition of nonprofit organizations launched a report calling for an end to the use of NDAs silencing survivors, shedding light on systemic corruption within the industry that prioritizes profit over addressing sexual violence.

Introduction

3min

Unveiling Sexual Violence in the Music Industry

22min

Gender, Generation Gaps, and Accountability in the Music Industry

5min

Exposing Corruption and Supporting Survivors in the Music Industry

7min

Reflections on Artist Authenticity and Industry Accountability in the Music Business

4min

Navigating Music and Morality

5min

Content warning: this episode discusses sexual abuse.

Ep. 154: Caroline Heldman Ph.D and Samantha Maloney are co-founders of the Sound Off Coalition, which recently published a report that called out “the scathing history and financial impact of decades of sexual abuse and coverups in the music industry”. In the report, publicly-available information on reported allegations of sexual abuse, harassment and related misconduct involving musicians and music industry executives is catalogued in detail. Amongst its key demands is a call for an end to the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that silence survivors.

While its mostly comprised of allegations - and the report notes that "all individuals should be considered innocent until proven guilty” – it’s still a sobering document: over 200 pages detailing allegations against some of the most well-known names in the music business.

We spoke to Caroline and Samantha about their work, the impact of the report, what they describe as a pattern of “covering up” by big music companies, the way they are using shareholder and political activism to try to make a difference – and the scale of the challenge.

> Links mentioned in the podcast:

Sound Off Coalition report: https://soundoffcoalition.org

The Representation Project: ⁠https://therepproject.org/campaigns-timeline/⁠

The Punk Rock Therapist ⁠https://www.thepunkrocktherapist.org⁠

Music Ally reporting on The Sound Off report: https://musically.com/2024/03/01/sound-off-report-targets-rampant-rape-culture-in-music-industry/

R. Kelly: The history of his crimes and allegations against him - BBC news: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-40635526

Lady Gaga sexual assault - BBC news: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-57199018

------

👋 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Knowledge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Music Ally’s free weekly newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠musically.lnk.to/knowledgepo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

👉 FREE Amazon Music for Artists courses & certification: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://learn.musically.com/courses/amazon-music-for-artists/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Ⓜ️ Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music Ally⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'s industry-leading analysis, reporting and news: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠musically.com/subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/musicallybiz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠