"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

Music Ally Focus

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

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