L7 threaten legal action against PledgeMusic after crowdfunding site files for bankruptucy

"It’s been a disappointing, time consuming, and expensive mess"

Punk veterans L7 have threatened legal action against PledgeMusic, after the crowdfunding site filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.

The company, which was previously accused of failing to deliver payments to artists, confirmed that it was on the brink of collapse after plans to sell the firm fell through. 

Now, L7 have threatened legal action after their latest album ‘Scatter The Rats’ was left in limbo by the firm’s collapse. It was released in May on Joan Jett’s Blackheart Records, but fans who pre-ordered it via PledgeMusic are yet to receive their copies.

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“For those of you who generously backed the recording of our new album ‘Scatter The Rats’ through Pledge Music crowdfunding, you know the frustrating Holding Pattern and run around we have all been in with them,” they wrote on Facebook.

“To give a brief summary for those not familiar with the Pledge Music scam, in a nutshell, the funds that many bands and their supporters raised through the crowdfunding platform were absconded by the company with zero accountability and unreturned legal appeals. Their site is no longer live and they are filing for bankruptcy protection in the U.K.

A STATEMENT FROM THE BAND:Thank you to all who were able to come out and see us during our Scatter the Rats U.S. Tour…

Posted by L7 Official on Tuesday, July 30, 2019

“It’s been a disappointing, time consuming, and expensive mess for all artists and fans involved with this Pledge Music FIASCO.”

L7 continued: “As bad as it is, the band nonetheless has made the financial decision to honour our fans who pre-ordered the album through Pledge Music, and which they have yet to receive. Thanks to Joan Jett and Blackheart Records, L7 was able to manufacture and ship what would have been utterly impossible without their support. Pledge Music has held over twenty thousand dollars in shipping costs alone that we have no access to and will likely never see.

“However, L7 has made the financial commitment to honour these mailings. From the Borough of Brooklyn to the shores of Peru, every Pledger who paid for the record please take note, the music is on its way!”

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They added: “We do not wish to further comment on this situation as we do not want to be the face of being screwed over. L7 are bigger and mightier than this mess. The only time we will speak of this again will be in a courtroom.”

Since its formation in 2009, the website has offered a platform for artists to receive funding from their fans for upcoming projects. Artists including WeezerSum 41 and Slash have all successfully launched albums using the platform in the past.

The site said in January: “We deeply regret that recently we have not lived up to the high standards to which PledgeMusic has always held itself. We acknowledge that many artists have and continue to experience payment delays. These delays to artists are unacceptable—not only to them, but to us.”

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