Adult Mom accuses record label Tiny Engines of breach of contract

"The business model of Tiny Engines appears to be this: Use the money that the more successful bands make on funding small releases and signings. Never pay the successful band for as long as humanly possible"

Adult Mom has accused their record label Tiny Engines of breach of contract, citing various alleged late royalty payments as well as “unprofessional” conduct in subsequent discussions about returning the musician’s masters.

In a series of tweets yesterday (November 9), the lo-fi indie artist – whose real name is Stevie Knipe – took to Twitter with an initial 18-part thread detailing their recent wrangles with the label. They claim that Tiny Engines sent “0 [zero] statements or royalty payments” between signing for them in 2015 and May 2018, and have been “sporadic and irresponsible” in doing so since then. See the key tweets below.

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Since posting the thread, Tiny Engines alumni Mannequin Pussy, now signed to Epitaph Records, retweeted with a comment that appeared to suggest they had experienced similar problems while signed to the label. Knipe also tweeted to claim they are aware of “at LEAST 10 other bands on this label who have experienced this or something similar”.

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Several other bands and musicians have since commented in support of Knipe, including Diet Cig, Titus Andronicus and Speedy Ortiz singer Sadie Dupuis.

The artist has remained active on social media throughout the weeekend, posting messages of thanks for the support offered to her by fans and artists, a list of ways fans can financially support them without contributing to Tiny Engines, and a reminder that there will still be a new Adult Mom record next year.

Adult Mom has released two albums to date: 2015’s Momentary Lapse of Happily and 2017’s Soft Spots, both via Tiny Engines. Watch the video for ‘Drive Me Home’ below.

On the Tiny Engines website, Adult Mom is presently listed under ‘Alumni’ rather than ‘Current Artists’. There has been no official response to Knipe’s accusations from Tiny Engines at the time of writing. NME has reached out for comment.

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