Sony breaks silence on Kesha lawsuit
Sony have broken their silence on the allegations made by rapper Kesha that she was drugged and raped by their producer, Dr Luke.
Speaking for the first time since a judge ruled singer Kesha could not be let out of her contract with the label, Sony revealed they do not have the authority to release the singer from her agreement because she is signed with Dr. Luke’s company, Kasz Money.
And through that company she is signed with a subsidiary of Sony, Kemosabe Records – which is also owned by Dr. Luke.
‘Sony has made it possible for Kesha to record without any connection, involvement or interaction with Luke whatsoever, but Sony is not in a position to terminate the contractual relationship between Luke and Kesha,’ Scott A. Edelman, a lawyer for the company, told The New York Times.
‘Sony is doing everything it can to support the artist in these circumstances, but is legally unable to terminate the contract to which it is not a party.’
Only Dr. Luke, the man Kesha alleges raped and drugged her when she was 18, has the power to terminate her contract.
Sony released this statement the day before a protest was planned outside their Madison Avenue offices in New York City by Kesha supporters.
Kesha commented on the case Wednesday, saying in a letter to fans; ‘All I ever wanted was to be able to make music without being afraid, scared, or abused. This case has never been about a renegotiation of my record contract – it was never about getting a bigger, or a better deal.
‘This is about being free from my abuser. I would be willing to work with Sony if they do the right thing and break all ties that bind me to my abuser.’
Shortly after she posted this message Adele acknowledged her legal troubles while picking up one of her four Brit Awards in London, choking up as she said; ‘And I would like to take this moment to publicly support Kesha.’
Taylor Swift has donated $250,000 to Kesha while Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus, Fiona Apple and Ariana Grande are among hundreds who have posted messages on Instagram and Twitter to the fast-growing #FreeKesha campaign.
Kesha filed a suit against Dr. Luke in Los Angeles in October 2014 alleging he had drugged her with a ‘sober pill’ and raped her shortly after her 18th birthday in California and threatened to take away her publishing rights.
In their countersuit filed last year, Sony actually compared Kesha to Adele, saying that the singer could have a comeback and become just as big as the British chanteuse, adding they had invested $11million into her career and she had collected $3million in royalties during her time at Sony.
Kesha responded to this at the time by saying; ‘I love Adele, and this has nothing to do with her or any other artist** I never wanted to have a “comeback” because I never wanted to go away.
‘Making these comparisons is Sonys way of trying to put a positive spin on a horribly abusive situation they are supporting.’
Dr. Luke meanwhile claims that not only did he not rape Kesha, but that the two never even had sex.
