In the wake of direct-to-fan platform PledgeMusic falling behind in paying artists over the past few months, the British Musicians’ Union announced that it had met with executives from the company on Wednesday, and advised artists to use other platforms “until such time as this situation has been resolved.”
Last week PledgeMusic acknowledged the lateness of the payments — it made a similar comment when Variety first reported on the company’s struggles last June — saying, “It is our expectation that payments will be brought current within the next 90 days.” (Read their full statement here.)
Cofounder Benji Rogers, who left the company in 2016, told Variety Tuesday that he will be returning to the company temporarily “on a voluntary basis, as an unremunerated strategic advisor and board observer.” His return was met with enthusiasm online, as many musicians and executives have told Variety of their positive experiences with Pledge before last year.
Musicians’ Union General Secretary Horace Trubridge explained the organization’s position and advice for members in a statement:
“The MU has been aware for some time that musicians who have launched campaigns on the crowdfunding platform, PledgeMusic, are owed outstanding monies,” the announcement reads. “We have today met with PledgeMusic and they have assured us that the outstanding payments will be brought up to date within the next 90 days.
“This is far from satisfactory, but at this time we believe that any legal action against Pledge may be counter-productive.
“That position may change over time and we will keep you up to date with developments.
“In the meantime we would suggest that, if you are thinking of launching a crowdfunding campaign, you should approach one of the other established crowdfunding platforms until such time as this situation has been resolved.”
Contacted by Variety, a rep for the company had no comment.