Singer, song-writer Kesha has recently made headlines with a battle against her music producer, Dr. Luke, whom she accused of sexually and emotionally assaulting her. Kesha went to a New York Supreme Court to get an injunction against her producing contract, which stated that she had to record six more albums with Dr. Luke. According to The Washington Post, a judge denied the injunction.
Many famous actors and singers have joined in showing their support for Kesha. According to the Washington Post, Demi Lovato tweeted. “Someone tell me why anyone would ever feel brave enough to come forward if they are most likely to be ignored or called a liar?
Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, counter-sued both Kesha and her mother for defamation, stating none of Kesha’s claims were true, according to CNN. Dr. Luke stated that it was about an unhappy artist trying to get out of her contract — he has been quick to put all the blame on Kesha.
Among all the legal troubles, one voice has been silent. Sony Music Entertainment Inc. — who owns Dr. Luke’s record label — has been quiet regarding most of the court decision and media backlash. At this point, its only concern is with saving public face, not the well being of Kesha. A sex scandal is any company’s worst nightmare. With two highly popular celebrities on either side of the litigation, many fans have their eye on this case.
According to CNN, the hashtag #FreeKesha was quick to start up after the ruling. It was circulating before the trail according to BuzzFeed, but gained more attention after the judge decided to deny her the injunction. Thousands have signed a petition to Sony to free Kesha from her contract, according to the Washington Post. Others have started to boycott the company in hopes of getting the attention of the higher ups.
Some sites have been quick to report in the last week or two about Sony dropping Dr. Luke because of bad public relations. No official word has come out from Sony about it, and Dr. Luke has denied the accusations himself. The Associated Press has yet to release any information about the it as well.
The gossip does display some truth in what part of the public believes. Many wonder why Sony has not dropped Dr. Luke. This whole ordeal is wreaking havoc on Sony’s image. While I, for one, would love for Sony to fire Dr. Luke, I doubt that will happen. He has been too successful, and often entertainment companies look the other way to keep the money coming in. Yet, with fans protesting and boycotting Sony, money is now an issue as well. It is sad that this is what it takes to get the attention of a music company.
Kesha is standing up for what was done to her and the entertainment community is quickly raising its voices to support her. Sony is soon going to be left with no option but to face this problem whether they want to or not. Large public support of Kesha is showing that businesses can no longer hide behind their money when a client is abused. Society is starting to say enough is enough and Kesha is leading the change.