Is Sony dropping Dr. Luke?

by Jesse Locke

March 10, 2016

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Anonymous sources say yes, his lawyers say no.

On Wednesday, March 9th, Hollywood culture site The Wrap reported that public pressure against Sony Music had motivated the label to end its working relationship with accused producer Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald a year ahead of his contract’s expiration.

Following Kesha’s allegations of sexual assault and a decade of emotional abuse against Dr. Luke, mounting fan protests, plus artists like Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Adele, and Kelly Clarkson taking a stand alongside her, this move from Sony suddenly felt like justice at last.

“Kesha has no case in regards to her contract but they can’t afford the Adeles of the world out in the streets calling the label unsupportive,” said The Wrap‘s ‘knowledgeable insider.’ “The fact that this hasn’t already been taken care of with Luke is confusing, especially for people in the building.”

Though their sources for this breaking news were anonymous, it was rapidly reported as fact by nearly every outlet (we decided to wait until more information became available). This rush to celebration even inspired the #SonyIsDroppingDrLukeParty hashtag on twitter, with fans posting gif reactions of Rihanna, Honey Boo Boo, Oprah, and of course Kesha herself.

Sadly, Dr. Luke’s lawyers have now stepped in to switch on the lights, unplug the stereo, and send everyone home early. As Rolling Stone reports, Dr. Luke’s attorney issued an ice cold statement refuting reports that the producer had been fired.

“This is not true,” said the statement. “Luke has an excellent relationship with Sony. His representatives are in regular contact with executives at the highest levels at Sony and this has never come up.”

So far, no one from Sony Music has stepped forward to comment.

In the end, Dr. Luke’s detractors can take some satisfaction from the fact that his drum kits and samples may have been leaked. Ly Moula of Blahzé Misfits posted a Google Drive download link with drum sounds, synths, and other tools used by the pop producer. Oddly, it also includes samples of popular electronic songs from 2009-2011 created by ‘blog house’ producers like Boys Noize, Crookers, and Feadz. After a surge of downloads crashed the original link, it was re-uploaded here.

Talking to Complex, Moula explained that he came into possession of Dr. Luke’s samples over the summer, but couldn’t explain the details because of a non-disclosure agreement. Moula said he was contemplating the musical doxxing for weeks, and finally decided to make the leak after the news broke that Dr. Luke might be dropped.

The #FreeKesha movement is now planning another protest outside of Sony Music’s New York headquarters on Friday, March 11th at 2 p.m. They will present a petition with 410,000 signatures “urging Sony to free Kesha from her contract with Dr. Luke” and project #FreeKesha messages onto Sony’s building at 7 p.m. For now, we’ll have to wait and see if the party will go on.

Tags: Music, News, Blahzé Misfits, Dr. Luke, FreeKesha, kesha, Ly Moula, sony music, the wrap

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