Earlier this month, a newly-unveiled batch of Epstein Files revealed that Casey Wasserman, founder and CEO of the talent management company Wasserman, had traveled on Jeffrey Epstein's plane during a 2002 humanitarian trip. Additionally, around that same time, Wasserman had engaged in some raunchy email exchanges with Ghislane Maxwell, who in 2022 was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of child sex trafficking with Epstein. Wasserman represents a ton of popular and independent artists, like Chappell Roan, who's reportedly leaving Wasserman, and Best Coast, whose Bethany Cosentino has since called for Wasserman to step down as CEO. Fellow Wasserman client Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells has now issued a statement explaining why not all artists can walk away from the now-disgraced company so easily.
Krauss' statement also delves into Spotify and Ticketmaster boycotts. It reads:
I've been spending a lot of time lately contemplating my responsibility as an individual and an artist in a system that can be exploitative, morally bankrupt and at times criminal. Over the course of my 28 year career in the music industry I've often questioned why I continue to be a part of it.
When I was a teenager in a girl pop band my body was digitally altered without my consent to make me look thinner. That was probably the first time I realized that my personal values were out of alignment with the priorities of the music business.
Today, despite being in a band that I'm deeply proud of, that has tried to treat people ethically, work with. individuals and companies that share our values and act with integrity, I find myself often beholden to corporations and systems that prioritize profit over ethics. Do I wish I could burn it all down, boycott and divest? Sure I do. But to be totally honest I can't afford to. My band can't afford to. Our ability to make a living in this industry is dependent on our engagement with these companies. This might not be the case for all artists but for a mid-tier band like ours, I struggle to find a way around it.Would I love to take our music off Spotify? Yes I would. Can we afford to lose the platform Spotify gives us? No we can't. It would be devastating for us. Would I love to never support Live Nation and Ticketmaster again? Sure I would. Is it possible for a band that barely breaks even touring? No. I can't even fathom how we would do it. We just don't have that type of leverage. Would I love to just leave Wasserman Music? Yes I would. Can we? No because I love and respect our agent and I trust him to make the decision that is best for himself, his family and his artists. The agents at Wasserman are not the villains.
Have my values aligned with every sync we've ever approved? No they haven't, but does that income enable me to pay mine and my child's health insurance every month? You bet it does. Cause let's remember that there's no such thing as healthcare for working musicians. Call me spineless but this is my truth. This is the hypocrisy of our realities, as we try to do the least harm in an unscrupulous system. Could I do more to hold these individuals and corporations accountable? Absolutely. Do I have the capacity to? No I don't.
In my opinion it's not the responsibility of the artists, especially those struggling to make a living, to fix these broken systems. I'm not saying we're powerless, but without systemic change and accountability for those at the highest levels of power, no meaningful change is going to occur. I certainly wish more multimillion and billionaire artists would step up and try to hold these institutions accountable. At some point you just don't need anymore fucking money. People with real power need to speak up. I'm always grateful when an artist uses their platform to disrupt the status quo. You might say “it's not enough" but it's something. None of these corporations are going to bat an eye if Sleigh Bells bails on them. It'll just leave us losing more money on tour and making less streaming income than we do now. It's a shitty place to be but it's the truth. What we need is greater regulation and accountability at the highest levels of the industry.
I don't want to be cynical but honestly I am. I don't know what it's going to take for things to really change. At this point I'm still in this business because I love my band, I love my bandmate and I love the people who have given so much of themselves to our band. They are worth investing in, even if that means simultaneously supporting a depraved system.
Water From Your Eyes made a statement as well, writing:
Casey Wasserman, the founder and CEO of the Wasserman agency which has been representing us since 2024, is a close associate of the world's most vile and repugnant social circle and human trafficking network-not to mention his unwavering support of the genocidal Israeli state. His "deepest regrets" and PR apologies mean nothing in the wake of violence against women and children caused by Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and their accomplices. There must be accountability for the atrocities committed by the ruling class. We cannot live in a world that allows for this injustice to occur with no consequence.
Nate, myself, and our manager Nik have no interest in being affiliated with Casey Wasserman and have absolutely zero intention of condoning his actions by silently remaining under his namesake banner. We trust our booking agents and we are waiting to understand what our options are.
It has been another strange and devastating week in a long line of strange and devastating weeks watching humanity implode on itself, putting its worst impulses on center stage. It is nearly impossible to keep count of the crimes committed by the ruling classes, the imperialist regimes, and all those complicit through action and silence alike.
We unequivocally stand with the victims and survivors of abuse and trafficking. This includes all those who have been abducted by ICE.
May the oppressors fall to the furthest pits of oblivion. There is no future for the cruel and corrupted.
Here's what Automatic wrote:
Fuck these old dirty men in power and some not so old. To echo Sleigh Bells' statement we wish we could move our chess pieces in the music industry around 100% ethically but it's impossible because these greedy perverted war mongers own the board. And to echo Best Coast, from our tiny little seat at Wasserman group (we use them to book us in the EU/UK) we call that dude that has never even met our lovely booking agents to stand down and change the name of this company. Feels like a drop in the bucket from our tiny ass little band (relatively) but sometimes all you're able to do is write a note and post it on social media and it IS demoralizing… but i personally have hope that the light shining on these fuckers and this dark system is so bright they will all burn away….in searing pain preferably
In the past few days, presumably in response to the controversy, Wasserman has removed their artist roster from their website. Other Wasserman-affilliated artists like Beach Bunny and salute have followed Cosentino's lead in sharing statements expressing frustration towards the CEO, with salute encouraging artists to talk with their agents about leaving the agency. Dropkick Murphys are reportedly doing just that. In their own statement, Wednesday said: "Given the circumstances we feel strongly that we need to begin the process of extracting ourselves from Wasserman."
Incidentally, Billie Eilish left Wasserman in 2024 following allegations that the CEO had “serial” affairs with junior members of his staff. Casey Wasserman also serves as the head of the committee for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, and is facing numerous calls to resign from that role too.
Meanwhile, in more Sleigh Bells news, their Treats song "Riot Rhythm" was used in a Super Bowl commercial yesterday for the weight loss drug GLP-1 starring Serena Williams. Krauss defended the decision.
