Benn ‘The Flashbulb’ Jordan, a prolific musician with over a dozen albums and substantial sales, was shocked to discover that his music had vanished from major online platforms such as iTunes, Spotify, Deezer, and YouTube. After two days of frantic efforts, he learned that TuneCore, the company managing his online music, had removed all his work based on an accusation of fraud by Spotify.
Jordan took to Twitter to defend himself, accusing TuneCore of blacklisting him without evidence and denying him the opportunity to maintain his playlists and streaming statistics by hiring another digital distributor. He demanded that TuneCore reinstate his music for 30 days to allow him to switch distributors and provide evidence of the alleged fraud detected by Spotify.
Andreea Gleeson, the CEO of TuneCore, responded to Jordan’s claims, stating that the company’s support staff was not available over the weekend to address his concerns, and he would have to wait until Monday for resolution. Feeling the urgency of the situation, Jordan consulted a lawyer, prepared to take legal action against TuneCore, as the sudden shutdown of his primary income source put him in a precarious financial position.
Jordan expressed concern that other musicians could suffer significant income losses if they faced a similar situation, emphasizing the severity of the impact on his livelihood. He described the ordeal as ‘the worst thing that could possibly happen to a musician.’
Contradicting TuneCore’s assertion that Spotify had instructed the removal of Jordan’s music, Spotify clarified that they had not issued any such directive. The decision to remove Jordan’s music from all streaming platforms was solely made by TuneCore, as confirmed by Spotify.
The incident highlights the vulnerability of musicians and the potential consequences of such actions, raising questions about the accountability of online music distributors. The situation also underscores the complexities of policy enforcement and the potential for unintended errors, prompting discussions about legal and public relations implications.
