APRA AMCOS NZ responds to Beneath The Glass Ceiling post on sexual assault

Content Warning: This article covers sexual harassment incidents. If you or someone you know are affected by the following story, you are not alone. To speak to someone, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

New Zealand’s music industry is under the microscope yet again as the actions of another high-profile sexual predator circulates on social media.

A post on the Instagram page for Beneath The Glass Ceiling NZ draws attention to an unidentified industry professional who boasts a Silver Scroll in his collection.

“Show of hands if you’ve heard accounts of a Silver Scroll winning artist sexually assaulting, harassing and stalking women. And of the powerful men around him who protect him,” the post reads.

APRA AMCOS, which organises the annual Silver Scrolls, the only peer voted music award in NZ, swiftly issued a response.

“These kinds of behaviours have no place in our music industry,” reads its message, seen by TIO. “We want to see, and be part of, a music industry where everyone upholds a high level of professional respect, conduct and integrity, and where no one engages in, encourages or condones any form of discrimination, harassment, or bullying,” the statement continues.

The rights society says it’s “committed to tackling this behaviour in our community,” and invites anyone affected to come forward and consider reaching out to Help Auckland, an organisation that exists to help free New Zealanders from sexual abuse.

The Silver Scroll Award was established in 1965, with the winner receiving a sum of NZ$5,000 and an engraved APRA Silver Scroll Award for their safekeep for 11 months.

NZ’s music business was rocked earlier this year when an expose in Stuff magazine detailed the years-long misconduct by Scott Maclachlan, the former senior vice president for A&R at Warner Music’s Australasia office, and former Benee manager Paul McKessar, both of whom lost their jobs when the scandal broke.

Misconduct isn’t unique to the NZ industry.

According to research published by the Musicians Union in 2019, sexual harassment was widespread in the U.K., with over four in five (85%) victims not reporting incidents.

And a recently aired BBC documentary, Music’s Dirty Secrets: Women Fight Back, explores accusations against a range of international artists, including rappers Octavian, Solo 45 and the late DJ Erick Morillo. 

Launched earlier this year, Beneath The Glass Ceiling NZ‘s bio says, “Real life experiences working beneath the glass ceiling of Aotearoa’s music industry”.

Read APRA AMCOS’ statement in full below:

Kia ora BTGCNZ,

We wanted to acknowledge the recent posts which refer to the Silver Scroll Award winner. Thank you for providing a platform where people feel safe to share them.

If you think it’s appropriate and helpful to do so, please feel free to share the following on behalf of APRA AMCOS NZ.

We’re saddened and concerned to hear of the behaviour people have described from an artist who has received a Silver Scroll Award. These kinds of behaviours have no place in our music industry. We hope that anyone affected might consider the independent services available to them for support, advice, or to take a complaint forward if they want to do so. The team at HELP Auckland are available any time, 24/7, via helpauckland.org.nz or 0800 623 1700.

We want to see, and be part of, a music industry where everyone upholds a high level of professional respect, conduct, and integrity, and where no one engages in, encourages, or condones any form of discrimination, harassment, or bullying. We are committed to tackling this behaviour in our community.

Thank you for sharing your stories, and for everyone’s ongoing work as we move towards a safer and more inclusive music industry.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.