Burger Records to shut down following allegations of sexual misconduct

California label Burger Records has announced it will completely shut down, following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct that were brought to light over the weekend.

The label was accused of “curating” an environment for sexual misconduct, with sexual assault allegations spanning across multiple members of bands across its activities — such as SWMRS and The Growlers.

The allegations came to light via an Instagram account with the username @Lured_By_Burger_Records the detailed stories and allegations of abuse from individuals involved in the label.

“Burger Records is responsible for curating a culture built on pedophilic tendencies and teenage fetishization, allowing predators access to the thousands of teenagers paying $$$ to go to their nearly-daily shows being held,” a statement from the account read.

Initially, Burger Records announced plans to restructure the label. On Monday, in an effort combat a “culture of toxic masculinity,” co-founder and president Lee Rickard resigned, co-founder Sean Bohrman announced plans to eventually step down, the label changed its name to BRGR. A new interim president, Jessa Zapor-Gray, was put forward.

Following the announcement of Zapor-Gray stepping up as interim president, Lured by Burger Records targeted the incoming interim chief as “a PR person working to re-brand a company based on predation. She tried and failed to silence us over the last two days.”

Zapor-Gray soon announced her departure from the label.

“When I was asked to take over in this capacity, I expected some blowback for my decision to accept but I believed that the opportunity to have a role in effecting real and lasting positive change within the Burger and indie music scenes was worth the risk,” she wrote in a statement.

“Upon further review, I have informed Burger Records that I no longer believe I will be able to achieve my intended goals in assuming the leadership role at Burger in the current climate. Therefore, I have decided to step away from the label entirely to focus on my other projects.”

As Pitchfork report, Burger Records has officially closed down. All music from the label is set to be pulled from streaming services, artists will be allowed to re-upload their music if they wish.

Burger’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages have also been taken down.

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