Dr. Luke at the ASCAP Awards, LA, in 2014 (Charles Lee; CC by 4.0)
Sony Music Entertainment isn’t firing Dr. Luke, according to a statement just issued by the producer’s lawyer. The statement, from attorney Christine Lapera, is as follows:
“This is not true. 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.”
The clarification comes amidst rumors that Dr. Luke (real name: Lukasz Gottwald) was being dismissed by the major label based on heightening rape allegations involving pop star Kesha. Specifically, a report in rumor-mongering The Wrap cited a source as saying that Luke was getting sacked because of the Kesha imbroglio. “There is no contest,” the source relayed. “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.”
“The fact that this hasn’t already been taken care of with Luke is confusing, especially for people in the building.”
The rape accusations dial back to 2014, when Kesha first filed suit against Dr. Luke. The producer quickly countersued, and neither side has budged since.
Luke has maintained his complete innocence from the beginning, though Kesha has played ringleader for a shame circus that is now intensifying. That has been amplified by a storm of Kesha fans, who just recently submitted a petition to Sony demanding Luke’s removal. The petition was coupled with a protest outside of Sony Music headquarters on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, one of several public gatherings by fans.
In total, the petition carried more than 400,000 signatures.
Importantly, a judge hasn’t yet ruled on the matter, which leaves the distinct possibility that Luke is completely innocent. Indeed, Gottwald himself has recently spoken out against the accusations, noting that no sexual interaction — coerced or otherwise — has transpired between the two. Regardless of those protests, mega-stars like Adele and Taylor Swift have rallied to Kesha’s aid, with Swift donating $250,000 to the singer’s legal fund.
Kesha has been accused of using the rape allegations and the surrounding bad publicity to extricate herself from her Sony Music Entertainment contract. Sony has responded that it doesn’t have to ability to terminate the deal, and offered to accommodate the pop singer’s request to work with another producer.
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