Published
Wed, Aug 24, 2022, 12:30
- The allegations broke yesterday in a VICE article by Annabel Ross.
Black Artist Database (B.A.D.) has suspended its relationship with Beatport's editorial arm, Beatportal, with immediate effect.
B.A.D. released a statement earlier today, August 24th, via Instagram. The decision was made in response to a VICE article yesterday that details allegations of workplace racism, bullying and sexism at Beatport.
"Once we have conducted our internal review, we will return with further course of action," B.A.D. wrote. "We draw significant support from the shared experiences of our community, and we remain faithful to our goal of amplifying these voices and experiences."
Launched in October 2021, B.A.D. and Beatportal's relationship began with Beatport integration on B.A.D. On August 1st, B.A.D. cofounder NIKS launched a month-long guest editorship at Beatportal with this letter. August's cover star was Black Rave Culture.
The VICE article, written by Annabel Ross, accuses several men in leadership positions at Beatport—including CEO Robb McDaniels, chief revenue officer Jonas Tempel and former Berlin office general manager Terry Weerasinghe—of casual racism, bullying and misogynistic behaviour towards staff. The accused accept some of the allegations and deny others. Read the article in full.
Here's B.A.D.'s statement.
Correction, August 30th: A previous version of this article spelled CEO Robb McDaniels' name incorrectly. This has been fixed.