In Response To Twin Cities Survivors

In response to Twin Cities Survivors:

We’re sorry we haven’t been more aware of the painful experiences women in our community have been facing, many within the context of interpersonal relationships within the Twin Cities music scene. We’re sorry that it hasn’t always felt safe or been easy to tell us when something is wrong, and that we didn’t have the policies or protocols to hold ourselves and our artist partners to a higher standard. The people we work with are from our communities and are representative of all the good and bad it entails. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be a positive force within the spaces we have influence, and we’re committed to doing so.

These past five months we have:

Enhanced vetting of new artists so we have a deeper understanding of who we’re sharing our platform with.

Established and formalized Artists standards which allow us to hold our artist partners accountable. This could involve anything from mediation, and making amends up to and including reevaluation and conclusion of our working relationship.

Engaged in third party staff-wide training on allyship, which we understand to mean working with others towards the common interest of justice and equity in the spaces we occupy.

Begun educating ourselves on transformative and restorative justice practices and consulted experienced practitioners.

Begun working with a third party investigation firm to field artist misconduct claims, this system will be up and running early 2021.

And we’ve started developing systems to navigate conflict, and address harm if and when it happens.

Contacting survivors unsolicited could be harmful, and it’s not ok without consent. We have been in contact with people who have expressed a willingness to engage, and discuss what can be done. We have not declined any meetings, and we will continue to be open to any productive conversation.

In regards to Grieves, he has already fulfilled his contract and is under no further obligation to the label.

We agree that a mutually approved third party is both welcome and necessary to facilitate communication between us. We’d like to work with an individual or organization with experience successfully navigating complex issues through a Restorative or Transformative Justice lens. We would like a third party to allow us to move at the speed of trust, maintain the integrity of the process, help us understand how we may have contributed to the conditions that cause harm and address them if we haven’t already.

We’re aligned with creating safer spaces, becoming better listeners, and conducting business responsibly. We’re open to listening and willing to work with anyone who shares that agenda and those goals.

- Rhymesayers Entertainment

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