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Decapitated ask fans to buy t-shirts to fund legal action

By | Published on Tuesday 28 June 2016

Decapitated

We’ve written and talked a great deal about the rise of direct-to-fan as a way for artists to build a more sustainable income. Using it to crowdfund legal action though, that’s a new one. Polish death metal band Decapitated have asked fans to buy a limited edition t-shirt in order to help fund a lawsuit against their former label, Earache.

The band claim that they have not received any royalties from the label since fulfilling their record contract in 2006. The following year their tour bus was involved in an accident, which resulted in the death of drummer Witold ‘Vitek’ Kiełtyka and left vocalist Adrian ‘Covan’ Kowanek in a coma. Initially disbanding, the band reformed in 2009, and released their fifth album, ‘Carnival Is Forever’, through a new deal with Nuclear Blast in 2011.

The band say that the need to pursue legal action now is down to “ongoing disputes with the label regarding these unpaid royalties and contested breaches of contract”.

In a video addressing fans, guitarist Waclaw ‘Vogg’ Kiettyka says: “We have, as a band, fulfilled all of the requirements on the contract. We recorded four albums, promoted them, played shows etc. However, [Earache] haven’t paid a penny in royalties since the deal ended ten years ago. For that reason, we have decided to begin legal action against the label. In order to raise the funds for the legal proceedings, the lawyers and so forth, we’re issuing a limited edition t-shirt”.

Watch Kiettyka’a video here:

Earache has not yet commented on the threat of legal action.



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