Universal Music halts Rammstein marketing amid sexual assault claims
Pyrotechnics are ignited on stage of the HDI-Arena stadium in Hanover, northern Germany, during a concert of the band Rammstein on July 2, 2019. Universal Music on June 15, 2023, said it had suspended marketing and promotional activities for German metal band Rammstein after a wave of sexual assault claims against the band’s frontman Till Lindemann. CHRISTOPHE GATEAU / DPA / AFP
BERLIN, Germany—Universal Music on Thursday, June 15, said it had suspended marketing and promotional activities for German metal band Rammstein after a wave of sexual assault claims against the band’s frontman.
“The accusations against Till Lindemann have shocked us and we have the greatest respect for the women who have spoken out so courageously in public in this case,” the label said in a statement.
“We have suspended marketing and promotional activities for the band’s recordings until further notice,” it added.
Several women have come forward in recent weeks saying they were drugged and recruited to engage in sexual activity with Lindemann, 60, at Rammstein after-show parties.
Berlin prosecutors said Wednesday they had opened an investigation against Lindemann in connection with the claims.
Article continues after this advertisementLindemann has denied the allegations, his lawyers calling them “without exception untrue.”
Article continues after this advertisementGermany’s Culture Minister Claudia Roth on Thursday said the investigation into Lindemann “underlines that the accusations are to be taken very seriously.”
In an interview with the Tagesspiegel newspaper, Roth called on concert organizers to take more steps to keep fans safe.
“These accusations… show once again how urgently we need a code of conduct for the music industry, as well as for the cultural industry as a whole,” she said.
The scandal erupted after a young Irish woman posted on social media that she had been drugged and propositioned by Lindemann at a backstage party in Vilnius.
A wave of similar stories has since emerged through platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
The uproar around the allegations led to all after-show parties being canceled at a series of Rammstein concerts in Munich last week.
Berlin has also said that after-show parties will be canceled at the band’s upcoming concerts in the German capital in July.
Universal represents Rammstein’s recorded music and publishing business, but not concerts or merchandising. /ra
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