Bloodshot Records owners respond to Lydia Loveless' sexual misconduct allegations against partner

18 February 2019, 17:44 | Written by Cerys Kenneally

(News)

(Lydia Loveless)

Both owners of Bloodshot Records have responded to the allegations made by signee Lydia Loveless, who shared a statement alleging sexual misconduct from one of the co-owner's domestic partners.

On Sunday (17 February), alt-country singer/songwriter Lydia Loveless uploaded a lengthy statement accusing Mark Panick, the domestic partner of Bloodshot Records co-owner Nan Warshaw, of multiple accounts of sexual harrassment.

Loveless signed to Bloodshot Records at 19, and reveals that Panick was a big part of all the label's events, despite not actually working for them. Her statement reveals, "I do not think I am alone in experiencing his casual predation, but this is only my story to tell."

Throughout her statement, she reveals multiple accounts of inappropriate behaviour at events, including touching and groping, and leaving "comments on my page [Facebook] that would elicit texts from friends - Who is this person? Are you OK?"

She adds, "I don’t think Bloodshot has maliciously encouraged this behavior but instead quieted it to protect their brand, and it has indeed been covered up in my eyes, as the Behavior only ceased when I was informed they wanted to begin signing more women."

View this post on Instagram
I feel like I’m going to break into a million pieces and this was hard to write. However I made an angry tweet yesterday and felt this was necessary. I know it’s going to cause problems for myself and a lot of other people but I am tired of carrying it around.
A post shared by Lydia Loveless (@lydialovelesss) on Feb 16, 2019 at 2:16pm PST

The news about Panick arrives in the midst of the allegations against Ryan Adams. Bloodshot Records put out Adams' debut album Heartbreaker in 2000.

On Saturday (16 February), ahead of Loveless' post, they tweeted about the Adams situation, "The Ryan Adams we have been hearing about over the past few days bears no resemblance to the one we knew back then. To be emphatically clear, we never saw or heard a hint of the appalling behavior now coming to light. We are as shocked and disappointed as every one else."

Both owners of the label have issued their own statements. Warshaw revealed on Facebook the choice for her to "step away" from Bloodshot Records, and said "I apologize for any hell or even awkwardness I put Lydia or anyone through, due to my actions or inactions. No one, and especially no one within the Bloodshot community, should ever have to tolerate sexual harassment; feeling safe and comfortable should be your right."

Warshaw also clarifies the position of Panick, "Since this issue came to light, my life partner Mark has not attended and will not be attending Bloodshot events, and he has not contacted and will not be contacting Lydia. To be clear, my life partner, Mark Panick, does not work for Bloodshot in any capacity and has never been an employee of Bloodshot. Rob Miller co-owns Bloodshot with me."

Rob Miller, the other co-owner of the label, uploaded his own lengthy statement, opening it with, "While I disagree with certain charaterizations contained in her content of her recent social media posts, the story is essentially, and sadly, true" He goes on to reiterate their "ZERO TOLERANCE" towards sexual harrassment, and clarifies the role, or lack of role, of Panick within the label, "Co-owner Nan Warshaw's boyfriend Mark Panick is not now, nor has ever been, an employee of Bloodshot Records."

The three-page statement goes on to highlight his failure "in not recognizing that one of our artists was made to feel uncomfortable by someone, which is not something our label would ever want to happen. Not seeing the behaviour disrespected her immensely. I knew that if I did not become part of the solution, I was part of the problem."

As his piece comes to a close, Miller asks the label followers, "If you need to turn your backs on us for our inability to recognize this sooner, I ask only that you do so in a way that does not punish the artists or our employees. They should not suffer for the contemptible actions of a caveman; they are absolutely blameless."