In early May, punk duo PWR BTTM’s music was yanked from all streaming services at the request of the band’s former labels following allegations of sexual assault against one member of the duo (the band has denied the allegations). But as of June 13, some of PWR BTTM’s music has returned to streaming. The band has announced they’ve hired a new manager, Lisa Barbaris (who also represents Cyndi Lauper), after being dropped by their previous management company and have obtained the rights to rerelease their 2015 debut album Ugly Cherries. That album is already back on streaming services like Spotify. However, the band’s latest album, Pageant, is still the subject of a legal battle. According to a statement, PWR BTTM’s lawyers are working to return their sophomore album to streaming, but have so far hit a roadblock with the band’s former record label Polyvinyl, which they claim “has not presented any viable plan” to make Pageant widely available again. “To see Polyvinyl derail and potentially destroy the band’s career in such an impulsive manner is very troubling,” Barbaris tells Billboard. “I’ve never seen a label respond in such an irresponsible way in the 30-plus years I’ve been in the music business.” But Polyvinyl says the label is working out a “separation” with PWR BTTM’s team and “has no desire to prevent the band from releasing Pageant once an agreement has been reached.”
