The punk duo, Ben Hopkins and Liv Bruce, have signed with Cyndi Lauper’s manager Lisa Barbaris and attorney Jeffrey Koenig of Serling Rooks Hunter McKoy & Worob to reclaim the band’s music. They now have the distribution rights to their 2015 album Ugly Cherries, put out by Father/Daughter Records, which will return to streaming services today.
Now the band is working with their label Polyvinyl, who withdrew PWR BTTM’s album Pageant from distribution after the assault allegations. “To see Polyvinyl derail and potentially destroy the band’s career in such an impulsive manner is very troubling,” Barbaris said in a statement to 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.”
A spokesperson for Polyvinyl told Billboard that they have been in contact with PWR BTTM’s team to work out a separation. According to the band’s lawyer the label wants to be reimbursed for the album advance Polyvinyl gave PWR BTTM before it will transfer distribution rights to the group.
PWR BTTM has strongly contested the assault allegations. According to Billboard a source close to the band “don’t want to sue but do believe that the label has done harm to their reputation and livelihood.”
