PledgeMusic has been giving artists the run around for months about payments. Now co-founder Benji Rogers is returning to help straighten out the mess.
Rogers announced yesterday that he is returning to the company he helped found on a voluntary basis. He will be serving as an unremunerated strategic advisor and board observer.
Rogers left PledgeMusic in 2016 to focus on Dot Blockchain Media. He apologized to artists who have been affected by a raft of payment delays shortly before announcing his return.
PledgeMusic was founded in 2009 as a joint venture between Rogers and Jayce Varden. The platform was designed to be a place where artists could raise money directly from fans, and then sell to those dedicated fanbases.
Rogers says he will be picking up where he left off when he left the company.
“I have agreed, on a short-term basis, to return to PledgeMusic as a volunteer strategic advisor and observer to the board,” Rogers wrote. “I have seen first hand how tirelessly the team, management, and board have been working to right the ship and that is why I have agreed to help where I can.”
Rogers will be taking on this new role in addition to his full-time position as CSO of Dot Blockchain Media.
PledgeMusic will be sorting out its payments issue to artists as a first priority. A detailed plan will be shared by PledgeMusic ‘soon.’ Rogers also says all funds coming into the company will be managed by an independent third-party, yet to be announced.
Just recently, the company blamed its missed payments on an unexpected change in the payment fulfillment system. CEO Dominic Pandiscia said the company was working through the problems but stepped down last October.
Variety is reporting that PledgeMusic has a prioritized list of artists to be paid first. Most notably, those who have complained on social media and drawn attention to the situation.
Hey Music Xray, why don’t you hire Benji to help clean up your mess?