TW: This blog post heavily addresses sexual assault and pedophilia, specifically in the music industry.
Social media can be used to create a safe space, build empowerment, and address important issues.
The Instagram account @lured_by_burger_records was one of the largest proponents in revealing the history of predatory behavior, normalization of rape culture, and sexual misconduct taking place with Burger Records and associated artists.
What was Burger Records?
Burger Records was an Independent Record label and store founded in Orange County, California in 2007. The label was co-founded by Lee Rickard and Sean Bohrman. The latter also co-owned the store with Brian Flores. They worked within the “SoCal Punk Rock” genre and were involved with artists such as The Growlers, NoBunny, SWMRS, and Audacity.
Their History of Sexual Misconduct & Normalizing Rape Culture
The owners and management of Burger Records were known for their creation of predatory environments. A quote from an anonymous victim reflected that the “Men of Burger Records lured teens in vans, the back room of Burger Records, and a storage unit someone was living in within the Burger Records lot.” They were known for buying alcohol and drugs for minors so that they could offer a ride home, and inviting underrage fans backstage to meet their favorite band members in a relaxed, unsupervised environment.
In 2020, accounts of statutory rape, taking advantage of intoxicated individuals, emotional and sexual manipulation and grooming, and child pornography were among the allegations about the Burger Records musicians. Dozens of artists had their conduct and predatory behavior exposed.
Some of these allegations were raised by popular artists and colleagues to the musicians. Arrow de Wilde of the band Starcrawler spoke out about her experience being sexually assaulted and harassed while touring as an opener for The Growlers. Lydia Night from The Regrettes spoke out about her relationship with Joey Armstrong of SWMRS where she was underraged and forced into sexually and emotionally damaging experiences.
Other allegations were brought forward on the influential Instagram account of @lured_by_burger_records, an anonymous platform for victims and survivors to share their experiences and feel less alone in their trauma.
The Power of @lured_by_burger_records
The account first posted on July 18th, 2020, receiving 3,764 likes for a statement of intention for their account. They wrote:
The goals of the Instagram account were to open their DMs and comments to victims and survivors of sexual assault and harassment so they could share their stories anonymously. The owners of the account would then, if consented, repost their stories anonymously. By doing this, they sought to call out the bands and label managers who were belittling and normalizing these stories of intense trauma and struggle. Instead, they took a position of believing survivors and victims, when many don’t.
Beyond this, resources and support was shared through the account for followers in need. They sent formal statements to the label, speaking from a unified front on the seismic changes and accountability that were needed.
Who was behind it?
Casey Redd and two of her friends started the account in 2020 in order to share their own stories of sexual assault and harassment. Redd spoke out against her relationship with the lead singer of Love Cop who statutorily raped her at 17 years old. The three owners would spend hours a day on the account, sifting through DMs and comments, issuing statements, and sharing stories. As the account accrued the 33.4k followers that it has today, that time prolonged to 18+ hours daily of work. The co-owners took brief leaves throughout the summer of 2020 until the Burger Records label and store shut down, when they officially signed out of the account.
Their Impact
As @lured_by_burger_records promoted a culture of accountability and exposing predatory behavior, several Burger Records artists, and those from other labels, admitted to and confirmed the allegations were true. The response to these confessions varied from bands like NoBunny and No Parents completely shutting down and resigning from the music industry, to bands issuing vague apologies and continuing to make music, with or without the band members who had allegations against them, such as The Growlers and Surf Curse. Others completely denied the accumulation of allegations against them.
Burger Records announced that they would be shutting down as a label and store on July 22nd, 2020.
After taking a several month long hiatus, the owners of @lured_by_burger_records returned to the account to use their platform to promote a special partnership with the radio station KEXP entitled “Preventing Sexual Abuse After the Fall of Burger Records.” This partnership included a podcast and series of posts about the history of rape culture in the music industry, especially the Southern California punk rock industry, and how these trends should be addressed and combatted.
In their return post, the owners wrote that this series would “allow the resources that are available for safety in music to flourish, as well as making the space for new ones to be built.”
Why is social media important?
Provides an accessible platform for people who would otherwise be silenced to share their stories with a wider audience
Creates a common space for those who feel isolated or alone in their experiences and trauma
Allows for anonymity when sharing sensitive stories
Holds people accountable for dangerous and predatory behavior
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