Bloodshot Records Co-Founder ‘Steps Away’ After Lydia Loveless’s Sexual Misconduct Allegations
Bloodshot records co-owner Nan Warshaw is “stepping away” from her duties at the indie label, following sexual misconduct allegations against her life partner, musician Mark Panick. The allegations came to light in a series of social media posts by singer-songwriter Lydia Loveless, in which she accused Panick of “casual predation” that includes inappropriate comments and groping.
Loveless also leveled criticism at Bloodless, noting that while Panick was not an employee of the label, his personal relationship with Nan Warshaw made him a de facto “public face” for Bloodshot. She claims that the label did nothing to prevent Panick’s alleged behavior, even after Loveless claims she made Warshaw aware of at least one of the alleged incidents.
“I don’t think Bloodshot has maliciously encouraged this behavior but instead quieted it to protect their brand,” she wrote.
In a statement released on Sunday, Warshaw announced that in light of the allegations, she was relinquishing her day-to-day duties at the label for the foreseeable future and offered a public apology to Loveless.
“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.”
“To achieve the part of which I personally can affect meant separating my personal life from my Bloodshot life, which I did. 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.”
In a separate statement to the Chicago Tribune, Warshaw said she did not know how long her hiatus from the label would last and that it would depend on what is “best for the artists and the staff.”
In a statement to the Tribune on Monday, Panick said: “Anyone accused of something like this that doesn’t immediately do some kind of internal audit is just not paying attention. I am no saint and behaviors learned in the past can be unlearned. I do not remember the events Lydia describes in the same way. But I truly regret making her feel like that and really wish I’d have understood that at the moment.”
photo: Vivian HW Wang [CC BY-SA 4.0], via WikimediaCommons
