Rolling Stone conducted a 9-months investigation on Marilyn Manson based on court documents and more than 55 new interviews. They found he "conditioned women through flattery and dark humor before introducing a pattern of abuse that allegedly included whipping, carving initials into skin, forced confinement, and rape. Some accusers allege that he plied them with drugs and alcohol, controlled their eating and sleeping habits, and held them captive emotionally and physically until they submitted to his will". A disturbing story on power and abuse of it.

"Banning Kelly’s music would be a form of censorship, and whatever metric is used to justify that ban should by all rights be used against others. But where does one draw that line? Kelly’s music continues to earn royalties, presumably millions each year. And stretching the question further, who exactly should be penalized? Should every songwriter, producer, or instrumentalist convicted of a certain felony category have each of their songs banned?" - Jem Aswad asks the essential question in Variety following R Kelly's conviction. Gives one possible answer: "Great art is sometimes made by horrible people, and whether or not a person is morally comfortable consuming that art, and earning money for that horrible person, is up to them". Jim DeRogatis, the journalist who brought the R Kelly story to the light, looks at the victims: "The verdict leaves several questions unanswered, including how the many people Kelly victimized will begin to heal".

A jury in federal court in Brooklyn found R. Kelly guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking in his federal criminal trial, CNN reports. Prosecutors had accused Kelly of directing his employees to procure women for sex and sexually abused numerous women over the span of nearly 25 years. The 54-year-old singer now faces up to 20 years in prison.

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit from a former girlfriend who accused Marilyn Manson of raping and threatening to kill her, TMZ reports. The judge argued that the allegations outlined in the lawsuit “are not sufficient to invoke the delayed discovery rule”. The woman said she began dating Manson in 2011 and is identified only as Jane Doe. Manson is facing three other sexual assault lawsuits.

Salon's Bernadette Barton joins the discussion about Britney Spears "exploring the gender inequality trapping Britney.  In particular, I examine Britney Spears's story in light of the pornification of society over the past three decades. Pornification, the sexualization of culture also referred to as raunch culture, socializes women and girls to believe (and boys and men too) that a key element of female identity is looking 'hot' like a porn star or stripper. Pornification sells itself to girls and women using the rhetoric of sex positivity and empowerment. 'Look how free you are to express your inner porn star and be sexy.' This narrative falsely equates commodified sexualization with freedom, and devolves the language of sex positivity from an ecosystem of consent, pleasure, safety, and respect into the single expectation that women present themselves as sexual objects first and foremost".

Mabel, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Glastonbury’s Emily Eavis are backing the new Safe Spaces Now music industry initiative calling for change to end the harassment and abuse of women at gigs and festivals, the Guardian reports. Organisers of the initiative say more than 40% of women under 40 have experienced sexual harassment at a live music event. Claire Barnett, the executive director of UN Women UK, said recently released data revealed just 3% of 18 to 24-year-old women had not been harassed in a public space.

Megadeth have parted ways with their original bassist and co-founder David Ellefson amid allegations of sexual impropriety, Next Mosh reports. Sexually explicit video of Ellefson, age 56, masturbating and photos of flirtatious exchanges with a woman surfaced online earlier this month. At the time, rumors spread online that he had been grooming an underage fan. He vehemently denied the accusations and posted a statement from the woman he claimed he had sent the material to who said she was of age the whole time they were in contact.

"I feel that having a No. 1 record derailed my career, and my tearing the photo put me back on the right track” - Sinead O'Connor writes in her memoir 'Remembering' about tearing up a photo of Pope John Paul II, which essentially killed her career. When she became a pop star - “the media was making me out to be crazy because I wasn’t acting like a pop star was supposed to act. It seems to me that being a pop star is almost like being in a type of prison. You have to be a good girl", she says to the New York Times in an interview.

“Because of the way that I feel that the world sees me, I haven’t felt really desired. But that’s really my whole life, though, so I don’t know if it’s anything to do with fame” - Billie Eilish says in a Vogue interview, where she explains her body-image transition from a girl to a woman. She also discusses the issue of nudity - "Suddenly you’re a hypocrite if you want to show your skin, and you’re easy and you’re a slut and you’re a whore. If I am, then I’m proud. Me and all the girls are hoes, and f**k it, y’know? Let’s turn it around and be empowered in that. Showing your body and showing your skin – or not – should not take any respect away from you”. She tries to understand why men grope women: "I really think the bottom line is, men are very weak. I think it’s just so easy for them to lose it".

'Game of Thrones' actress Esmé Bianco has sued singer Marilyn Manson, claiming he coerced her with "drugs, force, and threats of force", CNN reports. The plaintiff alleges sexual assault and battery, also, the suit alleges Manson and his manager Tony Ciulla broke trafficking laws by luring her from London to the US with empty promises of work. Bianco is among a handful of women who spoke out against Manson, however, her court filing on Friday marks the first legal action over such allegations against Manson. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department started investigating allegations against Manson - real name Brain Warner - in February.

American DJ and record producer Bassnectar is being sued by two women who allege that he groomed, trafficked, and raped them while they were underage, EDM.com reports. The women are suing for damages, past and future emotional distress, and medical expenses. Last year, the popular EDM musician announced that he was “stepping back” from his music career after an Instagram page called @evidenceagainstbassnectar collected dozens of sexual misconduct accusations against him. Now, two of the women who shared their experiences on that page are taking the musician to court.

90 percent of women in music had experienced "unconscious bias", 63 percent felt excluded from songwriting and production gigs - the new Be the Change report, which included 401 female artists, songwriters, producers and DJs, shows. A huge 82 percent of women said they had experienced harassment themselves, with 27 percent saying it happens frequently.

A total of 11 women have come forward to accuse Atlanta scene staples T.I. and his wife, former Xscape member Tiny, of drugging and sexually assaulting them, according to the New York Times. None of the couple’s accusers know each other, but many describe sexual abuse, forced ingestion of illegal narcotics, kidnapping, terroristic threats and false imprisonment.

Name3Songs podcast discusses the problem of sexual misconduct in alter music. Questions they pose: "Why sexual misconduct reoccurs at alarming rates in the music industry. What is the psychology behind this? How has this behavior been perpetrated across decades? How can this behavior be stopped and prevented? What is accountability and how do we apply it effectively?".

The BBC aired a documentary 'Music's Dirty Secret: Women Fight Back' about sexual misconduct in the music industry, focusing on artists Erick Morillo, Octavian, and Solo 45. DJ Kristen Knight says in the docu that Morillo raped her after a party in Miami where they played a gig together, and that a date rape drug had been found in her system after the alleged attack. Former girlfriend Hana accused the hotly-tipped rapper Octavian of domestic abuse, which resulted in scrapping his record by Black Butter. Hana also says he offered her $20,000 to keep silent. The investigation also details the pattern of sexual abuse by grime artist Solo 45, who is currently serving 30 years in prison after being convicted of 21 counts of rape and other offenses, including imprisonment and torture, against four women.

Grammy award-winning music producer Detail was arrested on 15 counts of sexual assault and five counts of felony assault, Entertainment Weekly reports. Detail is being investigating for alleged assaults that occurred between 2010 and 2018. This is not a first legal move against him. Last year, a model and aspiring singer was awarded $15m in a Los Angeles lawsuit that accused the producer of abusing and raping her. Singer Jesse Reyez accused the producer in 2018 of inappropriate advances. Pop singers Tinashe and Bebe Rexha alluded to having their own uncomfortable recording sessions with Fisher. Detail is being held on nearly $6.3m bail. The 41-year-old producer, real name Noel Christopher Fisher, is known for producing hits for R&B and hip-hop acts such as Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, the Pussycat Dolls, Lady Gaga, T-Pain, Jennifer Lopez and Wiz Khalifa.

American musician Nobunny, the stage persona of musician Justin Champlin, has announced he's retiring from music, after seemingly admitting to sexual misconduct involving underage women. In a lengthy statement, he said - "I used my power and influence to take advantage of young women and teenage girls". Also, Culture Abuse singer David Kelling posted a lengthy Instagram statement admitting to sexual misconduct with a 17-year old (while he was 22). Culture Abuse announced in their own Instagram post that they are breaking up.

California garage rock label Burger Records has at first announced "major structural changes" following accusations of sexual misconduct associated with artists and employees at the label, Brooklyn Vegan reported, but it seems the label is completely shutting down. Label co-founder and president Lee Rickard was stepping down, co-founder Sean Bohrman moving "into a transitional role", and the label itself has also announced it's changing its name to BRGR. Jessa Zapor-Gray was to assume the role of interim label president. Total Trash Productions, who produce Burger Boogaloo festival, have issued a statement saying they have severed ties with Burger Records and will be changing the name of the festival. However, as Pitchfork reports, Bohrman announced that the label will instead shut down completely.

'On the Record' by HBO Max is about Drew Dixon, who spoke publicly of alleged assault and abuse by hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. The documentary is about her trauma, her music career abruptly stopped when she couldn't stand the abuse anymore, being stripped down to a person with just one dimension - "the abused one", about coming forward as a black woman against a hero in the black community. The abuse seemingly continues to this day - the film received a standing ovation at Sundance, but the response from the music industry since has been mostly silence. Guardian reports on the heavy and important issue.

Spanish tenor Placido Domingo has withdrawn from this summer’s production of 'Don Carlo' at London’s Royal Opera House, in the shadow of allegations of sexual misconduct by dozens of women, the New York Times reports. The Royal Opera House said Friday it had been mutually agreed with Domingo that he will not be taking up his role in the Giuseppe Verdi classic in July. It’s the latest in a string of withdrawals over the past weeks as venues have reassessed their ties with the Spanish star. Performances by Domingo have been cancelled in cities including Tokyo, Madrid and San Francisco, among others.

More than 350 people, predominantly women, have contacted the UK Musician's Union, detailing cases of harassment, discrimination and abuse of power. The complaints included rape and sexual abuse - but more than four in five (85%) of the victims did not report the incidents "because they think they won't be listened to or they won't […]