In the following, we at Behind the Curtains expose what Modest management put Rebecca Ferguson through in her own words. This is all factually correct evidence from Rebecca herself and shows the damage, the horror and the disgraceful treatment of artists at the hands of her music management company early on in her career.
Please be advised the following is harrowing and honestly appalling. Caution should be taken when reading.
Written evidence from Rebecca Ferguson: September 2023 to Parliamentary committee - summary
In her testimony to the committee, Rebecca Ferguson explained why she felt the music industry required regulation in order that people working in this field could carry out their work without living in fear.
Rebecca appeared on The X-Factor in 2010; the shows were aired on ITV during the autumn of that year. This was the same year that Katie Waissel and One Direction were also participants; we have to assume therefore, that some of her experiences were also theirs.
Rebecca highlighted the following concerns.
Welfare flaws
Conduct of the executives, managers and agents was of concern - they behaved in a “disgusting” manner; blocked her from being played; prevented or hindered her payments; deliberately provided poor advice; prevented her from receiving timely medical attention.
She describes the culture as “rotten“; people feel that this behaviour is not only acceptable, but “almost their duty”.
Lack of independent legal advice
The same legal advisors move around the record labels, so the advice is not impartial when moving from one contract to another. The interest of the label is paramount so that they are favoured by the industry and used again – this means that the conditions for their clients is not a priority.
On The X-Factor, she was offered a choice of only three legal organisations and was informed that if she did not sign she would be “removed from the show.“
No freedom of choice
Her team was “given” to her – on leaving The X-Factor she was “handed over” to a management company and had no choice or say in the matter.
Bullying
There were concerted campaigns against her regarding attempts to leave organisations, or simply on a day-to-day basis. In order to make her comply with their wishes, she and people working with her were bullied and intimidated, and were sometimes given financial incentives to work against her.
Corruption
There was no transparency regarding financial decisions, contracts or earnings in order to prevent her understanding what was taking place around her.
Examples
- She was told that unless she signed a contract, she would be “kicked off” The X-Factor.
- The solicitors were provided by the production company, and as such were not impartial.
- Men in senior positions took steps to isolate her - they were instructed to ruin her personal relationships and calls from her children were ignored rather than being passed on.
- Security staff were threatened with their jobs if they failed to make attempts to ruin her romantic relationships.
- Comments made to her include: “When you earn as much money, as you do, you do as we fucking say;” “We need to break her spirit;” “He only wants you to perform because you’re black;” “When I tell you to do something, you do as I fucking say.”
- Performers were encouraged to exchange messages of a sexual nature (presumably this was to create gossip, which could then be leaked to the press in order to garner more interest from the public).
- When she left her exploitative contract, members of her team were threatened or bribed not to work with her again.
- She reports that Elton John’s management team was similarly threatened, with one person telling her how alarmed he was by this behaviour.
- The head of RCA records UK was concerned about how she was being treated by Modest Management and he asked senior people to intervene, including the former head of Sony UK.
- Threats from senior men in the industry cut short her working relationship with a company she trusted.
- Simon Cowell was “long-term friends“ with Modest Management and was “previously employed by Richard Griffiths(co-founder of Modest).” This friendship meant that everyone was contracted to Modest Management without choice being offered.
- She had been unknowingly been paying commissions to a company that had a similar name to the one she was working with – she believes this was done deliberately, to “limit liability.“
- When she complained about the conduct of one of the “most powerful people in entertainment“ to the police and other authorities, she was told that he was already known to them because she was the third woman to complain about his behaviour.
- Rebecca was overworked, and was frequently dizzy; at times she collapsed from exhaustion. When she collapsed, and was unconscious, no medical assistance was provided - instead, she was sent into a studio for a radio interview.
- She was told to pretend she was well when she was not so that she would not be prevented from getting onto a flight. On the flight, she had to be checked regularly by another passenger who happened to be a doctor.
- If she was confined to her bed as a result of exhaustion, she was made to give interviews from her bed.
- She was medicated by private doctors, so that “she could continue to work.”
- Meals were erratic and she went without food for extended periods.
- Working days could last from 5 am to midnight.
- Sometimes she slept for only three hours a night; when her weight dropped to size 0, this was praised, even though she was clearly unwell.
- When she had a miscarriage, she was told to continue working throughout the day and was not allowed to have the day off.
- When she needed to have pre-cancerous cells removed, she was told she could not have treatment until after work duties were complete. After six months, a consultant expressed concern that her team had not been responding to correspondence regarding this. Clearly this is unacceptable and could have endangered her life.
- Her music was blocked internationally, and she had to seek assistance to have this investigated.
- Her manager was threatened and blackmailed to provide information about her.
- A senior industry figure forced his way into her home and sat talking to her child while she was in the shower. He refused to leave until she threatened him with the police. She actually did call and report the incident.
- Financial and legal files were withheld from her so that deadlines could not be met. The management had chosen the accountant for her.
- On a tour which grossed £600,000, she made no profit at all, and she had to seek legal assistance to retrieve the monies.
- A detective from the Metropolitan Police told her that they had received intelligence that she was being targeted and they believed she was unsafe. She had to be met by police when she got off a flight in order to be protected.
- A friend of an industry executive told her “I thought you was getting killed […] I thought you was supposed to be getting killed.” (sic)
- She was contacted by a former employee of an industry executive and warned not to stay in a particular hotel because it was being used to drug and rape people within the industry in order to place them in compromising positions. This would be used to blackmail them and gain power over them. Needless to say, Rebecca was too afraid to eat or drink anything whilst at that hotel.
- A private detective contacted her regarding a person missing from the entertainment industry; he was concerned about people being drugged and raped. This was as recently as 2023.
From Rebecca‘s evidence to this committee, it is clear that the treatment she received was abhorrent. She was “the victim of trafficking/servitude.” There is an issue she feels, with the fact that there is no requirement for managers to be licensed and codes of conduct do not have to be signed - therefore there is no accountability.
Overall, the industry is unregulated: human rights abuses, rape, sexual coercion, blackmail, slavery and bullying exist.
I am sure you will agree with me that this account of events is horrifying. This is why we all need to do all we can to support the artists who have experience such horrors: they are unable to speak out for themselves because of contracts and NDAs and it is paramount that we do this.
Those who have spoken out, like Katie Waissel and Cher Lloyd have done so at considerable expense to themselves and their comments serve to shine a light on how women in the industry are still treated.
In 2020 The Guardian reported how someone in authority told Cher “If you were to wear slightly more slinky clothes, if you wore your skirt a little shorter, maybe you’d get a bit more recognition,”
Even ten years after her time on the X-Factor, she still had to do “damage control.”
“Definitely don’t say hello and shake hands with certain people.” Further Cher does not perform her first single, a no 1 hit in the U.K. because of the negative memories associated with that time.
Cher also commented how she missed out in some professional opportunities: “There was this thing of, ‘If she’s married, she’s off the market,’ and that angle’s taken away from being able to sell my music.’
It is clear that all the acts have suffered abuse of being run by uncaring and financially-fixated management. I ask for your help in this battle to counteract this culture: please continue to share the articles from behind the curtain and call out abuses where you see them taking place. Send the examples to us or let us know what it is you’d like us to expose next.
This industry has acted within impunity for far too long – regulation is long overdue. It is time that those responsible are held to account for the abuse perpetrated on young innocent and terrified artists.
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Behind the Curtains
Sources:
https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/124421/pdf/
https://amp.theguardian.com/music/2020/jan/14/cher-lloyd-x-factor-singer-damage-control
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