The Epstein files have been a plague that the United States, and honestly, the rest of the world can’t seem to shake. As we’re fed dribs and drabs of what the FBI and DOJ have compiled during their investigations, more names have come to light, and as is the nature of the entertainment industry, one of the biggest executives was named in the Epstein files.
After exchanging flirtatious emails with Ghislaine Maxwell and riding on Jeffrey Epstein‘s jet, Wasserman Media Group’s CEO, Casey Wasserman, was implicated in one of the most troubling issues of our time. And the actual influence and impact of Wasserman‘s media corporation is extensive as the names of artists that use Wasserman Media Group reach the top of our scene.
While many of these artists would not have had direct contact with Wasserman himself as the CEO, artists started jumping ship anyway, making sure it was known they would in no way be associated with one of the world’s most famous sex traffickers now that Wasserman was implicated in the files.
Now, the CEO wrote to his team that he will be selling his talent agency, saying:
“Team:
“I wanted to write to you all directly to share a few important updates. Over the past couple of weeks, I have spoken to many of you directly – and I wish I could have spoken with each and every one of you because you all have put your hearts and souls into this incredible organization.
“First and foremost, I want to apologize to you. I’m deeply sorry that my past personal mistakes have caused you so much discomfort. It’s not fair to you, and it’s not fair to the clients and partners we represent so vigorously and care so deeply about.
“The pain experienced by the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell is unimaginable – and I’m glad, as I’m sure you all are, that those who helped them commit their crimes are rightly being held accountable.
“Hopefully by now you know the facts about my limited interactions with those two individuals. It was years before their criminal conduct came to light, and, in its entirety, consisted of one humanitarian trip to Africa and a handful of emails that I deeply regret sending. And I’m heartbroken that my brief contact with them 23 years ago has caused you, this company, and its clients so much hardship over the past days and weeks.
“Other than my children and my fiancée, there are two things that matter most to me in this world: this company that I founded 24 years ago, and the dream I’ve pursued for more than a decade of bringing the Olympic Games back to the city I love.
“This organization, its leadership and the entire team mean the world to me. Our 4,000 employees are the absolute best in the business. I see you put it all on the line for your clients every day. Our clients expect – and deserve – world-class representation. And that’s exactly what they get because of all of you.
“At this moment, I believe that I have become a distraction to those efforts. That is why I have begun the process of selling the company, an effort that is already underway. During this time, Mike Watts will assume day-to-day control of the business while I devote my full attention to delivering Los Angeles an Olympic Games in 2028 that is worthy of this outstanding city.
“I so appreciate the passion and fight you bring to your jobs. It’s why you succeed.
“I’m beyond proud of what this company has accomplished to date and excited to watch its next chapter.
“All my best,
Casey”
Several alternative, rock, and metal artists have made statements about separating themselves from the agency before Wasserman‘s announcement of departure, with almost 100 artists represented by WMG. You can find what Dropkick Murphys, Dying Wish, Hot Mulligan, and Split Chain had to say about their departure from the media group, and a non-complete list of alternative, rock, and metal artists that were represented by WMG before new files came to light.
Dropkick Murphys
“Dropkick Murphys have parted ways with the Wasserman Music agency.
“We love our agents. They are great partners. We signed with them years before they merged with Wasserman.
It saddens us to part ways with them, but the namesake of the agency is in the Epstein files so… we GONE.”
Dying Wish
“Recently we have been made aware of some staggering connections between the CEO of Wasserman and Jeffrey Epstein. From the moment we heard these sickening allegations we knew without a doubt that we were going to remove ourselves from any association to the Wasserman name.
“The only person who has represented us since 2019 is Jake Zimmerman. Jake has believed in this band when nobody else did and he is someone we are proud to call our friend. We trust Jake and our team to make the right decisions moving forward. This process has taken time and that has been uncomfortable but we believe it will honour our demands, what we stand for, and the community we share.
“We are horrified at this situation and our hearts go out to all survivors as we navigate this together. Music belongs to us, not the executives.”
Hot Mulligan
“The founder of our booking agency, Casey Wasserman, has been implicated in the Epstein files. We would like to make it clear that we stand with the victims of Epstein‘s abuse and trafficking and have no personal ties to Casey Wasserman himself.
“At this time, we are allowing our booking agents–who also do not have personal relations with Casey Wasserman–to figure out their next moves. Rest assured that we will no longer be affiliated with the company if Casey is still in the picture.”
Split Chain
“Everyone deserves the right to know. None of this stands within music as a whole or this scene.
“Since the information that Casey Wasserman has been involved in the Epstein Files we have been trying to figure out what that means for us as a band. For those who don’t know, we are represented by Wasserman, the agency, for our show bookings. However, we have never had any interaction with the CEO (Casey Wasserman) or any higher ups in the company and we signed with our respective agents solely (who don’t have any relationship with C.W either). We don’t want to be under any person that contributes and is a part of something we as people would never tolerate. We stand with any and all survivors and victims within the Epstein files and we want to give our agents time to figure out the next steps. We hope other artists, especially within our scene, will understand the severity of this and stick together to make sure this scene is a safe place for all. We will keep everyone updated as soon as we know anything further. Thank you for your time and patience.”
A non-complete list of alternative, metal, and rock artists signed to Wasserman is as follows – the original roster list is no longer available on the Wasserman website, but you can find it archived here.
- Against The Current
- Angel Du$t
- Architects
- Arm’s Length
- As It Is
- August Burns Red
- Bambie Thug
- Black Veil Brides
- Boston Manor
- Bring Me The Horizon
- Bury Tomorrow
- Crown The Empire
- Cypress Hill
- Dashboard Confessional
- Deafheaven
- Death Cab For Cutie
- Dropkick Murphys
- Dying Wish
- Frank Iero
- Free Throw
- Good Kid
- grandson
- Greyhaven
- The Home Team
- Hot Mulligan
- Knocked Loose
- Knuckle Puck
- L.S. Dunes
- Lamb Of God
- The Lawrence Arms
- LØLØ
- Make Them Suffer
- Malevolence
- The Menzingers
- Motionless In White
- My Chemical Romance
- Neck Deep
- New Found Glory
- Northlane
- Nothing But Thieves
- NOVELISTS
- ONE OK ROCK
- Orbit Culture
- Our Last Night
- Palaye Royale
- Papa Roach
- Pinkshift
- Plain White T’s
- Poison The Well
- The Prodigy
- Public Enemy
- Real Friends
- Rise Against
- Saint Agnes
- Sanguisugabogg
- Saves The Day
- Scene Queen
- SCOWL
- The Scratch
- Silverstein
- Sleep Token
- Sleeping with Sirens
- Soft Play
- South Arcade
- Spiritual Cramp
- Split Chain
- Stand Atlantic
- State Champs
- Static Dress
- The Story So Far
- Superheaven
- Teen Mortgage
- Turnstile
- Viagra Boys
- VOILÀ
- Wage War
- WARGASM
- The Warning
- While She Sleeps
- Windwaker
- Wolf Alice
- The Wonder Years
- Yellowcard
- You Me At Six
