Ryan Adams dropped from radio following sexual misconduct allegations

Ryan Adams‘ music is being removed from the radio after allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse were published by The New York Times last week.

According to Billboard, multiple stations have taken Adams’ music out of rotation. His recent collaboration with John Mayer titled “Fuck the Rain” was released in January and soon rose to the Top 20 on the Adult Alternative Songs list.

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Now, according to the data from Nielsen Music, the track is getting removed from the 42 radio stations that make up the chart’s panel.

On Feb. 11 and 12 the track had accrued 54 plays on each day. The NY Times revealed their report on Adams’ sexual misconduct allegations on Feb. 13, in which the song dropped to 45 spins.

The day after the allegations, Feb. 14, “Fuck the Rain” was down to 26 plays, 16 of those coming during the radio’s overnight hours (midnight-6 a.m.).

As of Feb. 15, the track had been played just seven times overnight, and it was played only once since 6 a.m. EST.

“Once we got his texts of him sexually harassing a 14-year-old girl, it was like, no, we have to stop,” one Virginia radio programmer tells Billboard. “As of midnight [Feb. 15], it’s gone. I mean, all of it. The entire catalog.”

“We pulled all of his music today, which was a difficult decision,” says another programmer. “On the one hand, I believe in innocent until proven guilty, but on the other hand, in the court of public opinion, he has already been convicted. And public opinion is what impacts our listeners.

“I’ve always believed that what you don’t play doesn’t hurt you, but what you do play can,” the programmer continues. “If it were only library tunes, no one would even notice, but because we are playing ‘Fuck the Rain,’ his song comes up often enough to be noticed. I contacted my Capitol rep this morning and explained our decision to him.”

WPYA Birmingham programmer Geno Pearson agreed with his fellow radio personnel.

“We are deeply concerned as it relates to the information brought to light yesterday and are currently considering the best way to address this on our radio station. For the time being we are going to currently pull his music off of our station, especially with the feedback we have received from our listeners. Our listeners have let us know their opinions on the matter and we want to do what is best for our listeners and the station.”

The programmers who spoke with Billboard stated they did not see Adams’ music returning to rotation anytime soon.

Yesterday, Phoebe Bridgers took to Twitter to release a statement after she accused musician Ryan Adams of psychological manipulation and sexual misconduct.

You can read her full statement here.

Ryan Adams accused of sexual misconduct with underage fan

The New York Times report published on Wednesday discussed allegations in which several women came forward to discuss their experiences with Adams including Mandy Moore and Phoebe Bridgers.

Read more: Ryan Adams accused of sexual misconduct, abuse by multiple women

The report included an interview with the now 20-year-old Ava, who was only 14 at the time Adams began corresponding with her.

The Times reviewed all 3,217 text messages that took place between the two over a nine-month period when Ava was 15 and 16 years old.

Conversations turned graphic and sexual, with Adam questioning Ava repeatedly about her age stating, “I would get in trouble if someone knew we talked like this.” The report states that Ava did not always answer honestly.

“I never see pics of you anymore,” Adams wrote in November of 2014. “You were blowing my mind.”

Days later he added, “If people knew they would say I was like R Kelley lol.”

Minutes later, the conversation turned sexual.

“I just want you to touch your nipple,” he texted. “And tell me that your mom is not gonna kill me if she finds out we even text.”

According to the report, Ava and Adams conducted video calls that sometimes included nudity, but the two never met in person.

Adam’s lawyer, Andrew B. Brettler, claims his client does not recall such interactions with Ava.

“Mr. Adams unequivocally denies that he ever engaged in inappropriate online sexual communications with someone he knew was underage,” Brettler says.

Now, a law enforcement office with knowledge on the matter tells the Times they are looking into whether Adams committed a crime by engaging in sexual communications with someone who was underage.

On Thursday, FBI agents in the bureau’s New York office made their first move into opening a criminal investigation.

The agent speaking to the Times stated officials from the Crimes Against Children Squad are looking to interview Ava and obtain the text messages as well as any other evidence she may have.

If the allegations seem credible, more investigative steps will be taken including subpoenaing Ava and Adams’ cell phone records for their service providers. Ava’s lawyer declined to comment on the matter as her family deliberates on how to proceed.

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