UPDATE: Beatport officials have addressed the rumors, and a technical issue appears to be at fault.
No labels have been banned from store. We’re investigating the issue and expect music from all labels to be available again in a few hours.
— Beatport (@beatport) May 11, 2016
ORIGINAL STORY: It’s been an eventful week for online music marketplace Beatport. Even though the company was supposed to have been sold off by SFX Entertainment last week, it recently announced that its auction process would be suspended and it would discontinue several of its newer service additions.
To make matters worse, Beatport now appears to be at odds with Dutch mega-label Spinnin’ Records.
According to unconfirmed rumors that have surfaced in a handful of outlets, Beatport has banned all releases from Spinnin’ Records and its sub-labels from being sold on its platform. While no official statement has been made by Beatport officials that would confirm or deny the legitimacy of the rumors, Spinnin’ is among a handful of record labels that are suspected to have been removed from the service for defrauding Beatport chart positions.
Beatport was bought by SFX Entertainment in 2013 during what Billboard famously dubbed “the EDM arms race,” and fell victim to the company’s well-chronicled mismanagement in the years that followed. Being that Spinnin’ Records is one of the premiere distributors of electronic music on a global scale, discontinuing a business relationship with the brand could only spell more bad news for the already troubled download service.
Until Beatport releases an official statement, its grievances with Spinnin’ Records remain a rumor. Check back for further details on the dilemma as they arise.
