M.I.A. and Roc Nation Really Don't Like Each Other Right Now
The marketing plan for M.I.A.'s new album Matangi hasn't been going as smooth as Roc Nation—the singer's management—was hoping.
After being asked if a planned documentary on Matangi was still on hold, director Steve Loveridge replied, "Yep. I get an email every few weeks from Roc Nation or Interscope saying it’s all going to start up again, but then nothing" before posting a 2012 teaser of the doc to YouTube with the message "Reblog the sh-t out of this and maybe they’ll wake up…" The video was swiftly pulled by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, the not-for-profit group representing music labels.
For some reason, being told to wake up didn't sit well with the Roc, who, in a alleged email released by Loveridge, told the director, "I know how frustrated you must be with the whole subject, but I promise we've been having ongoing conversations internally, trying to get legal stuff and funding resolved. It IS going to move forward and get done in time for this album cycle and festivals.
"The timing of this leak is not good, as it screws with everything we've been working on setting up Matangi ... so I think we'll pull [the teaser clip] down ASAP to then set it up properly and not just have to go for damage control."
Loveridge's response? "I really couldn't give a flying f-ck. Count me out. Would rather die than work on this."
M.I.A., for her part, tweeted out that she may go elsewhere for funding:
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