K Records Selling Headquarters to Pay Phil Elverum, Kimya Dawson, Others
This past February, Kimya Dawson, Phil Elverum, and several other musicians came forward to say that they’re owed unpaid royalties from the Olympia, Washington label K Records. At the time, Dawson said K gave her an estimate of owed funds that “was a good six figures under what they actually owe [her].” Elverum said the label also owed him “a bunch of money and that communication about this over the years has been pretty difficult.” K Records owner Calvin Johnson (of Beat Happening) said the label didn’t “have any money,” and that they were “selling everything [they] can to make money to pay the people [they] owe.” Now, in a continued effort to raise money, they are selling their label headquarters, according to The Olympian (via Spin). The building, which is a former synagogue, is currently listed for $399,000. Johnson told the paper, “We’re hoping that with selling the building and some of the equipment that we’ll be able to get back to break even.”
Dawson told The Olympian that K owes her “in the range of $90,000.” She added that the label has been paying her in small quarterly increments since early 2014, but that followed years without any payments or statements. Elverum said he’s owed about $63,000, and that K started his regular payments in 2012. “They’ve been making some legitimate efforts finally this year, but it’s pretty late,” he said.
They’re just two of nearly 100 artists whom K owes money, according to Eric Williger, a former K employee who was responsible for accounting. Williger said he was especially troubled about the money owed to Elverum after learning that his wife Geneviève Castrée was diagnosed with cancer. (Earlier this month, Elverum opened a GoFundMe page seeking donations for his family.) Williger told The Olympian, “When I found out about Geneviève’s cancer, I was heartbroken, and also angry.” He added, “It made me so mad that K was not paying Phil all the money he was owed immediately, making sacrifices. That was so much more important than anything else, dealing with that kind of tragedy.”
Despite the recent building listing and ongoing financial troubles, Calvin Johnson once again reiterated that K Records is not shutting down. He told The Olympian, “We’re here.”
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