Kimya Dawson, Phil Elverum, and several other artists have come forward to say that they're owed unpaid royalties from the Olympia, Washington label K Records. In an interview with The Stranger, label owner Calvin Johnson (of Beat Happening) has confirmed the label's financial troubles and has responded to the artists' complaints.

In a series of Facebook posts, Dawson wrote several messages detailing her frustration with Johnson. Among other things, she said the label gave her an estimate of owed funds that "was a good six figures under what they actually owe me." Furthermore, she said their proposed repayment plan is set up so she'd be "paid off in maybe 30 years."

Elverum confirmed that the label also owed him "a bunch of money and that communication about this over the years has been pretty difficult." He added that there have recently been "some real efforts to fix it and pay the back payments." Jared Warren of KARP also revealed that his band was owed money.

Johnson responded to these statements partially by confirming the current financial state of K. He says the label have been selling off assets, have laid off staff, and are sorting through "bookkeeping problems." He also clarified that while he owes artists like Dawson and Warren money, he says that K have been consistently paying acts over the years.

"It's not like we're sitting on tons of money and are not giving it to [Dawson]. We don't have any money. We're trying to work it out so we can pay her. We're selling everything we can to make money to pay the people we owe. I'm sorry it can't happen faster. Both Ms. Dawson and Mr. Elverum have been kept apprised of this and are fully aware of what steps are being taken to rectify the situation."

When asked about the long-term stability of the label, Johnson responded, "We're always going to be here."

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