Sheppard Address Rip-off Claims Against Comms Games: 'We Are Standing Up For Artists'

Sheppard have addressed comments made against organisers of the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony this week, in which they said they were "ripping off artists". 

In a statement posted to Facebook on Thursday night, the Brisbane outfit said their decision to not perform at the ceremony and the ensuing comments were not intended to be a direct shot at organisers, but rather about "taking a stand that artists matter".

"To be clear, this isn’t about the Commonwealth Games and it isn’t even about Sheppard," the statement reads.

"Of course we could have done the event and of course it would have been good for 'exposure', but we think about the message we send out to young musicians by what we can or can't accept as artists in a privileged position.

"By making this decision, we are standing up for the next generation of Australian talent - the ones creating music in their bedrooms and hoping that one day they might be able to make a living from doing what they love."

It concludes, "We do a lot of things for charity. We do a lot of appearances for free because we feel it’s good for us to do, but the key element is that it’s on OUR terms.

"Was passing up on this particular opportunity the right move for Sheppard? We may never know the answer to that, but the message to musicians out there is that it’s your choice and if you don’t feel your place in the value chain is being respected, it’s your right to say no."

See the full statement below. 

The post comes as Sheppard drop new single, Riding The Wave, ahead of their second album Watching The Sky hitting stores globally on 8 June.