Singer Awarded £20,000 After Music Company Fails to Pay Wages

An American singer has secured a £20,000 payout from an independent music company after the firm failed to compensate him and left him struggling to cover basic expenses. Troi Irons, a musician from Los Angeles, was flown to Bristol in early 2023 to work with 3tone Music under verbal agreements rather than formal contracts, an employment tribunal has revealed.

Irons was promised an annual salary of £30,000 for his role as an artist and musical engineer, but he never received this payment. The tribunal heard that Irons had to ask Dean Roberts, the CEO of the Bristol-based 3tone Music, for “money for dinner” while Roberts was attending the Glastonbury Festival. The situation reportedly reached a point where Irons had to rely on messaging Roberts to get basic needs met while Roberts was at the festival.

In addition to the payment issues, the tribunal was informed that Irons was provided with accommodation by 3tone Music, but was evicted in November 2023 due to the company’s failure to pay the rent. Despite assurances that a long-term visa would be arranged for Irons upon his arrival in the UK on January 15, 2023, the necessary visa—a creative worker visa—was only applied for in April 2023. The tribunal noted that the sponsorship certificate described Irons as a “musician/producer” for a UK label.

Roberts argued during the tribunal that no formal contractual terms had been agreed upon and claimed that Irons had not performed any work for the company. However, the tribunal determined that 3tone Music had exercised a significant level of control over Irons, establishing an employment relationship between them.

The tribunal ruled in favor of Irons, concluding that he was indeed an employee of 3tone Music and was entitled to compensation for unpaid wages. Irons was awarded £13,691 for the unpaid wages, £2,692 for unused holiday leave, and £4,331 for a further work agreement.

This case highlights issues of labor rights and contract enforcement within the music industry, emphasizing the importance of formal agreements and timely payments for employees.