'Unpaid wages of £11k all but ruined my life'

A former employee of a music company said lives have been "all but ruined" after bosses allegedly did not pay staff's wages for months.

It follows allegations earlier this year that Bristol-based 3tone Limited had repeatedly failed to pay music royalties to artists around the UK.

Laurie Flood, who had his employment terminated without notice in November 2023, believes he is owed about £11,000.

A spokesperson for 3Tone said it had faced "considerable challenges" in the last 18 months, and it "deeply regrets" the difficulties caused by payment delays.

They added: "Please be assured that we are taking active steps to resolve the outstanding payments as quickly as possible and to fulfil all of our legal and contractual obligations."

The BBC has also seen evidence the company has been reported to the Pensions Regulator by Nest numerous times for failing to pass on its employees' pension contributions.

Mr Flood said the £11,000 includes several months of owed wages, accrued holiday and promised pay rises and bonuses.

He said the experience had left him "completely disheartened" and he was still paying off friends and family who lent him money while he was waiting to be paid by his employer.

There were also points where he had to text CEO Dean Roberts for £10 "to get something to eat for that night", which he said he would get "maybe a couple of days later".

He explained being hired as a junior role in the music industry almost straight out of university in November 2021 had been "huge".

"Things got very exciting. It's what I've always wanted to do," he said.

Mr Flood remembers the first year or so "things were going great", and described his role in the distribution arm of the company as a "dream job".

But then, he says, not only did 3tone start getting chased for payments by artists, staff wages payments started to drop off around July 2023.

Employees had been repeatedly told the money was "coming, it's on the way" until "eventually communication dried up", said Mr Flood.

Last month, an employment tribunal granted US musician Troi Irons a £20,000 pay out from 3tone, after the company flew him over to work for them, but then left him also pleading for dinner money.

Mr Flood is one of many ex-staff members who have launched employment tribunal claims against 3tone.

Mr Flood said the last time he got paid by 3tone was half a pay check in August 2023 for July's work.

But he continued working full-time for the company for at least three months hoping things would work out.

"There were a lot of people like me. This was one of our dream jobs. We wanted to believe," he said.

He then worked part-time until Christmas, explaining he would be replying to 3tone emails until he went to sleep some nights after getting home from other jobs, as he felt responsible for the artists who were also chasing payment.

But then in January, another colleague learned HMRC had been told on 8 November that their contracts had been terminated.

"So we'd actually been working for a company that we didn't work for any more," explained Mr Flood.

The BBC has spoken to several former staff members, who either left of their own accord following the non-payment of wages or who were also terminated on 8 November.

They all believe no one currently works for 3tone, despite the company still being active and advertising its services.

Among the allegations, former staff claim Mr Roberts regularly acted "unprofessionally", with one ex-employee logging a complaint with Action Fraud for what they say was sending emails acting as the staff member who had already resigned.

Mr Flood, who now works for a London-based music organisation, said the experience had had a "massive mental impact" on all staff.

The 3tone spokesperson said: "We remain committed to stabilising the company's operations and ensuring that we move forward in a manner that restores confidence in 3tone."

Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.