Unpaid internships are bad, and recently there’s been a shift away from them. Pretty much every large media company has had a lawsuit filed against it for underpaying/not paying interns. In terms of music, Warner Music Group recently settled for $725,000. But no terrible unpaid internship, music industry or otherwise, has anything on Dower Music Entertainment.
The New York Post reports that Sharif King, proprietor of Dower Music Entertainment, was arrested and charged with grand larceny, forgery and insurance fraud on Saturday because of a scheme in which he hired interns from all over the country, stole their identities, opened credit card accounts and applied for loans in their names. He took advantage of eager young people trying to make it in music by promising he’d help start their careers, taking away not just time and youth and the spark of life, but literally stealing money from them.
Worst of all, he convinced one intern to buy a used Lexus, so the kid could “keep up appearances.” Like a true piece of shit, King then put his own name on the title and took the car for himself. He then crashed the car and collected $9,000 in insurance money.
So that month you spent getting coffee for a publicist who didn’t appreciate you? Yeah, it ain’t that big a deal. You weren’t forced to give your boss the car he browbeat you into buying.
Sharif King is in good company by not paying interns. Bill de Blasio doesn’t pay interns either, which the Post editorial board thinks is cool, because douche-conservatism.
(Photo: Gary Owen)
