Moon Ska Responds
to Embezzlement Rumors
About.com
Ska/Reggae by Bob Timm
SATURDAY, October 23, 1999
Employees at Moon Ska NYC, the most prominent and productive independent ska label in America for the past 15 years, have been battling rumors all this year about the state of the record label and their future in the ska world. Hard times since the end of the 90s ska boom have left many independent labels like Moon struggling to readjust. The departure of a few key Moon employees (including label manager Noah Wildman), coupled with wild rumors of bankruptcy and embezzlement, have had the ska grapevine a-buzzing all summer. Rumors came to a head this week on the Skagroup mailing list, forcing Moon’s founder and owner Rob “Bucket” Hingley to issue a public statement on the embezzlement charges.
Moon has clearly been in downsize mode all year, with promotions and tours suddenly cut back and the closing of their Jersey warehouse and offices. All operations are now run out of their Greenwhich Village storefront, with a bare minimum staff. Most noticeable has been the absence of Wildman, their label manager, who had been outspoken and ever-present in online ska discussions and at Moon’s various public events. Wildman has also been active as a ska journalist throughout the 90s, penning reviews and articles for several print publications. As the store manager, the New York Times once referred to him as the “counter boy of the ska world.”
It has been a shock to many fans, therefore, to hear rumors that Moon had not only fired Wildman, but was now accussing him of embezzlement of large sums of Moon Ska funds. Moon had denied comment on any of these issues until the details of the embezzlement rumors began flying out of the popular mailing list this week.
Hingley responded to the public list with this brief statement:
“Noah Wildman no longer works at Moon. There is a question of financial impropriety which right now is in the process of being dealt with. There will be some kind of public statement made at the appropriate time….This has obviously been an extremely rough year for ska music. Let’s see who the real supporters are!!”- Hingley’s mailing to Skagroup
Mr. Wildman, when contacted this week, declined to comment on any issues surrounding his employment with Moon Ska.
