Former Bristol 3tone worker ‘owed thousands in unpaid wages’

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.