British singer, 36, who was ‘cancelled by the music industry’ for slamming ‘men claiming to be women’ says she’s now been ‘deplatformed’ by streaming platform Bandcamp and lost her revenue

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A singer-songwriter who believes she’s been a victim of cancel culture in the music industry has claimed she’s now been ‘deplatformed’ by Bandcamp.

Louise Distras, 36, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, has been labelled a ‘Terf’ (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) because of her views – and a week ago her artist page was apparently shut down on the American online audio platform.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter) today, the musician wrote:   A week ago I was deplatformed by @bigcartel and @Bandcamp in the space of 24 hours. 

‘After eight yrs of paying Bandcamp commission they shut down my artist page without notifying me or giving me a reason why. My discography has disappeared into thin air along with £££s in revenue, ripping off me and my fans in the process. 

‘Despite being cancelled by the music biz, Bandcamp gave me a direct way to market my music via my own record label, and I relied on having this independence as an artist to pay my bills in a cost of living crisis.’ 

Louise Distras, 36, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, has been labelled a ‘Terf’ (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) because of her views – and a week ago her artist page was apparently shut down on the American online audio platform

She continued: ‘Since the pandemic many gig venues have closed down and the music industry is shrinking rapidly.  

‘What’s left of it is being kicked to death by intolerant activists who actively discriminate against and threaten artists and audiences who don’t bow down to their delusional demands of ideological compliance.

‘Now would be a good time for any self respecting artist to get a grip and grow a spine, [because] otherwise we’re all screwed. Cancel culture is murder by the back door and I’m not gonna let this one drop. Thank heavens for @Freedom_in_Arts!’

Louise previously told The Daily Mail how she believes the music industry is ‘so captured by gender ideology that they don’t know what a woman is any more’.

She added: ‘Yet the “mob” always hounds women who speak out more than men. So they do know what a woman is, really.’

Louise has been labelled a ‘Terf’ (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) for sharing her views online, with radio stations refusing to play her songs, magazines refusing to include her, and she feels her own live booking agency have lacked in their support for her.

‘None of us woke up one day and decided it would be fun to go to war, but we are on the frontlines as women, whether we like it or not,’ said singer Louise, who has had tracks played on Radio 1. 

‘As a solo female artist, I’ve ended up in some particularly dangerous situations with men and have been assaulted on more than one occasion.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter) today, the musician wrote: A week ago I was deplatformed by @bigcartel and @Bandcamp in the space of 24 hours’

Louise previously told The Daily Mail how she believes the music industry is ‘so captured by gender ideology that they don’t know what a woman is any more’

‘I don’t care if people think I’m transphobic. If men want to claim to be women, then there is always going to be a clash when it comes to defending the hard-won rights of women.

‘It started with me sharing my views on Twitter about cancel culture, free speech and gender identity. 

‘Female-centric platforms and organisations that once supported me started calling me transphobic and a national station wouldn’t play my song called Girl In The Mirror — apparently because it was all about girlhood and womanhood.

‘Music journalists won’t speak to me because they think I’m transphobic — but I refuse to self-censor my views on this.

‘I asked my live booking agency to help me put measures in place to keep me safe at my future gigs, and they responded by sending me an email with a series of links to “educate” me on why cancel culture can be a good thing.

‘In a separate email, I was advised to “distance” myself from the debate for the sake of my career. Since making my views clear, they have not booked me any gigs to promote my new album.

‘I was feeling pretty broken about all this,’ she admitted. ‘There’s no doubt I’ve lost money. But I refuse to be quiet about what’s happening.’

Louise’s live booking agency Midnight Mango denied her allegations, saying: ‘As a music booking agency, we offer balanced and practical advice where we are careful not to discriminate. 

‘We have in place a robust policy for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion as well as a policy for Cancel Culture. It is noted that Gender Critical views are a protected belief…and we fully respect that.’ 

MailOnline has contacted Big Cartel and Bandcamp for comment.

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