Beatport take down Laidback Luke's 'S.A.X' - Mixmash Respond

Photo: Laidback Luke

One of the biggest labels in big room dance music - Mixmash has had an altercation with online music giants Beatport following an innovative marketing strategy form the world-beating Dutch imprint.

Laidback Luke and Tujamo's latest barnstormer 'S.A.X.' (listen to it below) is the record in question - a lethal dose of heavy snare rolls, horn stabs and blistering beats in typical stadium destroying fashion. The record immediately performed well upon release, hitting number six on Beatport's chart and receiving extensive spins from the scene's godfathers - Hardwell, Blasterjaxx, David Guetta, and Steve Aoki to name a few. 

To get the track even more exposure, Mixmash came up with a fresh new idea, to offer anyone who ordered the track between 5pm on Friday January 9th and the end of the same day a refund, essentially bagging the tune for free if they so wished.

Beatport weren't happy though, and removed the track on the grounds that it was artificially influencing sales and therefore chart position. Here is their official statement:

“While conducted in the open from a reputable label with no history of artificially influencing sales, the campaign impacted Beatport policies regarding chart eligibility. Out of fairness to other labels, Beatport had no choice but to remove the track from the store as a result. The decision to remove the track in question was not to punish Mixmash Records, Laidback Luke, or Tujamo, nor should it be seen as an accusation of any wrongdoing against any of the parties involved.”

However Mixmash have responded by providing this handy chart to show that they feel that it in fact had no effect on chart position, with only 33 people demanding their dollars back.

This hasn't affected the relationship between the two huge brands though, with Laidback Luke himself saying:

“I am disappointed that my latest single is being penalized, but look forward to the discussion it will hopefully create on new ways of promoting music for the future and how they should be treated.”

Happily, the tune is back up on Beatport for download, albeit with an amended ID to reset chart position. 

Laidback Luke hits The Arches in Glasgow for Colours on March 13th. Tickets are available here, and below.

Tickets are no longer available for this event