As advocates against violence and abuse in the music industry, we at Industry Blackout are calling on music streaming platforms and industry stakeholders to remove all music by the artist D4VD from their catalogs.

D4VD, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, has been charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 years old, and mutilation of human remains in connection with the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Celeste was 14 years old when her dismembered and decomposed body was discovered in the trunk of a Tesla registered to D4VD. 

Prosecutors allege he had a sexual relationship with the young girl and killed her after she threatened to expose it. The murder charge carries special circumstances of lying in wait, committing murder for financial gain, and murdering a witness to a crime, making Burke eligible for life without parole or the death penalty. 

Celeste's case is not isolated. It is part of a devastating global pattern of femicide, the targeted killing of women and girls by men who sought to control them, silence them, or eliminate the consequences of their own predatory behavior. Prosecutors allege D4VD sexually abused Celeste for over a year, beginning when she was 13, then killed her specifically to protect his career. That is femicide. That is what it looks like when a girl's life is treated as a threat to be neutralized. She was a child, and she deserved protection from the very industry that gave this artist a platform, a label deal, and global visibility.

The music industry has a responsibility that goes beyond commerce. When an artist has been charged with the sexual abuse and murder of a minor, a child who was drawn into his orbit through his music and public persona, continuing to stream, promote, and profit from his catalog is a choice. It is not a neutral one.

Music streaming platforms have terms of service. They have value statements. They have the ability to act. We are calling on them to exercise that ability now, by removing D4VD's music from all streaming platforms while these charges are adjudicated.

Industry Blackout, a collective dedicated to addressing and reforming systemic inequities within the music industry, has taken a stand to ensure that artists are held accountable for their actions. By removing D4VD's music from all streaming platforms, we send a powerful message that glorifying or trivializing abuse and violence against women and girls in any form is unacceptable.

This is not about rushing judgment. D4VD has pleaded not guilty, and the legal process will proceed. This is about whether our industry will continue to generate revenue for an artist facing charges of this severity, or whether we will draw a clear line: the music industry does not do business as usual its way through the alleged sexual abuse and femicide of a 14-year-old child.

Celeste Rivas Hernandez deserved better. Her family deserves better. And every young person who listens to music deserves an industry that takes their safety seriously.

We urge music streaming platforms to take immediate action and remove D4VD's music from their catalogs. This step will set a precedent in the industry, underscoring the importance of maintaining an ethical code in the music we choose to promote and consume.

Please sign and share this petition. Together, we can demand that accountability in the music industry means something.