Members of American rock band Upon A Burning Body told fans that their lead singer Danny Leal had been reported missing.
The band wrote: “Breaking News: Danny Leal (singer of Upon A Burning Body) has been reported missing. He was last seen in his home town of San Antonio TX on Monday, June 30.”
Danny Leal tweeted prior to the ‘breaking news’: “This same sketchy car has been driving past my house over and over for the past 3 days straight.”
“Wide awake now... I could've sworn I heard someone in my house!!!!!”
The band soon revealed that the ‘missing persons report’ was nothing but a publicity stunt to promote their new album.
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Music fans have been quick to condemn the stunt.
The band’s label issued a statement via their own Facebook page denying knowledge of the stunt
The label’s CEO Ash Avildson wrote: “I woke up to a ton of missed calls and just saw all this stuff about Danny Leal of UABB posing as that he’s been abducted or kidnapped. My phone hasn’t stopped ringing since.”
“As a chid, we all learn the story “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” and it sticks within our consciousness for a reason. I do not condone this type of publicity stunt. This was done behind my back and I’m not OK with it.”
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“In my eyes, there’s never a time to sue the possibility of real-life abduction, injury or murder of someone you care about to promote anything, especially an album. If you need to resort to that, then you have lost the plot. We as a society should have evolved past that way of thinking by now…”
What do you think of this? Should the record label stick by the band?