Before we get too far into this, one should know that Paramore's Hayley Williams is not simply spouting at the mouth without any knowledge of what she speaks. She recorded a Christian album early in her career, and bandmate Taylor York's father was once the head of Capitol Christian Music Group.
Not only is Williams outspoken about sexual assault in general, but she knows the music industry well. Not only rock, but Christian music as well.
In a recent post on Instagram by Williams, she reacted thoughtfully about the situation involving contemporary Christian music (CCM) entertainer Michael Tait and the allegations against him. The Newsboys singer has been accused by multiple people of sexual assault and drug use.
Paramore's Hayley Williams is not afraid to speak her mind on the Michael Tait situation
Tait has largely accepted the blame for the accusations. He says, "For some two decades I used and abused cocaine, consumed far too much alcohol, and, at times, touched men in an unwanted sensual way."
Williams' beef, according to Rolling Stone, is not necessarily with Tait specifically, but with what she sees as the culture of CCM, which she says does not support people who might have an alternative lifestyle. This, she implies, causes people to feel repressed and not be their true selves. Instead of admitting to who they love and what their actions might be, they feel trapped and sometimes take their anger out on others.
Williams said on Instagram, "I hope the CCM industry crumbles. And (expletive) all of you who knew and didn’t do a damn thing...Because this is a man whose entire faith identity is built upon a faulty structure of self-hatred, to please a system that would rather cover up abhorrent behaviour for 20+ years (and make money off of it) rather than accept that being gay is not the problem."
Now, there is a lot to unpack there, of course. Whether one agrees with Williams' views on sexual orientation or not, most people might understand that the record industry, no matter what kind of music the execs are putting out, is built on one thing: Making money.
If there is a record company making millions off Newsboys albums and tours, they are probably going to try to hide anything that might take away from their profit. This isn't about the individual, but about making a lot of cash.
Williams has been around the industry long enough (Paramore's first album was released 20 years ago) and is friends with pop culture gods such as Taylor Swift to know the inner workings of how record execs make money. That sometimes is a detriment to the musical artist, and in the case of Tait, seemingly to many others too.