Update: Jezebel reports that they’ve been tipped off this is a hoax to generate buzz for a new video YACHT plans to release tomorrow.
The video had allegedly crashed the server, but no pirated versions can be found elsewhere. This is unusual for, um, material of this sort. A Twitter search reveals that the only person who seems to have seen this video is Miranda July:
I have to admit I bought the @YACHT sex tape https://t.co/QPVYZ3QoOI and: Woah. More of an actual turn on than most. Probably bc: true love.
— Miranda July (@Miranda_July) May 9, 2016
Electronic duo YACHT take control of a bad situation.
YACHT are known for their interesting ways of delivering their art: their last single, ‘LA Plays Itself’, was only available during Uber surge pricing periods in Los Angeles. They’ve gotten clever again today, this time to combat a violation against their property: a sex tape the duo at their centre made for personal use, that was hacked from their computer and put online against their wishes. They pair are now selling the sex tape in an attempt to retain some kind of control over this invasion of their privacy.
On Facebook they write: “Due to a series of technological missteps and one morally abject person, a video that we made privately has been released to the public. We have commenced legal proceedings against the aforementioned person, but now that it could potentially circulate, we feel like it’s important for you to know what happened and why.”
It continues: “Claire and [Jona] — who have been romantic and artistic partners since 2006 — made a ‘sex tape.’ It was intended for us only. We don’t feel the need to justify the reason we made it. Anyone reading this who has been in a long term partnership understands that preserving the relationship is an ever-changing and challenging thing. It’s especially difficult when the lines between career and romance are as merged as ours are… We assumed that we were the only people who would be privy to that video. I guess we were naive. Now you have the option to be privy to that video. For us, that’s a shame.”
They followed up the Facebook post announcing a decision to sell the tape for $5 to, at least, have some semblance of agency over the matter: “Since this happened we’ve been researching sex tapes. It shouldn’t have come as any surprise that Pamela Anderson never saw a dime from the tape she filmed with Tommy Lee, and Paris Hilton lost a court battle with the man who leaked their private video. We’re not as savvy as the Kardashians, but something occurred to us this morning: we could try and distribute the video directly to you ourselves… if you feel like you 100% have to see this tape, don’t stream it on some tube site, or download a torrent. Instead, we beg of you to download the video, Louis C.K.-style, directly from us.”
