Musician Liz Harris Released New Album With Helen
The Portland-based artist returned with a new project after navigating royalty theft involving her viral song.
Updated on Oct. 2, 2026 in Classical
Live Poll
Do you trust that streaming platforms do enough to protect independent artists from royalty fraud?
Musician Liz Harris has released the new album Linda's Head with her band Helen. The project comes as Harris successfully recovered royalties from a third party who fraudulently uploaded her popular song, Poison Tree, to streaming platforms.
Why it matters
Harris formed the trio to embrace collectivity and maintains independence by operating outside of the traditional music industry. Her ability to reclaim funds from fraudulent streaming uploads highlights the ongoing challenges artists face in protecting digital assets.
Harris's song Poison Tree has reached over 300 million streams on digital platforms. The fraudulent version generated six figures in earnings before the unauthorized tracks were identified and reclaimed.
The players
Liz Harris
She is a 46-year-old musician based in Astoria, Oregon, known for founding the music project Grouper in 2005.
Helen
This is a musical trio consisting of Liz Harris, Jed Bindeman, and Scott Simmons that references Mount St. Helens in its name.
The details
Helen, a trio including Liz Harris, Jed Bindeman, and Scott Simmons, released their new album to continue the project they debuted in 2015. Harris, who manages royalty issues by manually reporting infringements, collaborated with her label head to identify that the same distribution platform was used by the scammer for the fake upload.
Timeline
Liz Harris was born in 1980.
Harris started her project Grouper in 2005.
Helen released their debut album, The Original Faces, in 2015.
Harris performed two sold-out shows in Manhattan in mid-September 2026.
The article detailing Harris's career was published on October 2, 2026.
Industry Dynamics
This move reflects a broader trend of independent artists battling against fraudulent streaming uploads that capitalize on viral success. The issue highlights the vulnerability of digital platforms and the manual labor required by creators to protect their revenue streams.
Listeners can access the new album, Linda's Head, through standard digital streaming platforms. The recovery of royalties ensures that revenue from the artist's work is correctly directed toward the creators.
The takeaway
Artists must remain vigilant in monitoring streaming platforms to prevent revenue loss from unauthorized uploads. By managing distribution actively, musicians can maintain independence while ensuring their work is properly credited and compensated.
Further reading
For more on the evolving landscape of digital music, visit the Classical section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Guardian.
Live Poll
Do you trust that streaming platforms do enough to protect independent artists from royalty fraud?
