Ty Stiklorius, John Legend's long-time manager, has shared her thoughts on the current state of the music industry in the wake of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' arrest for sex trafficking. The 49-year-old CEO of Friends At Work penned an op-ed for The New York Times, published on Thursday, expressing her hope for a new beginning in the industry amidst the controversy surrounding Combs, 54.

Stiklorius also recounted a harrowing experience from 27 years ago when she attended one of Combs' New Year's Eve parties on a yacht in St. Barts. As a recent college graduate at the time, she claimed that 'a man who seemed to be an associate of the party's host' led her to a bedroom and locked the door behind them.

'To this day, I can't remember how I managed to talk my way out of that terrifying situation,' she wrote. 'Perhaps my nervous babbling — 'My brother's on this boat, and he's probably looking for me!' — convinced him to unlock the bedroom door and let me go.'

Stiklorius said she didn't know the man's identity or his connection to Combs, assuming then that her experience was an isolated incident at a drunken party. However, after two decades in the industry, she realized that the incident was not an anomaly but indicative of a pervasive culture of sexual misconduct and exploitation.

'This toxic situation has been allowed to fester because power has been concentrated in the hands of kingmakers: wealthy, entitled, nearly always male gatekeepers who control nearly every door that leads to success and who can, without consequence, use their power to abuse young women and young men,' she wrote. 'Too often, women have not been safe in recording studios, on tour buses, in green rooms or in offices. It's not a bug of the music business; it's a major feature.'

Despite this, Stiklorius believes the industry can 'turn the page on a culture of exploitation and abuse' as the era of such gatekeepers is coming to an end. 'All of this means we have an opportunity to turn the page on an archaic, sometimes predatory model of doing business in which it was all too common to ignore, protect or elevate predators and their enablers,' she said.

Stiklorius has been working with Legend, 45, since 2005 and noted that he is among the artists who 'want to be a part of a different model of business and culture.'

Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation for prostitution and is currently held at a Brooklyn federal jail. Prosecutors accuse him of orchestrating drug-laced 'Freak Off' sex sessions where he allegedly forced women into sex acts with male prostitutes while he masturbated and secretly filmed. Combs has denied all allegations.

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