Jared Gutstadt, the founder of Jingle Punks and Audio Up, is facing sexual assault allegations from singer, songwriter and actress Mary Koons, who performs professionally as Scarlett Burke.
Koons filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Dec. 31, 2024, accusing Gutstadt of subjecting her to years of psychological manipulation, physical violence and sexual abuse during their relationship. The allegations include multiple instances of rape, sexual assault, stalking, harassment and intimidation. Gutstadt has denied the allegations and later filed his own lawsuit against Koons, accusing her of attempting to damage his reputation and business.
Gutstadt, sometimes known as “Jingle Jared,” built his career in the music and audio industries. He founded Jingle Punks in 2008, a music licensing company that supplied music for television, film and advertising. He later launched Audio Up, a podcast and audio entertainment company that developed scripted musical projects involving artists including Miranda Lambert and Machine Gun Kelly.
Koons says she met Gutstadt at the Peppermint Club in West Hollywood in 2017. According to her lawsuit, the relationship initially developed alongside professional opportunities. A song she recorded was placed on the Netflix series Girls Incarcerated, and she later worked with Gutstadt on the podcast musical Make It Up as We Go. Koons alleges that Gutstadt used those professional connections, along with gifts and personal attention, to establish increasing control over her career and personal life.
The lawsuit alleges that the first sexual assault occurred during a 2017 work trip to Nashville. Koons claims Gutstadt took her to his hotel room and forcibly grabbed her hand and placed it on his penis. She further alleges that because of his position within the music industry and his involvement in her professional opportunities, she feared the consequences of distancing herself from him.
The allegations also include claims of physical violence. Koons says that in 2019, after she attempted to renegotiate her contract, Gutstadt became violent and allegedly hit her, struck her dog and damaged her property. She also alleges that later that year, during an argument at a Santa Barbara hotel, Gutstadt tackled her and pinned her wrists to a bed, leaving visible bruises.
Koons further claims that she sometimes barricaded herself inside a guest bedroom at the Audio Up compound to get away from Gutstadt. According to the lawsuit, she alleges that he would attempt to enter the room during episodes of anger and intoxication.
The most serious allegations concern two alleged sexual assaults in 2022 and 2023.
Koons alleges that after a recording session in Los Angeles in 2022, she fell asleep and later woke to Gutstadt allegedly assaulting her. She says she froze during the incident because she was afraid of what might happen if she resisted. She also alleges that when she confronted him afterward, he denied that a rape had occurred.
She alleges another rape took place in a Pasadena hotel room in 2023, shortly before an Audio Up songwriting retreat. Koons says she ultimately ended her professional and personal relationship with Gutstadt in 2024.
The lawsuit also names Audio Up and other corporate interests in connection with Koons’ allegations concerning the professional environment surrounding her relationship with Gutstadt. Her claims center not only on the alleged assaults but also on what she describes as a broader pattern in which Gutstadt’s influence over her career made it difficult for her to separate herself from him.
Gutstadt’s representatives initially declined to comment when the allegations were reported by the Los Angeles Times. Koons’ attorney, Gabrielle Rosen Harvey, said the legal team was proud of Koons for coming forward.
Gutstadt later gave a substantially different account of the relationship.
In February 2025, he filed a separate lawsuit against Koons, accusing her of making false allegations as part of an alleged effort to extort money and damage his professional reputation. Gutstadt denied that he raped or abused Koons and instead accused her of abusive and erratic behavior during their relationship. His lawsuit sought damages over claims including emotional distress, invasion of privacy and interference with his business and professional relationships.
The competing lawsuits subsequently became part of the same legal dispute. In June 2025, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge consolidated the two cases, meaning the claims arising from the relationship would be addressed together. According to reporting on the court proceedings, Gutstadt had dropped a civil-theft claim against Koons, while Koons was seeking dismissal of some of his remaining claims through an anti-SLAPP motion.
The litigation has therefore developed into a dispute in which both sides accuse the other of serious misconduct. Koons maintains that she was subjected to a prolonged pattern of manipulation, violence and sexual abuse. Gutstadt maintains that those allegations are false and were made to harm him personally and professionally. Neither side’s allegations should be treated as established facts unless and until they are proven in court.
The case has also drawn attention because of Gutstadt’s position within the entertainment industry. Jingle Punks grew into a significant music licensing business after its founding in 2008, while Audio Up was launched as an audio entertainment company with backing from investors including MGM and later attracted investment and partnerships involving prominent music-industry figures.
Jingle Punks’ corporate history has also changed substantially since Gutstadt founded it. The company was acquired by Slip.stream in October 2024, according to industry business records, while Gutstadt continued pursuing new ventures in the audio and podcast space.
The legal dispute has consequently placed renewed scrutiny on the period when Gutstadt and Koons worked together and on the power imbalance alleged in Koons’ complaint. At the center of the case are competing accounts of a relationship that began alongside professional opportunities in the music business and ultimately ended in allegations of sexual assault, abuse and retaliation.
For now, the allegations remain contested. Koons’ lawsuit has not established criminal guilt, and Gutstadt has not been convicted of any crime in connection with the allegations. His countersuit represents his denial and his own allegations against Koons, while the courts continue to address the competing civil claims.
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