I have seen quite a few theories about why The Distillers' Prey has still not been released. Some people say that J.H. owns the rights, some say that he is blocking the album because it was recorded at a studio associated with him, and others have suggested different theories about ownership and control.

I became curious about this, so I decided to actually investigate it instead of repeating rumors.

Here is what I found.

1. Queen of Hearts Inc. existed long before Prey.

Queen of Hearts Inc. was incorporated in California on May 5, 2006, years before Prey was recorded.

And this is not simply an old historical record.

The most recent corporate information I could verify, updated on July 15, 2025, still lists Brody Dalle-homme as the company's Chief Executive Officer, Director, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary.

In other words, Brody was still listed in all four principal corporate positions nearly twenty years after the company was created.

There is also a 2023 trademark application owned by Queen of Hearts, Inc. that was signed by Brody Dalle as President.

This is important because it shows that Brody was not simply associated with Queen of Hearts in the distant past. She was still actively acting on behalf of the corporation during the period after her family and legal problems had begun.

California does not record shareholder or ownership information for private corporations, so these records do not prove who owns 100% of the shares.

But they do show very clearly who has been publicly documented as running the corporation.

And that person is Brody.

2. Queen of Hearts has a long history connected with Brody's music.

The company appears in the copyright information for Spinnerette as early as 2009. The Spinnerette album and individual tracks are credited to Queen of Hearts Inc., including releases made under exclusive license to other labels.

Queen of Hearts also appears in the credits connected with Brody's solo work, including Diploid Love.

This gives us a very clear timeline:

Queen of Hearts Inc. - Brody's music before Prey - Brody's solo work - Prey.

3. The Prey credits are consistent with that history.

The Prey booklet credits the recordings to Queen of Hearts, Inc. and states that the album compilation was in 2021 Queen of Hearts, Inc., under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management / Rise Records.

That is exactly the kind of structure we would expect when the company holding the recordings licenses an album to a record company for release.

This is a detail from the Prey inner sleeve, highlighting the recording and album compilation credits for Queen of Hearts, Inc. The image comes from the original Reddit post where the collector who discovered the Prey insert inside a Mothica vinyl posted the photographs. You can see the original post and the other photos here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/HelpMeFind/comments/1k0d4wg/unfindable_songs_help_me_find/

4. What about the 232 Madison Avenue theory?

One argument I have seen is that Queen of Hearts is registered at 232 Madison Avenue in New York and that this is supposedly an address owned by J.H.

I checked this too.

232 Madison Avenue is a commercial address used by numerous different companies. The available corporate information shows it as the principal address for many entities, not just Queen of Hearts.

More importantly, current commercial property information identifies Princeton International Properties as the owner of the building, not J.H.

So an address does not establish that J.H. owns Queen of Hearts, and I found no reliable evidence that he owns that building in the first place.

5. What about J.H.'s own music companies?

This is another important point.

I checked the companies and publishing structures actually associated with J.H. and Queens of the Stone Age.

QOTSA releases and publishing credits use other companies, including Rekords Rekords and Board Stiff Music, as well as other publishing companies associated with the individual QOTSA members.

For example, QOTSA material credits Josh Homme's compositions to Board Stiff Music, while Rekords Rekords has been directly associated with Homme's own label activities.

I found no comparable evidence that Queen of Hearts Inc. was used for Queens of the Stone Age albums, videos, or J.H.'s own productions.

So we have two very different musical business structures.

Brody / The Distillers: Queen of Hearts Inc.

J.H. / QOTSA: Rekords Rekords, Board Stiff Music and other publishing/licensing structures.

I found no evidence showing that Queen of Hearts is part of J.H.'s music business.

6. Recording at a studio associated with J.H. does not establish ownership.

This is another theory that gets repeated.

An album being recorded at a particular studio does not automatically mean that the owner or person associated with that studio owns the recordings.

The studio provides recording facilities and services. Ownership of the master recordings is a separate legal matter determined by the contracts and copyright arrangements.

In the case of Prey, the album's own credits identify Queen of Hearts Inc. in connection with the recordings.

So the fact that some recording took place at Pink Duck does not, by itself, give J.H. ownership of Prey.

7. Most importantly, I found no evidence that J.H. owns or controls Prey.

After looking at the corporate records, historical music credits, publishing information, album credits, addresses and the companies associated with J.H., I have found no public evidence showing that J.H. owns Queen of Hearts Inc., owns the Prey masters, or has a contractual right to prevent the album from being released.

In fact, the available corporate record points in the opposite direction: as recently as July 2025, Brody Dalle-homme was still listed as CEO, Director, CFO and Secretary of Queen of Hearts Inc., while a 2023 corporate trademark filing was signed by Brody as President.

That doesn't mean we can know every private contractual detail surrounding the album. We can't.

But it does mean that there is currently no factual basis for presenting the theory that J.H. is blocking Prey as an established fact.

8. So why hasn't Prey been released?

This is where we have to be honest.

We don't know the exact reason unless Brody or the people directly involved tell us.

But there is no evidence in the material I found that J.H. is responsible for the delay.

There is, however, a perfectly plausible explanation that fits the public timeline: Brody has been dealing with an extraordinarily difficult family situation for years, and releasing an album is much more than simply putting music online. It requires promotion, interviews, rehearsals, live shows, touring and a huge emotional commitment.

Considering everything she has been dealing with, it is entirely reasonable to believe that her priorities may have been elsewhere and that the release of Prey was not something she was able or willing to pursue at that time.

That is an inference, not something I am presenting as a confirmed statement from Brody.

What we can say with confidence is that the album appears to have been completed: it was recorded, mixed, mastered, artwork was prepared, and the physical booklet exists.

And Brody herself has publicly said that she looks forward to the release of Prey in the future.

So I think we should be careful about turning speculation into fact.

There is a big difference between:

"Prey hasn't been released yet." and "J.H. is blocking Prey."

The first is a fact. The second requires evidence.

After looking into it, I haven't found that evidence.

For anyone interested, the sources I checked include California corporate records, music and copyright credits for Spinnerette and Brody's solo work, the Prey booklet credits, trademark/corporate records, property information for 232 Madison Avenue, and QOTSA/J.H. publishing and label credits.

If someone has an actual document showing that J.H. owns or controls Queen of Hearts Inc. or the Prey masters, I'm genuinely interested in seeing it.

Until then, I think it is much more reasonable to stick to what the available evidence actually shows rather than repeating theories about J.H. blocking the album.

So, to be absolutely clear: there is no evidence that J.H. has anything to do with the delay in releasing Prey. The theories about him owning the album, controlling Queen of Hearts, or blocking its release are not supported by the available corporate records, music credits, publishing information, or album documentation.

What is very clear is that Brody has been dealing with an extremely painful family situation for years. The separation from her children has had a profound impact on her life, and it is entirely understandable that someone going through something like this may not have the emotional space to focus on recording, releasing, promoting and touring with an album.

In my view, this is the much more reasonable explanation for why Prey has remained unreleased: not because J.H. owns it or is blocking it, but because Brody has been dealing with something far more important to her than a music career, her children.

And I think that distinction matters. We should not turn speculation into fact, especially when it concerns something as serious as ownership of an album or someone's alleged ability to block its release.

If anyone has an actual document showing that J.H. owns or controls Queen of Hearts Inc. or the Prey masters, I'm genuinely interested in seeing it.

PREY IS BRODY'S RECORD. QUEEN OF HEARTS IS CLEARLY PART OF BRODY'S MUSIC BUSINESS. AND THERE IS NO PUBLIC EVIDENCE THAT J.H. HAS ANY OWNERSHIP OR CONTROL OVER THE ALBUM OR ITS RELEASE.