This was the business strategy that 25-year-old "tech-bro" Billy McFarland thought he could master with minimal effort. He teamed up with former Billboard-topping rapper Ja Rule, and things got moving.
Enter
Fyre Festival
The intended music festival that was supposed to take place last week turned into one of the most talked about news stories of the year, even overshadowing President Trump's 100th day in office anf the Correspondent's Dinner on the same weekend.
What was supposed to be a private weekend getaway on a private island in the Bahamas turned into a basic human rights violation, as the festival was extremely underequipped and unerstaffed. The hundreds off attendees ended up trapped on the island for the entire weekend, with little to no food or water, inadequate shelter, and due to the intended "exclusive paradise", no money.
That's right, no money. On top of the fact that attendees spent anywhere fro $4,000 to $100,000 on their respective tickets, the island was decreed a cash-free zone, forcing the attendees to upload electronic funds on to an exclusive concert bracelet.
Ja Rule and McFarland are currently in a legal battle with celebrity attorney-turned-man-of-the-people Mark Geragos. Apparently his client, Daniel Jung, is filing a class-action lawsuit on behalf of himself and multiple concert attendees. The suit claims that the founders knowingly created a dangerous environment and used false advertisement in order to make money.
Rule and McFarland advertised multiple celebrities such as the Hidad Sisters, and others in order to promote the festival. The performers, mostly consisting of G.O.O.D Music artists, were warned ahead of time not to attend for risk of danger. They also claimed that the island was formerly owned by Pablo Escobar, which turned out to be a lie. I fact, there was a "Sandals" resort down the block.
Not to mention the fact that most attendees could not make it back to the states for the entire weekend, which forced Rule and McFarland to charter 3 flights per day from the Bahamas back to Miami, and pay numerous customs fines.
So, what have the co-founders/co-idiots done to combat this negative publicity?
They have issued an official statement on their instagram page and official website, claiming that they knew it would be under-prepared, and promising that "next time they throw a festival" it will be properly equipped and stateside.
Personally, I doubt there will ever be a "next time," because both Ja Rule and Billy McFarland are about to lose soooooo much money in this lawsuit.
But this is an ongoing story, perhaps the power of Ja Rule's celebrity will alleviate some of the blow. Perhaps the exclusivity of the lawsuit will make the tech-bro feel special.
