image courtesy of Getty Images The proposed payment for ticketholders of the 2017 Fyre Festival debacle has been cut. According to court records filed in New York last week, they will each earn only $281 (£204). That amount falls short of a $7,220 settlement struck in April in a US federal court, according to which they might have received up to $7,220 each. Lawyers have fought to reclaim funds from acts and models who advertised the canceled festival. The 2017 event promises a luxurious two-weekend holiday in the Bahamas, with tickets costing upwards of $1,200. With a musical lineup that included prominent artists, luxury accommodations, and gourmet cuisine, the event allegedly sold roughly 8,000 tickets. Some VIP packages went for up at $12,000. Instead, attendees found chaos: no musical acts, minimal food, and only disaster relief tents in which to sleep. A class-action lawsuit was filed days after the famed festival was canceled. The Inside Story of the World’s Biggest Festival Fail Merchandise from the Fyre Festival is up for sale. Documents filed by the festival’s bankruptcy trustee show that only $1.4 million has been recovered in attempts to recoup ticket holders’ money since then. “Obtaining recovery in the case was exceptionally difficult and demanding given the lack of books and records, as well as the fact that any tangible assets that could have been liquidated had already been confiscated by federal authorities,” said Gregory Messer. Mr Messer went on to say that it was made even more problematic by the fact that the event’s organizer, Billy McFarland, was convicted of fraud and is currently in prison. He also mentioned that reclaiming a large portion of the money handed out to celebrities and influencers to promote or present at the festival had been difficult. Netflix has the right to use this image under a Creative Commons license. If the idea is granted by a judge, the 277 ticket holders will receive $78,000 after deducting $1.1 million for accountants and legal fees. According to records, the band Blink 182, which announced that it would no longer participate in the concert as it got underway, has refunded $157,100 of the $265,000 it was paid. Documentaries by rival streaming providers Netflix and Hulu have shown what went wrong behind-the-scenes on the island of Great Exuma in the aftermath of the event. Ticket holders described a lawless environment in which they were kept in emergency tents and served “gourmet” cheese sandwiches in Styrofoam boxes. According to the New York Times at the time, the organizers were aware that the event was “dangerously underequipped and posed a major hazard to anybody in attendance.” Ja Rule, a Grammy-nominated rapper who was originally listed as a co-organizer of the event, alleged in 2020 that McFarland had similarly conned him. In connection with the scam, Ja Rule has not been charged. Netflix Festivals of music Festival of FraudFyre/n
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