This year's upcoming FYF fest has been canceled. The 15th anniversary of the festival was set to feature Janet Jackson and Florence + the Machine.
The Demand Just Wasn't There
Sean Carlson created the Los Angeles event in 2004. This year's festival won't be going ahead due to poor ticket sales, according to industry insiders. Festival owners Goldenvoice and AEG Live, whose reputation was sullied this past year by a sex scandal involving one of its founders, have decided to cancel it as a result.
Jackson, Florence + the Machine, and Future would have headlined FYF 2018. Last month saw ticket sales dwindle, leading the organizers to cancel the event with almost three months to go. AEG will begin contacting those who bought tickets with refund information this week. The event was scheduled to take place on July 21-22.
A Sign Of Things To Come?
Summer festival season is just kicking off, with widespread concerns about low tickets sales and an over-saturation of available events. Longtime festivals are now competing with new multi-day events for the attention of fans.
Although it's the smaller indie festivals that usually suffer, the fact that FYF isn't pushing through will cause major concern to all organizers as it points to the current state of the market.
Rumors of issues with FYF began last week, as booking agents reportedly started making calls to talent buyers to inquire about replacement dates for the festival, as news of poor tickets sales began to be spread.
This year's festival should have been a major moment for FYF following Carlson's resignation last year, which came in the wake of graphic accounts of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior. Goldenvoice bought out his share at the end of 2017 as a result.
It's A Real Shame
This year's lineup was heralded for its inclusion and diversity, boasting more female headliners and performers than any other major summer festival. FYF featured 20 female-led acts or acts including a major female player, including St.Vincent, the XX, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and the Breeders.
"This wasn't something that we were consciously tallying. When we laid out everything, this is what made sense for the festival and this is what we thought was going to be the best booking," said Jenn Yacoubian, who took over from Carlson, in an April 6 interview with Billboard.
The statement on the cancellation of this year's event, which was released on Sunday, noted that organizers felt they couldn't present an experience that will meet the high standards of the festival's fans.
"After much consideration, we have made the difficult decision to cancel FYF Fest 2018, Our team of many women and men have worked tirelessly on this event for many years but felt unable to present an experience on par with the expectations of our loyal fans and the Los Angeles music community this year," it read.
Artists due to appear at this year's festival will reportedly be taking the stage at a variety of special shows in the L.A. area soon, according to FYF Festival organizers. Details of same will be announced shortly.
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