Report: Woodstock 50 Organizers Have Not Alerted Artists on New Venue
Will Woodstock 50 happen this year? That’s the question, and according to a new Billboard report even the artists that are on the bill aren’t quite sure at this point.
The event is scheduled for the weekend of Aug. 14-16, but organizers recently lost their Watkins Glen venue in New York and have been in the headlines after losing financial backers and trying to line up new investors. There also is question as to which company is producing the event after Superfly dropped out. As a result of the variety of issues, tickets for the event have yet to go on sale, and according to Billboard’s report, managers, agents and publicists for the bands have yet to be given any updates on a potential new site for the event.
According to the report, many of the acts taking part worked out their contracts with Dentsu, the initial backer who bowed out of the event earlier this year. However, after a court case earlier this year, it was determined that Dentsu couldn’t cancel the festival and it ordered Dentsu from preventing artists not to play the event.
Billboard reports that several sources are saying that Watkins Glen’s recent exit as the venue allows the bands legal cover to pull out of the event since the contract specifically states the event will take place at the venue.
"Each artist will have to make a decision about whether this is something they want to take on now that so much has changed," one source told Billboard. "Often, the artist will feel compelled to play because they don't want to disappoint their fans, but in the case of Woodstock 50, no one has bought tickets yet, so there's not really anyone to disappoint."
"If this isn't settled by Monday, I think you'll see a few agents say that Woodstock 50 is in breach of contract and artists will start to pull out," one source says.
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