No Site Of Serbian Woodstock

Both Web sites listing the acts purported to be playing at Serbia’s "Roadfest To Peace Through Music" were undergoing "reconstruction" while Woodstock Festival co-founder Artie Kornfeld looks to be wondering why he ever allowed his name to be linked with the event in the first place.

Kornfeld and his lawyer Shelly Kerner are due in Belgrade March 12 to meet Dragan Vujin, the local promoter who’s putting on the two-day open-air on a river island site at Zrenjanin on June 28-30 – a few days after the Exit Festival organisers and Live Nation’s Budapest office stage their co-promoted Red Hot Chili Peppers show barely an hour’s drive across Serbia at Indjija.

Although Exit Festival itself is only a couple of weeks later (July 12-15), Vujin announced his Roadfest for the end of June at a February 12 press conference at Belgrade Sava Centre and told the media that the bill would include Iggy & The Stooges, Foo Fighters, Metallica, Daft Punk, The Prodigy, Jamiroquai, Deep Purple, Underworld, Motorhead, Tricky, Joe Cocker, and The Cult.

Kornfeld and Kerner became annoyed when they realised the acts being advertised hadn’t been confirmed and in some cases not even discussed with their London-based agents.

"Cheeky rascals – should I send them a note?" was Russell Warby of WMA’s reaction to being told that Foo Fighters were being named on Serbian Web sites.

Solomon Parker, another agent who’s just joined WMA’s new London office, said he heard about the festival but had been given to understand any acts that were confirmed had pulled out and he certainly hadn’t been contacted regarding The Prodigy.

Neil Warnock, head of the international Agency Group Ltd., said he did talk to the festival about Motorhead and Deep Purple but broke off negotiations when it became apparent that getting deposits was going to be a problem.

Kornfeld became more concerned when Mike Lang – another Woodstock co-founder – found a Web site that also linked his name to Roadfest and said he intended to put out a disclaimer as he knew absolutely nothing about it.

Many in the Serbian music business believe Vujin is trying to use Kornfeld and Lang’s names to attract sponsorship money, which could then be used to try to negotiate acts.