Fleischmann Denies Creative Collapse

“We had to cancel shows for various reasons – that’s it,” he told Pollstar, after Creative canceled runs from The Backstreet Boys and Snoop Dogg and scrapped its Greenville Festival.

In the wake of the cancellations, the reasons cited changed from production problems to poor ticket sales.

German trade magazine Musikmarkt quoted Fleischmann as saying “unforeseen events” led to his firm “falling into financial trouble” and admitting that he was seeking external investment.

Fleischmann’s also reportedly asked Creative’s creditors to back off until the end of August.

Of the media reports, he says: “Lots of things get written every day without one cent of truth in it. I have decided to not talk because there is nothing to talk about.”

There have also been delays in refunding the tickets for Backstreet Boys, Snoop Dogg and the Greenville fest, which reportedly cost Creative euro 2 million ($2.7 million) over the last two years.

This year Greenville, which was scheduled for July 25-27, would have had Snoop Dogg, Avicii, Airbourne, The Hives, Babyshambles, Hurts, Palma Violets, and Maximo Park.

Ticketmaster chief Klaus Zemke, whose firm was one of a number selling tickets for the canceled events, is referring ticket-holders to Creative. 

“In Germany a ticket company isn’t liable to pay refunds if the money has already been passed to the promoter,” he explained.

Zemke says Ticketmaster still has some ticket money from the sales that happened just before the cancellations, but says – in view of Creative’s financial situation – he feels legally obliged to hang onto it.

Local sources are suggesting Fleischmann, who’s owned and run Creative since buying out former partner DEAG in 2009, is talking to potential backers and has already set up a new promoting company. Musikmarkt says a startup company called cm 14 GmbH is the promoter for Fleischmann’s 2015 tour for The Black Keys.

The company’s Berlin phone number is the same as Creative’s. It wasn’t possible to get further comment from Fleischmann at press time.