Industry Noize: Power Ran Fests Without Licences

In a judment handed down at the end of July, the High Court in London banned Power from playing music in public until he brings his licences up to date.

If he doesn’t comply with the ban, it could constitute contempt of court, which could result in him being fined up to £10,000 or given six months in prison.

Mr. Justice Birss also ordered Power to pay £7,987 in legal costs run up by the Performing Rights Society in taking action against him.

PRS claimed that Power was the “guiding will and mind” behind the festivals and therefore responsible for the copyright infringements.

Power failed to file a defense against the PRS action. He sayshe hasn’t received any correspondence from PRS regarding the situation and was surprised to read about the outstanding fees.

“I am angry and disappointed that PRS have not contacted me by post, email or telephone. To say that I am banned from staging live music events for the sake of 7k, is damaging to my career,” he said in a statement. “In light of the long strained relationship I have with them, I can only see this as PRS being vindictive and a means of deflection for what I see as the real problem within PRS; they have a long list of artists that are owed money which they do not pay.

“I am very happy for any artists who have been chasing PRS unsuccessfully to contact me to see if there is a way we can group together and get the money they are owed.”

According to PRS, 31 of its members performed at the 2009 festival, 10 in 2010, at least 25 in 2011, and more than 30 in 2012 including such well known acts as Morrissey, Peter Gabriel, Van Morrison, and Florence & The Machine.

After last year’s Hop Farm was canceled due to poor ticket sales, which resulted in Power’s Music Festivals PLC going into administration with debts of £4.8 million (then $7.27 million), this year music fans were confused when two festivals in Kent used the name.

Power’s festival, which moved from the Paddock Wood site he’d used for five years to a new site near Tunbridge Wells, was once again a non-starter.

Nottingham-based promoter Neil Butkeraitis, who runs the local Flashback Festival, staged a Hop Farm Festival on the Paddock Wood site July 4-6. The acts included Brian Wilson, Ray Davies, Grace Jones, Echo & The Bunnymen, James Blunt, Caro Emerald, and 10cc.