Features
Soulfest Pulls The Plug
Australia-based Soulfest blames poor ticket sales for canceling this year’s three-city extravaganza only 10 days before it was to launch. Now Mary J. Blige, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Miguel, Jill Scott, Charlie Wilson and others will need to find something else to do during the Oct. 24 weekend.
Photo: AP Photo / Herwig Prammer
Life Ball, City Hall, Vienna, Austria
Scheduled for
But those plans are merely yesterday’s hopes and dreams. A posting on the festival’s website stated that the shows did not receive “support via ticket sales” and had the events taken place the financial loss “would be devastating.”
“There have been many people working behind the scenes, including media partners, artists, sponsors, sub-contracted promoters, communication managers, agents and suppliers who live, breathe and support this incredible genre of music and have worked tirelessly to try and make this event a success,” reads the statement on the Soulfest website. “The promoter sincerely apologises to all involved who have dedicated 7 months of their lives to work on this festival, and to the supporters of the event who purchased tickets.”
The posting states that people who purchased online or by phone via credit cards will receive automatic refunds while others will need to contact points of purchase. And don’t expect any other news about the cancelations. According to the posting, “no further statements or comments will be issued.”