Burlacu Blames Domino Effect

Romanian promoter Sorina Burlacu says her company has gone bust because of the domino effect from the bankruptcy of Austrian promoter Rock & More.

She claims she’s still owed euro 120,000 from her co-promotions with Rock & More’s Wolfgang Klinger, although figures revealed by Romanian daily Evenimentul Zilei suggest that wouldn’t have been enough to keep her Events companies afloat. She’s reckoned to owe at least euro 300,000.

Burlacu will also be in a Bucharest court Feb. 10 to face a euro 60,000-plus lawsuit from Marcel Avram’s United Promoters, which is taking action over a Gianna Nannini show his company promoted with Events in September 2008.

Evenimentul Zilei says Burlacu was to send about euro 86,000 to Avram’s company but came up with only euro 30,000 and has since reneged on various agreements to pay the remainder. It wasn’t possible to get comment from Avram at press time.

In the last couple of years Burlacu’s Events companies have promoted or co-promoted international acts including Zucchero, Leonard Cohen and a Rolling Stones show she and Klinger co-promoted in Bucharest in 2007.

It was so poorly organised that the story made the front page of several national newspapers. There were hundreds of complaints on music and blog sites, and Pro TV’s central European network reported 280 people received Red Cross treatment for exhaustion and dehydration. Burlacu declined to answer Pollstar’s questions about the event. Klinger blamed it on rivals trying to sabotage the concert.

Burlacu says there was “a recovery plan” to save one of her other companies, but it might be too late.

The final winding up of Events Com and Events Interactive began when suppliers each owed thousands of euros started litigation in the Romanian High Court. Burlacu’s two other Event group companies will also be made bankrupt.

“There are so many factors that led to the late payments situations. I had various discussions with our contractors about rescheduling the payments and I wanted to find solutions on these late payments,” Burlacu told Evenimentul Zilei.

Romaero, which is owed the rental for two “air-craft sheds” used at an Underworld concert in November 2008, began winding up proceedings against Burlacu in July. About 10 companies and public institutions have made claims to the official receiver.