Woodstock 50: Artists Not Obligated to Play, Contracts Were Through Original Investor
Woodstock 50 organizer Michael Lang insists the festival will go on as planned despite Dentsu Aegis, its only investor, pulling their funding. However, the event seems to have hit another new snag.
Billboard reports that all artists on the Woodstock 50 bill were contracted through Dentsu Aegis, not with Woodstock 50 or Lang. After Dentsu Aegis announced the festival was canceled, that means all artists booked were released from their contracts are no longer obligated to perform.
Dentsu Aegis invested $30 million in booking acts alone. So far, no artists have announced whether they will be performing Woodstock 50 still or will opt not to appear.
Despite this news, Lang is still pressing on with the festival. In a new interview with The New York Times, Lang said that they’re “days away” from obtaining all of the necessary permits, and they’re in talks with new investors and have potential sponsors.
As for why Dentsu Aegis pulled their funding suddenly and whether he and other organizers knew of their plans, Lang said, “We really didn’t. The surprising thing was that they didn’t give us a heads up, or call, or say, ‘We’d like to back away, can you replace us?’ It was just a surprise. It’s mind-boggling, in fact.”
Erica Banas is rock/classic rock news blogger that loves the smell of old vinyl in the morning.
