2012 really isn’t shaping up as a good year for festivals. First Bloc was cancelled halfway through its opening night due to safety concerns, and the company behind the event subsequently went into administration. Then All Tomorrow’s Parties Ltd announced it had gone into voluntary liquidation and was restructuring. Now, according to a letter obtained by Music Week, it seems Meadowlands festival which took place in Sussex last month can’t afford to pay the artists who played the event.
Music Week reports that the directors of Meadowlands have written to the festival’s managers warning that although the event is “committed” to eventually paying the acts involved, it can’t currently afford to do so as the event has “lost a considerable amount of money”.
The festival took place last month over the weekend of 1st, 2nd and 3rd of June at Glynde Place in Sussex, charging £85 for an adult weekend ticket, or £45 for a day ticket. Headlining were Lamb, Speech Debelle and Fink, whilst other artists on the line-up included North Atlantic Oscillation, Anchor Song, Nordic Giants, Portico Quartet and Tom Williams & The Boat.
According to the letter obtained by Music Week, the directors warn that “right now, we have no available funds”, though they have paid “all of the infrastructure costs as a priority to ensure that we can put the festival on again next year”. The letter also warns that the festival’s directors have personally underwritten investments to “ensure the company does not go bankrupt”.
At present there is no further information or comment from the festival’s organisers.
