While the idea of a festival going belly up is almost a cliche now in the Australian market, few festivals cock up so bad that they end up in court.
Whilst the 2012 Supafest came and went, a bad taste was left in a lot of people’s mouths, with punters owed their ticket money back and companies up in arms over not being paid. Now the royalty collection society PPCA (Phonographic Performance Company of Australia) have taken the festival organisers to court over the issue of unpaid royalties to artists. PPCA are seeking $13,200 plus legal costs from the people behind the event; PaperChase Touring and Entertainment. Paperchase was in the headlines late last year after owing $340,000 to the co-founder of the domain-name business AusRegistry; this result was settled.
John Denison, co-founder and the human name attributed to Supafest, was contacted by The Music Network but kept his cards close to his chest, only stating, “This is a PaperChase matter”, shifting the blame to Dwayne Cross of Paperchase. Cross, of course, is no where to be found.
This is another thorn in the side of the organisers, who have already had to dodge arrows thrown at them in the form of major headliners P Diddy, Rick Ross and Missy Elliot not playing the set, claiming that they were either not paid, or never confirmed in the first place. Claims that Denison firmly denies.
Dension has been championing the plan to bring the festival back for 2013, though if the scales of justice tilt towards the PPCA, Supafest might vanish as quick as their headlining acts do.
