Woodstock 50 Creator Accuses Company Investing In Festival Of Sabotage: Report

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A painted sign is displayed as the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock music festival approaches August 14, 2009 in Bethel, New York. Babudro said, "It was such a feeling of freedom, to be around a group of people of your same heart, mind and soul." On August 15-17 in 1969 an estimated 400,000 music fans gathered on Max Yasgur's farm in Bethel, N.Y. for the most celebrated music festival ever. The 40th anniversary concert will take place in Bethel tomorrow.
Woodstock 50 creator is adamant that the show goes on, regardless of funding.

One of the most talked about festivals this year has been Woodstock 50. There've been a few issues that have prompted questions as to whether the festival was actually set to go on as planned. However, with the way things are moving, it appears as though it's inching towards a Fyre Festival-like fate.

Although the investors announced that Woodstock 50 is canceled, others have refuted that claim, namely the creator of the festival. According to TMZ, Michael Lang, the man behind Woodstock 50, is accusing the festival's investor, Dentsu Aegis Network, of trying to sabotage the festival. Lang reportedly sent a letter to Dentsu's president and CEO claiming that he had worries about such a large corporation being connected to Woodstock.

He claimed that Dentsu prevented ticket sales from going up for sale in late April, despite having all of the necessary permits. He continued to claim that the company began meddling with the talent that was added to line-up. Lang accused the company of telling bands that if they backed out, Dentsu would help them get a show at the 2020 Olympics.

Land said that Dentsu's decision to pull the plug of the festival came out of the blue and that they went to the media with a statement about the festival's cancelation without the legal authority to do so.

The worst part about Lang's accusation is that he alleged Dentsu, "illegally swept approximately $17 million from the festival bank account leaving the festival in peril." 

Lang is still promising to put on the festival this summer but we'll have to see if it actually comes into fruition. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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