Woodstock 50 Moves Forward With Festival But Are Out $17.8M: 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
Despite Dentsu pulling out of the festival, Woodstock 50 can move forward.

Everything going on with Woodstock 50 over the past few weeks, it seems like the festival is about to share a similar fate as Fyre Festival. Earlier there was a delay in the launch of ticket sales which was subsequently followed the festival's investors claiming that it's canceled. However, the Woodstock 50 founder combatted those claims by saying that it's still going on but unfortunately, he's out of $17.8M that was meant for the festival.

According to Pitchfork, a judge has ruled that Woodstock 50 can move forward after Dentsu Aegis, the festival's investors, claimed that it was called off. The judge stated that Dentsu didn't have the authorization to cancel the festival after pulling out their funds for the festival. 

Despite the judge signaling that the festival can move forward, it was made clear that Woodstock 50 “has not met the high burden entitling it to a mandatory injunction” that would return the $17.8M they say was “pillaged“ by Dentsu upon announcing their departure. 

Denstu previously stated that they didn't want to be apart of Woodstock 50 anymore due to the lack of organization. The festival, which included performances from Jay-Z, Chance The Rapper, and Earl Sweatshirt, among others, sued Dentsu earlier this month on claims of sabotage and theft. Woodstock 50 accused the company of trying to persuade performers to drop out of the festival in order to land performances during the 2020 Olympics week. 


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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