As Tone Deaf reported yesterday, the 2015 instalment of Soulfest, “Australia’s first neo-soul, jazz & hip-hop festival”, was cancelled yesterday, with promoters citing poor ticket sales in a statement released to the public.
The sophomore edition of the event boasted a lineup topped by Mary J. Blige, Miguel, and Lauryn Hill, but promoters alleged that a lack of interest led to the cancellation of the festival less than two weeks before it was set to launch.
Fans and ticket-holders, however, weren’t convinced. Numerous commenters have since taken to social media to allege that they’d been told by festival sources that the event was sold out and that more tickets could not be purchased.
Soulfest organisers are now contending with ire from across the pond, with Soulfest Asia promoters issuing a less-than-flattering statement about their Australian partners, holding them responsible for the postponement of the Asia Soulfest event.
“Due to Soulfest International Australia’s inability to fulfill its commitments to Soulfest Asia, Malaysia’s headliners, Mary J Blige, Jhene Aiko, De La Soul and Talib Kweli will not be making their way to Soulfest Asia,” they write on Instagram.
“We regret to inform all our fans that Soulfest Asia 2015 will have to be postponed, tentatively to December 2015.” The statement does not go into detail about just how the Australian cancellation has affected Soulfest Asia.
“We are very saddened by the inability of OUR company to secure the headline artists for Soulfest Asia as originally planned and have deprived fans of the festival line up that was promised – we apologise for this chain of events,” a spokesperson for Soulfest International Australia is quoted as saying.
[include_post id=”461662″]
“We at Soulnation Asia have fulfilled all obligations and commitments to the acts, including obtaining the proper licensing and permits,” Soulfest Asia continue. “This decision was not made lightly, as we understand the disappointment this will cause.”
“However, we believe it is imperative that we deliver a world-class festival and an exceptional experience to festival goers. More details will be announced in the coming weeks.” Refund details are available via the Soulfest Asia website.
“We would like to take this opportunity to apologise for any inconvenience this has caused and for those who would like a refund for their purchased tickets, information will be available on www.soulfestasia.com.”
