Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened

[RealReality10]

5 hours ago, merylinkid said:

Speaking of Kendall Jenner, her company and two other modeling agencies are being subpoeanaed to produce records related to their promotion of the Festival.    Apparently the LLC that was formed for the festival filed bankruptcy.   The trustees are digging into the finances.    I may have to dig into the why on this a little more.   Not why digging into the finances but what they hope to do with the information uncovered.   

LOL, I love that this has become the shitshow clusterfuck that refuses to die.

[sadie]

I’ve met guys like Billy in business and am always shocked at how easily impressed some people are with sheer bullshit. He came across as a total tool to me. But then again I’m known as Debbie Downer in my company because I’m the one realist in the room going “this will never work”, and sadly I’m usually right. I laughed at loud at the one guy that was mocking the attendees that would pay this kind of money to see Blink182, lol, they are of a quality I think one could find at a local county fair, they certainly are t headline eras anymore. I guess don’t underestimate the power of “super models”, blech. 

 I find this whole thing fascinating and I believe firmly Billy knew he was scamming both investors and customers but thought his bullshit charm could pull it off and he’d run away with the cash. So happy he’s sitting in jail, couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. 

[RealReality10]

6 minutes ago, sadie said:

I’ve met guys like Billy in business and am always shocked at how easily impressed some people are with sheer bullshit. He came across as a total tool to me. But then again I’m known as Debbie Downer in my company because I’m the one realist in the room going “this will never work”, and sadly I’m usually right. I laughed at loud at the one guy that was mocking the attendees that would pay this kind of money to see Blink182, lol, they are of a quality I think one could find at a local county fair, they certainly are t headline eras anymore. I guess don’t underestimate the power of “super models”, blech. 

 I find this whole thing fascinating and I believe firmly Billy knew he was scamming both investors and customers but thought his bullshit charm could pull it off and he’d run away with the cash. So happy he’s sitting in jail, couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. 

I'm convinced that 95% of these people only cared about getting Instagram pictures with models and swimming pigs on Pablo Escobars island. 

#imarealnarco!

#meandbellahadid!

#imswimmingwithapig!

Blink 182 and major Lazer were just the conveient cover story when it all went horribly wrong.  Also, it's probably fairly easy to string along blink182 without any real money up front.  I'm guessing it's not the same for Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift and Beyonce.  

ALSO -- based on your post, if you do podcasts there is one called "the drop out" about Elizabeth Holmes of theranos, and she had that same attitude about people in her scam company that pointed out shortcomings.  You should listen to it.

[GaT]

7 hours ago, merylinkid said:

Not why digging into the finances but what they hope to do with the information uncovered.   

I think they're trying to find out exactly how much money the models were paid. My guess is that any records Billy kept are suspect.

[JBC344]

Wow, really well done documentary.  Although I think the whole "social media influencer" phenomenon is waning I do like the idea of legislating the #ad so customers can clearly differentiate between being a paid spokesperson and advertising a product you have an interest/personal experience with.

With that said, the idea that Kendall Jenner and the models are culpable just screams the epitome of grasping at straws.  These were people paid to do promotion that they in fact did.  Also the promotion was done at the beginning of this whole thing so the idea of "they should of known" is sort of an impossible leap.  Also the promotion that they did was actually on the original advertised island which was then taken away.  The models and Kendall Jenner would have no possible control over that since it happened after the fact.

The end of the documentary showed that Billy was falsifying the records for the company so this idea of "they should of looked into it" doesn't hold up either because if/when they did look into it the records would of showed an abundance of millions to "legitimately" pull off this thing.

Don't get me wrong, I think that there are a lot of people who turned a blind eye to this thing for whatever reason but Kendall Jenner and the models IMO aren't in that category.

 

For the love of God, can someone please explain to me the "idea/plan" behind offering the customs officer a blowjob in lieu of $175K payment for Evian water?  First off, was there a scene cut from the documentary that showed said customs officer completely taken with middle aged Andy that said offer of a BJ would be welcome?

Was the customs officer even gay?  Even so, why would such an offer be enticing?  If he wasn't why would a BJ from another man be the solution?  Why wasn't Andy arrested when he attempted to bribe said officer? 

Nothing about that story made any sense whatsoever. 

[RealReality10]

@JBC344 -- I understand your points re:Kendall Jenner, though I kinda think that if you're going to promote something you kinda should make sure it's legit.  I think it's why big name stars are picky about endorsements.  

Like, if a found out that colonial Penn was a giant Ponzi scheme, I'd throw alec trebek some side eye.  If Quaker oats were bad for me, I'd throw Wilford brimley some side eye.  You're getting paid big bucks to put your name and reputation behind something.  But, I totally see where you're coming from.

I also think that somehow what came from her social media IIRC, and I might not suggested that Kanye or GOOD music might be involved in the festival.  Which I think she knew was not a reality.

[biakbiak]

51 minutes ago, RealReality10 said:

I understand your points re:Kendall Jenner, though I kinda think that if you're going to promote something you kinda should make sure it's legit. 

Banks and finance firms were giving him money when they endorsed it, thinking they did their due diligence would be enough for a lot of people to assume it was legit. Also, alot of big names have attached themselves to shitty endorsements and or people. 

Edited January 31, 2019 by biakbiak

[DangerousMinds]

34 minutes ago, RealReality10 said:

@JBC344 -- I understand your points re:Kendall Jenner, though I kinda think that if you're going to promote something you kinda should make sure it's legit.  I think it's why big name stars are picky about endorsements.  

Like, if a found out that colonial Penn was a giant Ponzi scheme, I'd throw alec trebek some side eye.  If Quaker oats were bad for me, I'd throw Wilford brimley some side eye.  You're getting paid big bucks to put your name and reputation behind something.  But, I totally see where you're coming from.

I also think that somehow what came from her social media IIRC, and I might not suggested that Kanye or GOOD music might be involved in the festival.  Which I think she knew was not a reality.

Yes, she was the one that promoted GOOD music.

[BuyMoreAndSave]

Laughing my ass off at these:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/javiermoreno/fyre-festival-andy-king-memes

His response to the memes was to say he was "blown away"...of all the phrases he could have used....

Edited January 31, 2019 by BuyMoreAndSave

[biakbiak]

Another  good thing like the GoFundMe that helped get money for the Bahamian workers it’s helping to remind people how awful the FuckJerry douchebros are and how they and the equally awful TheFatJewish built their brand and businesses buy stealing content from others. There is currently a campaign to get people to unfollow their Ig account which is how they get a lot of revenue.

There is currently the #FuckFuckJerry with a lot of people talking about the issues with them.

Edited January 31, 2019 by biakbiak

[MaggieG]

17 hours ago, JBC344 said:

For the love of God, can someone please explain to me the "idea/plan" behind offering the customs officer a blowjob in lieu of $175K payment for Evian water?  First off, was there a scene cut from the documentary that showed said customs officer completely taken with middle aged Andy that said offer of a BJ would be welcome?

Was the customs officer even gay?  Even so, why would such an offer be enticing?  If he wasn't why would a BJ from another man be the solution?  Why wasn't Andy arrested when he attempted to bribe said officer? 

Nothing about that story made any sense whatsoever. 

 

9 hours ago, BuyMoreAndSave said:

Laughing my ass off at these:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/javiermoreno/fyre-festival-andy-king-memes

His response to the memes was to say he was "blown away"...of all the phrases he could have used....

That story didn't make sense to me either. The way it was described in the doc, Billy called Andy and basically said "Hey, we need the Evian water, go suck this guy's dick." I don't think Billy ever thought the customs guy was gay or would even be interested in a bribe like that. The type of guy that Billy is, he probably told Andy to do it because he wanted to see if Andy would actually do it. 

[DangerousMinds]

Andy should have told Billy to do that his damn self.

[BuyMoreAndSave]

On 1/31/2019 at 11:53 AM, MaggieG said:

 

That story didn't make sense to me either. The way it was described in the doc, Billy called Andy and basically said "Hey, we need the Evian water, go suck this guy's dick." I don't think Billy ever thought the customs guy was gay or would even be interested in a bribe like that. The type of guy that Billy is, he probably told Andy to do it because he wanted to see if Andy would actually do it. 

Interesting question this raised for me, how much overlap do you think there is between Billy McFarland and cult leaders? Cults usually have a sexual component.

1. A charismatic leader, who increasingly becomes an object of worship as the general principles that may have originally sustained the group lose power. That is a living leader, who has no meaningful accountability and becomes the single most defining element of the group and its source of power and authority.

2. A process [of indoctrination or education is in use that can be seen as] coercive persuasion or thought reform [commonly called "brainwashing"].

The culmination of this process can be seen by members of the group often doing things that are not in their own best interest, but consistently in the best interest of the group and its leader.

3. Economic, sexual, and other exploitation of group members by the leader and the ruling coterie.

Some groups may not fit the definition of a cult, but may pose potential risks for participants. Here are 10 warning signs of a potentially unsafe group or leader.

• Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.

• No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.

• No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget or expenses, such as an independently audited financial statement.

• Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.

• There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.

• Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.

• There are records, books, news articles, or broadcast reports that document the abuses of the group/leader.

• Followers feel they can never be "good enough".

• The group/leader is always right.

• The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing "truth" or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.

[ivygirl]

On 1/22/2019 at 2:02 PM, Giant Misfit said:

And then there was the one "influencer" who got to the Bahamas and actually got the villa (I suspect she was comped) and then was all *smile/shrug* when she found out no one else had a place to sleep then proceeded to make a video of herself dancing around her cavernous (and nearly empty) accommodation.

Of all the moments in both docs, this one really torqued me. Yes I think McFarlane is a creep and a fraud, but I felt that going in. And of course I was very sad for the Bahamians—going to look into legit ways to help, because I can’t stand knowing that they were just abused like that. But the “influencer”/Portrayer of Kelly Kapowski in the laughable Saved By the Bell “biopic” struck me as just as smug and entitled. Maybe not a fraud, but smug. She’s a living, breathing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and it really got to me.

[Oldernowiser]

Anyone else think it was weird when the Bahamian guy right at the end got a phone call from Billy? Why didn’t he rip him up? Maybe he’s just super laid back and figures he’s never going to get paid anyway, but still.

Or the call was bullshit just for the film.

 Given that they were on the hook to all those investors if they canceled, they boxed themselves in. Their only hope was to get people convinced that the experience was cool enough despite the reality to not care.

Billy is like every richie rich  kid I ever knew...obnoxious, entitled and amoral.

[JBC344]

Really interesting podcast with Marc Weinstein, he goes into more detail about the experience.

[DangerousMinds]

15 hours ago, ivygirl said:

Of all the moments in both docs, this one really torqued me. Yes I think McFarlane is a creep and a fraud, but I felt that going in. And of course I was very sad for the Bahamians—going to look into legit ways to help, because I can’t stand knowing that they were just abused like that. But the “influencer”/Portrayer of Kelly Kapowski in the laughable Saved By the Bell “biopic” struck me as just as smug and entitled. Maybe not a fraud, but smug. She’s a living, breathing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and it really got to me.

Making it even more pathetic and depressing is that there are apparently millions of fools “following” her thinking she is someone worth emulating.

[Oldernowiser]

5 hours ago, JBC344 said:

Really interesting podcast with Marc Weinstein, he goes into more detail about the experience.

 

This interview was FASCINATING, thank you so much.

This guy is the best of this next generation...analytical, thoughtful, ethical and aware. It made my day.

He’s the AntiBilly.

[geekgirl921]

On 1/22/2019 at 2:02 PM, Giant Misfit said:

You can come sit right next to me on that speeding freight train to hell because I felt the same way. The one kid who was explaining he was just sitting in his parents basement with nothing to do other than scrolling around on his phone and WOW! He sees the Insta ads for this clusterfuck and decided he needs to go. Attention sir! This is EXACTLY the reason why you're living in your parents' basement—because you spent thousands of dollars to go a music festival where you could "hang out" with Instagram-famous people instead of using those thousands of dollars to move out. And then there was the one "influencer" who got to the Bahamas and actually got the villa (I suspect she was comped) and then was all *smile/shrug* when she found out no one else had a place to sleep then proceeded to make a video of herself dancing around her cavernous (and nearly empty) accommodation. OH! And the one chick at the airport yelling, "Where's our water?!" Bitch, go have a seat, please. You're not going to dehydrate loitering in the lobby of the airport. Your hand can be without a Fiji bottle for an hour. It'll live. I relish all of their misery. 

And I loved, loved how all those fools thought Billy was some sort of visionary. The guy had ZERO charisma normally associated with the sociopathic con artist. He wasn't even good looking. Like, the best that can be said for him was that he was tall. (And possibly an uglier version of Seth McFarlane.) I mean, honest to god, does anyone have a reasonable amount of common sense anymore? And I really wanted to know more about that Carolla (sp?) woman who was his mentor/financier.  I'd also love to know what kind of buffoon gets all excited by having a credit card that's heavier than their other ones. 

I guarantee there is a 100% chance that once he's released, he's going to go right back to his grifting ways.  

Save for the people of the Bahamas, everyone in this documentary needs to get launched into outer space. 

ETA: And for the life of me, I can never pronounce it "fire." I kept calling it "frye" (like the boots) in my head and to all my friends who wanted to talk about this past weekend.

Thank you!! I keep pronouncing it frye, too!!

[GaT]

58 minutes ago, geekgirl921 said:

Thank you!! I keep pronouncing it frye, too!!

Me three :-)

[RealReality10]

On 1/31/2019 at 10:39 AM, DangerousMinds said:

Andy should have told Billy to do that his damn self.

I also need to know how damn good a blow job Andy was going to offer that it was worth 175,000 dollars.

Like seriously, no tea, no shade but I think you could get a pretty great blow job for like under 50,000 dollars.  What kind of magical blow job are you giving for 175,000 bucks?

[Oldernowiser]

None of that made sense, either, which makes me think Billy was just making things up at that point AND maybe testing loyalties.

Dude ain’t right in the head.

ETA: Maybe it might have gotten the customs dude to release the water without immediate payment, which happened anyway. But does Billy know the customs guy is gay or bi? And if that’s what he’s betting on, send someone younger and hotter? No offense  to Andy, but...

Nope. It still makes no sense.

Edited February 5, 2019 by Oldernowiser

[JBC344]

21 hours ago, GaT said:

Me three :-)

Me four!!!!!

 

2 hours ago, Oldernowiser said:

None of that made sense, either, which makes me think Billy was just making things up at that point AND maybe testing loyalties.

Dude ain’t right in the head.

ETA: Maybe it might have gotten the customs dude to release the water without immediate payment, which happened anyway. But does Billy know the customs guy is gay or bi? And if that’s what he’s betting on, send someone younger and hotter? No offense  to Andy, but...

Nope. It still makes no sense.

Seriously, I mean if your going to go there wouldn't you be showing up with a hot "high class" prostitute for the officer?  Yeah, I'm assuming the BJ was for delayed payment but still.

[RealReality10]

9 hours ago, Oldernowiser said:

None of that made sense, either, which makes me think Billy was just making things up at that point AND maybe testing loyalties.

Dude ain’t right in the head.

ETA: Maybe it might have gotten the customs dude to release the water without immediate payment, which happened anyway. But does Billy know the customs guy is gay or bi? And if that’s what he’s betting on, send someone younger and hotter? No offense  to Andy, but...

Nope. It still makes no sense.

 

 

7 hours ago, JBC344 said:

Me four!!!!!

 

Seriously, I mean if your going to go there wouldn't you be showing up with a hot "high class" prostitute for the officer?  Yeah, I'm assuming the BJ was for delayed payment but still.

All I'm saying is that maybe Andy could be teaching some sort of master class.  

I'd like to think that my game is pretty tight, but I wouldn't even begin to imagine I have skills worth $175,000 us dollars, not even 175,000 rubels or pesos or yen.

I think many a lady or man of the night could turn those skills into real profit.  

Edited February 6, 2019 by RealReality10

[biakbiak]

It’s not like the guy would be out $175k. It would be the government and clearly he had already gotten permission to release the shipment without payment so it would have been a free blow job for the guy, a perk of the job if you will.

[GaT]

Andy King, The Blowjob King Of The Fyre Festival, Has Been Offered Advertising Campaigns And TV Shows

And now we know why he was OK with telling that story.

[methodwriter85]

Krispyshorts of Jerry Media just made his Instagram private. I wonder if he's not cool with the constant comments about how he's complicit and how it was a conflict of interest for him and his media company to help produce this doc was a factor?

The weird thing is that I actually followed Krispyshorts on his YouTube channel because he comes from the same home state and made a few videos about it.

Edited February 7, 2019 by methodwriter85

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, methodwriter85 said:

Krispyshorts of Jerry Media just made his Instagram private. I wonder if he's not cool with the constant comments about how he's complicit and how it was a conflict of interest for him and his media company to help produce this doc was a factor?

I think it’s more that the increased noteriety from the press around the doc gave renewed interest in how they were formed in the first place which was as I said upthread was stealing content from comedians and other accounts and so there have been several articles like this and a lot more people telling their stories.

They lost about 500k followers in the last week because of all the attention.. Of course they still have over 14 million. 

Edited February 7, 2019 by biakbiak

[Guest]

2 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I think it’s more that the increased noteriety from the press around the doc gave renewed interest in how they were formed in the first place which was as I said upthread was stealing content from comedians and other accounts and so there have been several articles like this and a lot more people telling their stories.

Thanks for that article! Vic Berger is a true genius. 

Here's a video he made about FuckJerry, too.

[Rachel72]

On ‎2‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 3:29 AM, Oldernowiser said:

None of that made sense, either, which makes me think Billy was just making things up at that point AND maybe testing loyalties.

Dude ain’t right in the head.

ETA: Maybe it might have gotten the customs dude to release the water without immediate payment, which happened anyway. But does Billy know the customs guy is gay or bi? And if that’s what he’s betting on, send someone younger and hotter? No offense  to Andy, but...

Nope. It still makes no sense.

I think you're right on the testing boundaries thing. There isn't a shred of evidence that the Customs official even wanted something like that, or that it was offered, but looks like McFarland certainly implied it. My interpretation of the whole sordid episode was that while Andy had been away, the meeting with Customs had not gone well and the officials were sick of McFarland's and the rest of the Fyre lot's empty promises. The imported water (because of course a "luxe" festival has to have brand name water, even if the running water on site was potable) was subject to a massive import tax and despite the Ponzi-type scams McFuckknuckle was running, they did not have the money to pay it. So when Andy comes back, McFuckknuckle is basically telling him, "We need to get the water released without paying upfront, do whatever it takes, even give him a head job if you have to", but focusing on the sexual aspect because he's a creepy manipulative arse who probably got a kick out of the fact that he could say these outrageous things to people and get away with it. The fact that Andy was gay is no accident - he didn't pick any female staff (if there were any - it seems like a heavily male-dominated enterprise) for this task, he wanted to see if Andy would tell him to go boil his head or agree to do it. It was a douchebro power move as well as sexual harassment.

I infer from what we did see that the meeting went perfectly professionally - Andy must have gone in there saying, "Look, we need that water. Unfortunately we do not have the funds to pay the tax now. What will it take for you to release it if we undertake to pay it as soon as possible?" and as he said, the official was like, "Fine, I'll let you take it and serve it provided you assure me that the tax will be paid as a priority" with no allusion to sex acts or anything like that. It illustrates the sheer desperation at that point that Andy was prepared to go that far if it came to it. Their working environment was bonkers - McFuckknuckle had convinced him - someone with a thirty year career - and others that he was this legendary "entre-pren-EWER" and the business equivalent of the Second Coming, and they were utterly in his thrall. It's up there with the gross bullying of the models during the promo shoot when they wanted them to get in the water at night.

[Oldernowiser]

“McFuckknuckle” is just my new favorite word. Bravo!

 I kinda loved the one model saying, “I’m not gettin’ in no water” and the other saying, incredulously, “We’re coming in there after you?” Because the last unspoken word was clearly “losers.”

Edited February 9, 2019 by Oldernowiser

[maggiegil]

I'm a bit late to the party but I've finally just watched the documentary and the one thing I can't understand is why it being Pablo Escobar's island was a selling point? I find the idealization of someone who caused so much pain to so many people and killed so many people directly and indirectly, gross. Is it that hes associated with cocaine or opulence that has the attraction for people?

[Oldernowiser]

I am willing to bet that an embarrassingly large portion of the target audience didn’t know squat about Escobar’s murderous history. They just assumed drug money = opulence plus maybe a little hint of badassery-by-proxy for those basement-dwelling losers Billy was targeting.

It was important enough to him and/or his marketing bros to include it in the promo despite being told not to. Either that or it was just another screwup. 

I’m really surprised anything at all was accomplished. Billy and Ja looked drunk and/or totally stoned most of the time. “Fell asleep on the beach,” sure. He passed out.

[Rachel72]

It illustrates how shallow and grotesque the whole enterprise was, doesn't it? Oh, yes, drug lords are soooo glamorous! Never mind the multiple murders and corruption and consequent human wreckage they leave in their wake.

One of the things the Hulu doc does better than this one is explicitly pointing out (through the interview with the ex-Jerry Media guy) that Escobar was actually a vicious murderer, and how disturbing and callous the emphasis on "you can BE Pablo Escobar for a weekend!" was - I mean, why would you want to? He said he was getting calls from family members of Escobar's cartel's victims after the promotion went live. The Netflix doc only obliquely alludes to it through the references to the island's owner being emphatically against any reference to Escobar in promotions, and this being a condition of using the island in the first place, and while generally I appreciate the filmmakers' trust in the audience to work this out without being hit over the head with multiple explanations of the same concept (yes I'm talking to you, Hulu doc), this was one instance where I thought - out of respect to Escobar's victims if nothing else - they could have made it a bit clearer to anyone watching who was unaware of the history why this was so offensive.

I'd wager it wasn't a stuff-up - they deliberately made it a feature of the promo regardless of the owner's conditions. McFarland most likely arrogantly assumed that the owner wouldn't do anything about it. This is the bloke who allegedly tried to get the National Regatta on Great Exuma moved to accommodate him, rather than change the dates of the festival. He's the living embodiment of entitlement.

[maggiegil]

I haven't watched the Hulu one yet, glad they addressed it at least. I kind of think some people do need to be hit over the head with who Escobar was, I mentioned it to a friend who I knew had watched the doc too and his reaction was "oh yeah, hes the guy that the film in Entourage was based on" 🙄

7 minutes ago, Rachel72 said:

I'd wager it wasn't a stuff-up - they deliberately made it a feature of the promo regardless of the owner's conditions.

It definitely wasn't, the way they talked about it, they 100% thought a connection with Escobar was a bonus. That owner is probably one of the few that actually benefited financially from this whole fiasco

[GaT]

1 hour ago, maggiegil said:

It definitely wasn't, the way they talked about it, they 100% thought a connection with Escobar was a bonus. 

I still can't understand why after being told that if they said it was Escobar's island they would lose access, they went ahead & used that in marketing. Did they not believe the owner? Did they think that nobody would notice it wasn't on the original island? I am completely baffled by this.

[RealReality10]

13 minutes ago, GaT said:

I still can't understand why after being told that if they said it was Escobar's island they would lose access, they went ahead & used that in marketing. Did they not believe the owner? Did they think that nobody would notice it wasn't on the original island? I am completely baffled by this.

The Pablo Escobar thing is so cringey dude bro millenial (and I try not to use that word). 

Like "straight society says crime is wrong, but I'm gonna turn that on its head by going to Pablo Escobar's island!  I'm so ironic! Ha ha, laws are  for lame straights and old people!"

Also, narcos on Netflix which made him a more complex character than he probably was and made some of the violence look glamourous.

As for blatantly doing exactly what they were told NOT to do.  You know a guy who thinks he can get out of a nearly $200k bill by having a middle aged man give a blow job thinks that rules absolutely do not apply to him.

I'm so glad someone gave him some hard consequences he couldn't wriggle out of by steadfastly enforcing a rule.  I'm sure Billy tried every way under the sun and made all the promises in the world to try to get that guy to change his mind and give him access to that island.

Edited February 12, 2019 by RealReality10

[biakbiak]

I still don’t get the whole thing with the Escobar island, the deal fell through so quickly but that place had absolutely nothing on it. I mean they had enough logistic problem building out a cement lot next to a large resort. How could they have possibly even thought anything that could accommodate anyone for a few days could have happened on that island in less than six months?

It made me think that they never had any attention of using the island and just used it for publicity.

[GaT]

5 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

It made me think that they never had any attention of using the island and just used it for publicity.

That's a good point, & it's probably the reason.

[RealReality10]

46 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

I still don’t get the whole thing with the Escobar island, the deal fell through so quickly but that place had absolutely nothing on it. I mean they had enough logistic problem building out a cement lot next to a large resort. How could they have possibly even thought anything that could accommodate anyone for a few days could have happened on that island in less than six months?

It made me think that they never had any attention of using the island and just used it for publicity.

I feel like Billy is one of those guys who thinks of himself as a "visionary" and a "big picture guy" the "idea guy" and so the logistics of it all never once entered his mind.

He would just have his "big idea" and it would be up to the little people to actually make it happen.  Details like plumbing and housing are for small minded nerds, not visionary geniuses like Billy.

I think he totally thought, at first, that he could somehow build a bunch of villas and have fine dining on Pablo Escobars old island.  

[biakbiak]

14 minutes ago, RealReality10 said:

I feel like Billy is one of those guys who thinks of himself as a "visionary" and a "big picture guy" the "idea guy" and so the logistics of it all never once entered his mind.

He would just have his "big idea" and it would be up to the little people to actually make it happen.  Details like plumbing and housing are for small minded nerds, not visionary geniuses like Billy.

I think he totally thought, at first, that he could somehow build a bunch of villas and have fine dining on Pablo Escobars old island.  

But again this wasn’t just Billy he got investors with this plan. It still screams of always being a misdirect.

And it’s not just about building on that island there is no way you could have gotten the number of people they were planning to in a timely fashion. Hell that was hard enough for them to do on the much larger island with an actual airport.

Edited February 12, 2019 by biakbiak

[Oldernowiser]

So I did some searching (we’re snowed in) and it looks like there are at least some homes and cottages on Normans Cay and at least one luxury home. I can’t tell for sure because internet is crap right now.

So there would have been some options. Enough for 6000 attendees plus 400 influencers plus staff? Not likely.

[RealReality10]

14 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

But again this wasn’t just Billy he got investors with this plan. It still screams of always being a misdirect.

And it’s not just about building on that island there is no way you could have gotten the number of people they were planning to in a timely fashion. Hell that was hard enough for them to do on the much larger island with an actual airport.

I feel like it's possible he sold pie in the sky lies to investors who probably had more money than sense.

All these details..... logistics, getting people to the island....details.....Billy was the big picture guy who just thought of Instagram models on a beach with 5 star chefs and maybe some music acts?

[merylinkid]

Billy wanted Escobar's Island.   The investors never looked too closely at the details.    Heavens look at all the money that is shoveled into venture start ups with no more plan than Billy had.    Angel investors want the next Amazon.   They aren't looking to closely at the business model.  Billy used the magic words "influencer" and "disrupt the way music acts are booked" and he had investors lined up out the door.

[Oldernowiser]

Okay, I think way too much about all this but hey, we’re Snowed In Day Six and I have too much free time...

About that Fyre app. I don’t get how that was supposed to work, money-wise. First, talent agents and management companies would fight it tooth and nail. Second, they do much more than just connect talent A with customer B...they negotiate riders, they arrange travel, they soothe big egos, they decide if a performance jibes with the talent’s career trajectory and brand. An app won’t do any of that.

Third, if you’ve got enough money to hire Drake for your birthday, an extra 15% one way or another is no big deal. Maybe colleges and other small market venues would now be in the market, but does that add up to the kind of Amazonesque payoff investors were dreaming about? 

Finally... I don’t see how it scales, delivery-wise. Okay, has-beens like JaRule clearly have lots of holes in their performance schedules, but anyone with any real fame isn’t suddenly going to fire their agent and start playing bar mitzvahs in Dearborn twice a week.

The festival as a launch for the app was bananas, even if it had worked. Thanks to that podcast with Marc Weinstein, I learned that most of these events don’t break even, let alone show huge returns. So the event to launch the app was another potentially huge expense against the app returns.

Billy is insane. But all of his investors can’t be, statistically.

I don’t get it.

Edited February 14, 2019 by Oldernowiser

[RealReality10]

@Oldernowiser -- so now you have me thinking too.  I think you're right.  I mean, maybe it was just a booking tool for smaller talent, like maybe magicians for work parties?  Or a lounge singer for your parents anniversary party?

Or I wonder if it wasn't more geared towards hiring "instastars" and "youtube" influencers for appearances?  I imagine a lot of those people may not have agents or may really want to retain that 15%

Because for big acts, wouldn't it dilute their brand and their mystique if you could just book them on some random app?  Also, we're they going to be able to pay their fees exclusively with that dumb card?  LOL

[Oldernowiser]

Yes, me again. I need a Fyre 12-step program, obviously...

In five minutes on my phone I had contact info for private performances from anyone from Pentatonix to Barbra Streisand. Assuming money is no object, this is EASY.

Billy’s entire business premise was total nonsense. None of these rich investors could spend five minutes googling before plunking down zillions of dollars?

Having money is so wasted on the rich.

[BuyMoreAndSave]

On 2/12/2019 at 1:06 PM, maggiegil said:

I'm a bit late to the party but I've finally just watched the documentary and the one thing I can't understand is why it being Pablo Escobar's island was a selling point? I find the idealization of someone who caused so much pain to so many people and killed so many people directly and indirectly, gross. Is it that hes associated with cocaine or opulence that has the attraction for people?

Simple, this festival was by douchebags, for douchebags.

In other news Ja Rule is still completely out of his goddamn mind: https://www.businessinsider.com/ja-rule-wants-new-event-like-fyre-fest-hasnt-seen-netflix-or-hulu-docs-2019-2

[RealReality10]

On 2/17/2019 at 12:48 PM, BuyMoreAndSave said:

Simple, this festival was by douchebags, for douchebags.

In other news Ja Rule is still completely out of his goddamn mind: https://www.businessinsider.com/ja-rule-wants-new-event-like-fyre-fest-hasnt-seen-netflix-or-hulu-docs-2019-2

I feel like the statement above is a pretty good summation.  That's what makes it all so deliciously funny.

Oh ja rule.......I would die laughing if this fool was able to scheme idiots out of more money.  It says a lot about the absolute stupidity of people that he is literally making the exact same app under a different name.  He is hilarious.  Why isn't 50 cent on this?

Edited February 19, 2019 by RealReality10

[BuyMoreAndSave]

16 minutes ago, RealReality10 said:

I feel like the statement above is a pretty good summation.  That's what makes it all so deliciously funny.

Oh ja rule.......I would die laughing if this fool was able to scheme idiots out of more money.  It says a lot about the absolute stupidity of people that he is literally making the exact same app under a different name.  He is hilarious.  Why isn't 50 cent on this?

Is that the one that's called, of all things, "ICONN"? That sort of thing makes me wonder if he hasn't decided to deliberately turn this into a long-con troll for some reason (probably publicity).