DJs fight for unpaid festival fees


Published Date: 14 November 2008
By David Walsh

THIRTY DJs, artists and crew are still waiting to be paid more than three months after the Music in the Sun festival in Sheffield.
DJ Jamie Ferguson, aged 25, contacted Action Desk after a cheque for half his fee bounced and he was unable to contact organisers NonStop Events, despite numerous calls and emails.

Jamie, who is a resident at Club Vibe in Sheffield, said he knew of three other DJs - Jamie Duggen, EJ and Apostle - who were also waiting for cash. He said: "It's not so much the money but the principle. If they don't pay us for this year they're going to struggle to get people to work for them next."

Music in the Sun is billed as one of the most important multi-cultural events in the North.

ACTION

DEE Warburton, MD of NonStop Events, said the festival was hit by a rumour it would be the scene of gang warfare.

Sheffield teenager Tarek Chaiboub was gunned down and killed outside a barber's shop on Spital Hill only two weeks before and rumours circulated gangs would settle scores at Music in the Sun - and hundreds stayed away, he claimed.

Dee, who confirmed there were 30 outstanding creditors, said: "We made a loss and since then we've been trying to raise funds to pay people.
I'm sorry, we appreciate the support we've had. There's a pretty good chance of people being paid soon."

:o:o:o:o:o!!! That is disgusting!!!

Yep, kicking off about a non-profit organisation being unable to pay you because they've lost money on a charity event is indeed disgusting! ;)

Aren't Non Stop Events a proper business? If they agreed to pay they should, regardless of the nature of the event being run.

Ade

Yep, kicking off about a non-profit organisation being unable to pay you because they've lost money on a charity event is indeed disgusting! ;)

Doesnt say anything about it being a charity event on there site???:huh

www.musicinthesun.co.uk

Alright maybe I'm mistaken and it's not 'for charity' per se, but for christs sake it's a community event for the people of Sheffield that's lost lots of money - I would personally ditch my fee but if you're that fussed take it up with a solicitor, don't go crying to the press. And here's me thinking DJing was about the music :rolleyes:

CHRIS BIO After visiting music in the suns website it has no mention of this event having any involvement with charity surly a company having involvement with charity would have something on there???!!


These Dj’s not getting paid is exactly the same as you hiring a plumber and not paying him for his work you are paying someone for a service no matter what the service is. This is there living !!

( I was in the tent when Jamie Ferguson was playing and he smashed it!!)

Lot's of bands don't get paid a penny for performing these kinda events and just do it for the love of playing, but if a fee was agreed beforehand then they should honour it.

It sounds to me like they physically can't pay at the moment.

While if a fee was agreed then it should be paid, the organisers are probably pretty stressed as it is - they will have had to pay a lot up front to put it on and if they made a loss can't produce the money to pay the rest out of thin air.

if they made a loss can't produce the money to pay the rest out of thin air.

isnt that were bankruptcy comes in then? I don't know enough about them really....like if they are a limited company etc... just sounds like it was a poor business decision which they may well pay more than money for in the long run.

I know one of the people involved with running Music In The Sun so I'll point the thread his way, perhaps he'll be able to shed some light on it...



Alright maybe I'm mistaken and it's not 'for charity' per se, but for christs sake it's a community event for the people of Sheffield that's lost lots of money - I would personally ditch my fee but if you're that fussed take it up with a solicitor, don't go crying to the press. And here's me thinking DJing was about the music :rolleyes:

That's probably all well and good when it's local musicians and DJ's, the majority of which I think would take your stance. I suspect artists from other cities; who have booking agents acting on their behalf; may take a slightly different stance...

I'm one of the unpaid people. I do actually have a formal written contract which does make a number of demands and stipulations on me (eg agreement to be filmed/recorded, and to participate in promotional activities), as well as promising a specific fee. It doesn't seem entirely unreasonable to hope/expect that contract to be honoured if that's the basis on which you signed up in the first place. Legally I suppose I could go to the small claims court and try to extract what I can, but I'm not sure how much there is from which something might be extracted and I can't really be bothered. Maybe if I did fuss about things like that I'd be a richer man than I am.
I do think it's a bit naughty of the organisers though. If it was organised as a community event and run on goodwill that should have been the deal to start with. Actually I'd probably still have played becasue I do it because of my enthusiasm for music, but in that case a bit of up front honesty would go down rather better.
You wouldn't go and pay for your groceries with a check, get home, decide you were a bit broke and stop the check, then argue it was a community shop and you were hungry, so the guys would have probably given you the food anyway, now would you?

PS I did get a cheque, paid it in, got a message from the bank to say it had been stopped. I got a forwarded e-mail apologising for cash flow problems and promising payment by the end of September. That's the last I've heard.

[QUOTE=kingsweeney;

( I was in the tent when Jamie Ferguson was playing and he smashed it!!)[/QUOTE]

OMG yeah he deff did i was in there aswell lol:banana::smile:

Alright maybe I'm mistaken and it's not 'for charity' per se, but for christs sake it's a community event for the people of Sheffield that's lost lots of money - I would personally ditch my fee but if you're that fussed take it up with a solicitor, don't go crying to the press. And here's me thinking DJing was about the music :rolleyes:Sorry Chris I disagree with you. If contracts were signed then they should be honoured regardless if its a charity event or not. As Jamie says its the principle not the money

So does anyone know the lineup for next year?