FYF Canceled: Poor Ticket Sales Doom Festival After Sexual Misconduct Claims Against Founder

[dropcap size=big]F[/dropcap]or the first time in 14 years since its creation, FYF has been canceled. Poor ticket sales doomed the festival, organizers said.

“After much consideration, we have made the difficult decision to cancel FYF Fest 2018,” the Los Angeles festival announced on Twitter Sunday. The festival had been scheduled for July 21 and 22 at Exposition Park in South Los Angeles, with headliners Janet Jackson and Florence + the Machine.

Billboard was first to report that low ticket sales were blamed. “Rumors of FYF's problems started last week as booking agents began to quietly call up talent buyers and inquire about possible replacement dates as word of FYF's poor ticket sales began to trickle out,” Billboard reported.

But the cancellation of what had become a significant SoCal competitor to the crowded music festival space was also partly explained by the controversies surrounding its founder, Sean Carlson.

FYF founder Sean Carlson, who started the festival in Echo Park as an alternative music fan when he was 18 years old, had been embroiled in a sexual misconduct scandal since graphic allegations against him began surfacing late last year. The promoter was forced to sell his stakes in FYF to AEG, which owns festival operators Goldenvoice.

The festival is known for its mix of hip-hop, pop, EDM, rock, and independent musical genres. From the L.A. Times: “For FYF, the representation of women seemed particularly important as it followed Goldenvoice's split last year with the show's founder, Sean Carlson, after he was accused by several women of sexual abuse and assault. The company replaced him at FYF's helm with Jennifer Yacoubian, a Goldenvoice veteran who'd previously booked shows at the El Rey Theatre and the Shrine Auditorium.”

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