Billy McFarland sells controversial Fyre Festival brand for shocking amount
Billy McFarland sold the rights to his infamous Fyre Festival brand on Tuesday, but he wasn't happy about the amount it went for.
After the week-long sale involving 175 bids, the undisclosed buyer paid $245,300 for the Fyre Festival IP, brand trademarks and social media assets.
8 Billy McFarland leaves federal court in New York in March 2018.
AP
'Damn. This sucks, it's so low,' McFarland, 33, said about the final bid while livestreaming the auction, according to NBC News.
In a statement on his Instagram, McFarland wrote: 'I would like to congratulate the winning bidder in the FYRE Festival IP auction on eBay. I look forward to working with them to begin the process to finalize the sale.'
8 Billy McFarland in an Instagram video.
pyrtbilly/Instagram
'FYE Festival is just one chapter of my story,' the convicted fraudster stated, 'and I'm just excited to move onto my next one.'
McFarland claimed that the auction 'became the most-watched non-charity listing on eBay during its run, proving once again that attention is currency, and views are the root of attention.'
8 Billy McFarland's statement about the Fyre Festival sale.
pyrtbilly/Instagram
'That belief is at the core of what I'm building next: a tech platform designed to capture and power the value behind every view online,' McFarland added, teasing that his next project is 'coming soon.'
The original Fyre Festival, co-organized by McFarland and Ja Rule, ended disastrously back in 2017.
8 Views of the Fyre Festival in the Bahamas in 2017.
Lee/Prahl/ Splash News
8 Billy McFarland went to jail for is involvement in the Fyre Festival scam.
ZUMAPRESS.com
Attendees who paid thousands of dollars for tickets arrived in the Bahamas expecting a luxe celebrity experience only to be stranded with no musical acts, no electricity, no running water and a limited supply of cheese sandwiches and FEMA huts to nourish and shelter them.
8 Tents and a portable toilet set at the Fyre Festival.
AP
In 2018, McFarland pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud after the federal government determined he had defrauded investors out of more than $26 million. He was ordered to pay the full amount in restitution and sentenced to six years in prison, but was released in 2022 after serving just four years.
The Fyre Festival controversy has been explored in several documentaries, including Netflix's 'FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened' and Hulu's 'Fyre Fraud.'
8 Billy McFarland leaving Manhattan Federal Court on July 1, 2017.
TNS
McFarland announced last year that Fyre Festival 2 was in the works. He claimed it would take place on 'a private island off the coast of Mexico in the Caribbean' and promised that 'an incredible production company' was handling the event.
The festival was later slated for May 2025 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, until a dispute with the location occurred.
8 Billy McFarland in an Instagram video.
pyrtbilly/YouTube
After Fyre Festival 2 was postponed indefinitely, McFarland revealed he was selling the brand.
'We have decided the best way to accomplish our goals is to sell the FYRE Festival brand, including its trademarks, IP, digital assets, media reach, and cultural capital – to an operator that can fully realize its vision,' McFarland said in April.
The entrepreneur stated that Fyre Festival 'deserves a team with the scale, experience, and infrastructure to realize its potential.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
"We Don't Care": Ashley Judd Shared An Insightful Message To Women That's Changing People's Perspectives
Actor and activist Ashley Judd shared a powerful message about being a woman of a certain age and why she supports the "I don't care" mindset. Related: Ashley, who starred in some of my favorite movies from the '90s thrillers like Heat (1995), A Time to Kill (1996), and Double Jeopardy (1999), posted a playfully encouraging video in the Baltic Sea about how she's kicking people's opinions to the wayside. "When I'm in my swimsuit, sometimes I get a little chafing, right down there, so I put on constatrch," she said in a July 22 Instagram post. "And then there's like a white thing there, and if you see it, I don't care." Ashley cited the "We Don't Care" club, a trend that includes hundreds of thousands of women around the world in perimenopause and menopause sharing what they no longer care about, which was founded by influencer Melani Sanders. The She Said actor explained how her inner child is also part of the "Make Stuff Up" club. Related: "And I have a jellyfish, it's the non-stinging kind, and I think the central nervous system is that part, and that may not be right, and I don't care," she added, picking up an actual jellyfish. "Because there's another club that my inner child belongs to and it's called the MSU club." "I'm also picking my crotch, and I don't care. The MSU club is the 'Make Stuff Up' club. And that's for inner children. As a post menopausal woman, I don't care if you don't like the MSU club for inner children," she continued. Related: Ashley did playful "tricks" in the water and expressed the importance of embracing our child-like behavior and wonder. "Because when we were little, it was really fun, and we don't care what people think of us." In the caption alongside the video, Ashley urged people to join her in this empowering movement. "If you let yourself be free, how would your True Self & Inner Child spend your Carefree Timelessness?" she wrote. "How can you let go of what others expect, think, need, want? What do YOU feel, need, want, from yourself?" In a world inundated with negativity, violence, and judgment, Ashley provided a necessary reminder that we can "let go of caring about stupid, controlling norms" and to "bask in the the unselfconscious being-ness" of our true selves. Responding to Ashley's message, one fan wrote, "Women are healing ourselves—in all the ways we feel intuitively called. And we don't give AF what the world thinks about it. Keep on keepin' sister Ashley." Related: "I❤️you Ashley! You are the best! Absolutely! So over worrying about all the gazes-the male gaze, the female gaze, the mother's/grandma's/judgemental auntie/HOA Karen/Chad, the total stranger gaze. The only gaze that matters is OURS!" another wrote. Someone else wrote, "Ohhh Ashley , I dream of having friends like you ! Society is so critical and judgemental , particularly toward aging and appearance. You are a joy to behold ❤️🥰👏 Please continue to share posts like this .Love you lots ❤️💯🥂." To learn more about the "We Don't Care" club, check out this insightful piece on Melani Sanders and the women of the trend. Now let's answer Ashley's question: "If you let yourself be free, how would your True Self & Inner Child spend your Carefree Timelessness?" Share your responses in the comments. Also in Celebrity: Also in Celebrity: Also in Celebrity: Solve the daily Crossword
San Francisco Chronicle
15 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Company involved in Coldplay KissCam drama hires Gwyneth Paltrow as spokesperson
BOSTON (AP) — Astronomer — the company whose CEO resigned after being caught on a KissCam at a Coldplay rock concert embracing a woman who was not his wife — is trying to move on from the drama with someone who knows the band pretty well. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who was married to Coldplay's frontman Chris Martin for 13 years, announced Friday on X that she has been hired by Astronomer as a spokesperson. Astronomer, a tech company based in New York, found itself in an uncomfortable spotlight when two of its executives were caught on camera in an intimate embrace at a Coldplay concert — a moment that was then flashed on a giant screen in the stadium. CEO Andy Byron and human resource executive Kristin Cabot were caught by surprise when Martin asked the cameras to scan the crowd during a concert earlier this month. 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy,' Martin joked when the couple appeared on screen and quickly tried to hide their faces. In a short video, the 'Shakespeare in Love' and 'Ironman' star said she had been hired as a 'very temporary' spokesperson for Astronomer. 'Astronomer has gotten a lot of questions over the last few days and they wanted me to answer the most common ones,' Paltrow said, smiling and deftly avoiding mention of the KissCam fuss. 'We've been thrilled that so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation,' she said. 'We will now be returning to what we do best — delivering game-changing results for our customers.' When footage from the KissCam first spread online, it wasn't immediately clear who the couple were. Soon after the company identified the pair, and Byron resigned followed by Cabot. The video clip resulted in a steady stream of memes, parody videos and screenshots of the pair's shocked faces filling social media feeds. Online streams of Coldplay's songs jumped 20% in the days after the video went viral, according to Luminate, an industry data and analytics company.
New York Post
15 minutes ago
- New York Post
Oasis pays emotional tribute to Ozzy Osbourne at first show since rock legend's passing
Liam and Noel Gallagher are the latest musicians to honor Ozzy Osbourne following his shocking death on Tuesday at 76. The rock star brothers paid an emotional tribute to the Prince of Darkness on Friday, July 25, during the first of seven Oasis shows at London's Wembley Stadium. 'I want to dedicate this next one to Ozzy Osbourne,' Liam, 52, said as the band finished their tune 'Live Forever' and jumped into their hit 1994 song 'Rock 'N' Roll Star,' according to a video from the concert. 9 Liam and Noel Gallagher clasping hands during an Oasis concert in London on Friday, July 25. Instagram/@oasis 9 Oasis put a giant picture of Ozzy Osbourne on the screen on Friday night while dedicating their song 'Rock 'N' Roll Star' to the late legend. Instagram/@oasis Meanwhile, a giant photo of Osbourne enveloped the screen behind Liam, Noel and their bandmates as they rocked out in the Black Sabbath legend's honor. Osbourne's wife, Sharon Osbourne, and four of his six children announced the heavy metal icon's passing in a statement to The Post on Tuesday, July 22. He died following a long battle with Parkinson's disease and other health issues. 9 Oasis performing at London's Wembley Stadium on Friday, July 25. Instagram/@ollywoodksa 'It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,' they began. 'He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time,' his family added. 'Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.' The surprising news of the 'Crazy Train' singer's death came less than three weeks after his final show with Black Sabbath in the band's hometown of Birmingham, England. 9 Osbourne's family announced the heavy metal icon's passing on Tuesday, July 22. Redferns via Getty Images Black Sabbath, which booted Osbourne from the group in 1979 for alcohol and drug abuse, later paid a short tribute to their former bandmate. 'Ozzy Forever,' the British rockers wrote on Instagram, along with a photo of Osbourne at their farewell final concert on July 5 in Villa Park. Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi offered another tribute on behalf of the band in a separate post. 9 Black Sabbath later paid tribute to their former bandmate on Instagram. Cameron Glendenning 'I just can't believe it!' Iommi, 77, wrote on X. 'My dear dear friend Ozzy has passed away only weeks after our show at Villa Park.' 'It's just such heartbreaking news that I can't really find the words,' he continued. 'There won't ever be another like him. Geezer, Bill and myself have lost our brother.' Besides Iommi, Black Sabbath is made up of bassist Geezer Butler, 76, and drummer Bill Ward, 77. 9 Ozzy Osbourne during his farewell concert with Black Sabbath on July 5. Ozzy Osbourne/Instagram 'My thoughts go out to Sharon and all the Osbourne family,' Iommi added. 'Rest in peace, Oz. Tony.' Scores of other bands and musicians also rushed to social media to remember the late 'Blizzard of Ozz' artist after his death. 'So sad to hear the news of Ozzy Osbourne passing away,' Elton John, 78, wrote on Instagram. 'He was a dear friend and a huge trailblazer who secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods – a true legend.' 9 Ozzy Osbourne with his Black Sabbath bandmates. WireImage 'No words,' Green Day frontman Billie Joel Armstrong, 53, added. 'We love you Ozzy.' Rolling Stones star Ronnie Wood also paid tribute on Instagram, writing: 'I am so very sad to hear of the death of Ozzy Osbourne. What a lovely goodbye concert he had at Back To The Beginning in Birmingham.' As for Liam and Noel Gallagher, their tribute to Osbourne on Friday night in London came weeks after the once-feuding brothers reunited onstage for the first time in 16 years earlier this month. 9 Liam and Noel Gallagher reunited onstage for the first time in 16 years earlier this month. Instagram/@oasis 9 Liam and Noel Gallagher walking out together hand-in-hand during the current Oasis Live '25 Tour. Instagram/@oasis After announcing an Oasis Live '25 Tour last summer, the 'Wonderwall' songwriters kicked it off in Cardiff, Wales, on July 4. It was the first time they performed together since splitting up after a backstage fight during the Rock en Seine festival in August 2009, and so far the Oasis shows have gone on without a hitch. Following several upcoming dates in Britain and Ireland, the Oasis Live '25 Tour will begin another leg in North America on Aug. 24.
