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Fyre Festival employees told "There will be no payroll." Ja Rule annoyed by humming.

S

Shaanyboi

Banned
https://news.vice.com/story/audio-fyre-festival-founders-reveal-to-employees-nobodys-getting-paid

On Friday, Billy McFarland, the 25-year-old founder of the disastrous Fyre Festival, told his shell-shocked employees that their paychecks covering the past two weeks would not be coming. Nor would he be firing them, a prerequisite for unemployment benefits in most states. Instead, McFarland offered to allow his dozen-or-so employees to stay on in unpaid roles, where they could work to grow the business to a place where they might get paid again.

The meeting, audio of which was obtained by VICE News, wrapped up weeks of uncertainty for the employees of Fyre Media, the company behind Fyre Festival, whose primary job had been building a celebrity and talent booking app the festival was intended to promote. Rapper and Fyre Media co-founder Ja Rule was on the grim conference call, but his role was that of a listener.

“I’m on the phone but I can barely hear you all because of this fucking hum,” Ja Rule said.

McFarland kicked off the meeting by cutting to the chase: nobody would be getting paid, but they were free to keep working regardless. “After conferring with our counsel and all financial people, unfortunately we are not able to proceed with payroll,” McFarland said. “We’re not firing anyone, we’re just letting you know that there will be no payroll in the short term.”
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McFarland responded to accusations that he had misled his employees into believing Comcast had invested money when it had not. Bloomberg reported that Comcast had a term sheet in March to invest $10.5 million in Fyre Media, valuing the company at about $100 million.

“We have not closed a Series A round, and that’s as much as I can say,” McFarland said on the call, prompting several employees to interject that he had initially claimed otherwise.
Click to expand...

Instead, most of the remaining Fyre Media employees quit en masse over the weekend and on Monday. Soon after, their access to their company email was shut off.
Click to expand...

C-i_xs_UIAAY6ic.jpg:large



Don't worry, Billy...

dcff4ccb0d342cc8e5b5cda2cfa06696.gif
 
ElRenoRaven

ElRenoRaven

Member
Well lawsuits and fines shall be coming with the audio recording of that call as what they're doing is illegal as hell on so many levels. You can't refuse to pay your employees for time worked and you have to figure refusing to fire them so they can't collect benefits isn't gonna be looked on too kindly either.
 
T

Triteon

Member
That's garbage.

Not only do their job histories get tarnished by this, they also don't get paid.

I wonder if they have legal recourse for arbitration or just to straight out sue.
 
S

see5harp

Member
It's madness that they even thought something of that magnitude without a shitton of corporate money was possible. I don't care how many $10k tickets you sell. There are new music festivals and concerts every year that people plan and most fail. There was a 4 year run here and once it got to be a certain size and the acts started getting bigger, and more food/wine vendors start coming, that's when shit got bad. The last 2 years the guy ended up owing tons of people money and last year the festival was no more.
 
M

Mammoth Jones

Member
Um how the fuck do you hire people then not pay them then insult them by action g like working for you for free is some honor talking about they welcome to stay on in unpaid roles??

I would legit be concerned for my safety if I fucked so many people over like that...
 
S

sarcastor

Member
So that means a 4th class action lawsuit?

Two from ticket goers. One from staff in the Bermudas. Now this ?

Is he that stupid?
 
K

Kayhan

Member
Instead, McFarland offered to allow his dozen-or-so employees to stay on in unpaid roles, where they could work to grow the business to a place where they might get paid again.
Click to expand...

LMAO

how does this guy not get punched in the face?

"Paid again" They didn't even get paid the first time!
 
MsKrisp

MsKrisp

Member
Man who would've thought a rich entitled "millenial" would run a company so poorly

Reminds me of when Tom and Jean Ralphio tried to start their company, except not endearing and lovable
tumblr_llvc8ariir1qktakco1_500.png
 
S

Str0ngStyle

Member
MsKrisp said:
Man who would've thought a rich entitled "millenial" would run a company so poorly

Reminds me of when Tom and Jean Ralphio tried to start their company, except not endearing and lovable
tumblr_llvc8ariir1qktakco1_500.png
Click to expand...

Cmon man, Entertainment 7twenty took care of their employees. They weren't jerks or assholes, they were just idiots.
 
T

Tagyhag

Member
I don't see how you can work at a company that's driven by a 25 year old and Ja Rule and not see any red flags coming up.
 
S

Slayven

Member
From what i learn of the head guy he always been a frat guy playing with daddy's money. Not shocking how shitty this turned out.
 
K

Kurita

Member
MsKrisp said:
Man who would've thought a rich entitled "millenial" would run a company so poorly

Reminds me of when Tom and Jean Ralphio tried to start their company, except not endearing and lovable
tumblr_llvc8ariir1qktakco1_500.png
Click to expand...
Funny thing is that they OVERpaid their employees lol
 
G

gdt

Member
I love the idea of Ja Rule 2017 being on a conference call yelling "I can't hear shit cause of this hum!"
 
I

Incandenza

Banned
The head of this company is "unaware" that people do not get unemployment if you don't lay them off. If he's lying, he should be sued. If he's not lying, he should be sued.
 
T

taco543

Member
I swear to God this story just gets better, I genuinely feel bad for the people burned by these two cock rings Jeffrey and Billy, but at the same instance this train wreck just keeps growing and I'm hoping it ends with the two of them finally being put in their place.
 
A

Altazor

Member
Instead, McFarland offered to allow his dozen-or-so employees to stay on in unpaid roles, where they could work to grow the business to a place where they might get paid again.
Click to expand...

LOL, you little shit.
 
V

Valkerionseven

Member
Ok, I'll ask. Who the heck would have gotten hyped much less paid a crap ton of money to go to an event hosted by Ja Rule in the first place. Like... is it 1999 still?
 
T

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Man...
If someone did this to me then I'd throw a bag over their head and break all of their limbs with a baseball bat.
One time a guy stiffed me for one day's work and I stranded him in the desert.
 
B

Briarios

Member
I'm pretty sure if you stop paying someone and providing them benefits, they've been laid off regardless of what you want to call it. I'd still file my unemployment claim and let them come fight it.
 
M

mre

Golden Domers are chickenshit!!
Shaanyboi said:
https://news.vice.com/story/audio-fyre-festival-founders-reveal-to-employees-nobodys-getting-paid
On Friday, Billy McFarland, the 25-year-old founder of the disastrous Fyre Festival, told his shell-shocked employees that their paychecks covering the past two weeks would not be coming. Nor would he be firing them, a prerequisite for unemployment benefits in most states
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
I think in most states this would be considered a constructive dismissal, which would entitle them to unemployment benefits.
 
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