You know Billy McFarland, the supposed impresario who went to jail when his tropical Fyre Festival music bash went up in flames and stranded hundreds of people on a completely deserted Caribbean island?
Well, the ultimate grifter is out of jail, and after yet another failed attempt at scamming people with a reborn Fyre Festival in 2024, he's now conned someone into buying the fest's brand—by auctioning it off on eBay.
But this time, it's McFarland who's getting bilked. The winning bidder got the brand for a song in business terms: just $245,300 for what McFarland called an "iconic" brand that "still trends every time it’s mentioned," which is probably the one truthful thing the guy has ever said!
McFarland congratulated the winning bidder in a press release, but he's far from feeling celebratory.
In the release, 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."
The eBay listing for the auction described the sale as including Fyre Festival's "Iconic Brand, Trademarks, IP, Social Media Assets, and More."
The listing billed it as a huge money-maker.
"This is your opportunity to take control of a brand that still trends every time it’s mentioned."
McFarland claimed to have previously had a "seven-figure deal" for the brand that fell through, which resulted in the planned auction.
Suffice to say, when the winning bid came in, McFarland was shocked by the price.
In a live-stream of the auction, he reportedly said of the six-figure price:
“D*mn. This sucks, it’s so low."
People on social media weren't exactly feeling sympathetic towards McFarland.
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The low price isn't exactly surprising, given the debacle that ensued when McFarland tried to launch the festival in the 2010s. Promising luxury and a star-studded line-up of musicians, the festival was plagued by problem after problem right from the start.
As the launch date approached it became clear that McFarland had neither the money nor the resources for what he promised, and entertainers began dropping out in droves.
But McFarland infamously refused to cancel the festival, and attendees, some of whom had spent five figures on the experience, showed up to a mostly empty island with a few tents, inadequate bathroom facilities and, infamously, cheese sandwiches shoved in a styrofoam box.
In 2017 McFarland was convicted of wire fraud in connection to the festival and served four years in prison. After his release, he attempted to relaunch Fyre Festival 2 in 2024, which he claimed immediately sold millions of dollars in tickets.
It fell apart, however, when officials in both of the locations McFarland claimed to have secured for the fest, Isla Mujeres and Playa del Carmen, Mexico, denied any involvement with or knowledge of the festival.
McFarland now says the auction is part of his new venture, "a tech platform designed to capture and power the value behind every view online." It will be interesting to see how that project grifts—er, goes, rather.
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