On vous parle de la situation de Tomorrowland et TomorrowWorld depuis plusieurs mois. La compagnie derrière les festivals, SFX Entertainment ne va vraiment pas bien. Si mal qu’elle a officiellement déclaré faillite aujourd’hui le 1er février.
SFX s’est mis sous la loi de la protection de la faillite (Chapter 11) aux États-Unis ce matin. La compagnie a plus de 300 millions de dollars de dettes.
Cette faillite permettra à SFX d’effacer toutes ses dettes, de commencer une restructuration de 115M$, de changer de CEO ainsi que de remettre la compagnie privée.
Les festivals de Tomorrowland à Boom, en Belgique, ainsi que celui à Sao Paulo au Brésil se tiendront comme prévu. Ils ne devraient pas être trop affectés par cette faillite.
Par contre, le futur de TomorrowWorld est plus qu’incertain. Les dirigeants de l’événement ont confirmé que TomorrowWorld était loin d’être sûr de revenir en 2016. On sait que l’édition du festival américain avait été un désastre.
Notez que Tomorrowland est bien vivant. Le festival vient même de battre un record de tous les temps pour son édition 2016.
Le communiqué complet de Tomorrowland et TomorrowWorld est ci-dessous.
“Both the festival in Boom (Belgium) and the one in Itu (Sao Paulo, Brazil) will go ahead without any disruption due to the current situation. In light of the present situation, no concrete plans have yet been made for TomorrowWorld 2016.
We are currently exploring all possibilities. Tomorrowland has always worked from a long-term philosophy and in this context, all options are being considered to ensure that, like in Belgium and Brazil, the festival will have a bright future in the United States as well.
In the past few months, it had been clear that SFX, our partner for TomorrowWorld and Tomorrowland Brasil, is experiencing financial difficulties. Last night we received the news that SFX Entertainment, the publicly listed American company founded by Robert F.X. Sillerman, has applied for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from creditors. In the coming weeks, SFX will be undergoing a financial and operational reorganization. SFX Entertainment is a stakeholder in numerous events and projects including Awakenings, Sensation, Nature One, Electric Zoo and Rock in Rio.
Since 2013 we have collaborated with SFX for the foreign editions of Tomorrowland held in the USA and Brazil. However, we have noticed that our vision and goals, including a long-term strategy, are different from those of the publicly listed company.
In 2013 the Dutch company ID&T, which then owned 50% of the shares in Tomorrowland, sold its business to the American SFX. Manu & Michiel Beers then decided to buy back the 50% stake that the Dutch ID&T held in Tomorrowland in Belgium, with the result that for the past two years, the Tomorrowland festival has been 100% Belgian, but this has entailed an obligation to collaborate SFX for the foreign editions.
The Belgian festival Tomorrowland remains the passion and life’s work of the driving forces behind its creation, Manu & Michiel Beers and their young, motivated staff in Antwerp and they intend to continue to bring the same level of ambition to the festivals in Belgium and abroad in the coming years.
The Chapter 11 procedure will have no consequences for Tomorrowland in Boom. The festival in Belgium is created, organized and managed for 100 % by the Belgian team. Tomorrowland Brazil will also take place as planned two months from now in Itu (Sao Paulo). Tomorrowland Brazil is being organized in close consultation with the Belgian team by a motivated Brazilian team that is able to work independently of SFX in North America for all aspects of the event.”
*
Aucune nouvelle du nouveau Tomorrowland qui devait avoir lieu en Espagne l’été prochain.
Toute la saga de Tomorrowland et TomorrowWorld est ICI.
[Via Wall Street Journal]