
Fyre Festival organizers blew all their money early on models, planes and yachts - uladzislau
https://news.vice.com/story/fyre-fest-organizers-blew-all-their-money-months-early-on-models-planes-and-yachts
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RichardHeart
I see good news. "Only one model — “Gone Girl” actress Emily Ratajkowski —
labeled her promotion as an ad, as required by the Federal Trade Commission.
The other models’ omissions are now the subject of a class-action lawsuit."

If you put your face on things that defraud people, you should pay a social
penalty, and in this case it would seem, for some, a financial one.

~~~
endominus
It seems odd to sue the models when this kind of lawbreaking is so common -
I'm reminded of Microsoft's influencer campaign that raised a stink among the
YouTube audience a while back. While I absolutely believe that these models
did wrong by not discussing the nature of the promotion, I'm left wondering if
the only reason they are being litigated against is that they deceived the
wealthy.

Another data point for the argument that the law is applied differently to
protect different interests, I guess.

Unrelated, I'm glad Ratajkowski did the right thing here; always nice to see
people you've heard of following a moral (or at least legal) path despite
their peers.

~~~
drzaiusapelord
It seems odd to excuse those low on the totem pole in what was essentially a
scam.

There's this odd part of American culture that considers marketers and other
'influencers' immune from criticisms. I don't agree with it and stinks of the
long debunked "just following orders" excuse. This allows lower-tiered
scammers to play up a "but I just work here, go after my rich boss not me,"
narrative which co-opts class warfare rhetoric to make themselves immune from
any criticism or consequences.

>I'm left wondering if the only reason they are being litigated against is
that they deceived the wealthy.

Legal fees are expensive. I don't have $250,000 laying around for legal fees
but the wealthy do. The same way Hulk Hogan's wealth and connections weren't
enough to take on Gawker, so Thiel stepped in. In both cases the wealthy took
on the moral position. Its odd that you're suggesting that because the wealthy
are involved and not 'regular joes' that they must be taking an immoral
position.

~~~
endominus
Please do reread my comment. I never said the position of those undertaking
the suit are immoral; on the contrary, I specifically stated that the models
involved were culpable. I'm merely stating that were the victims not wealthy,
this violation of the law would likely never have been punished. I'm pointing
out a systemic issue in the legal system, in giving greater access to the
capitalist aristocracy.

~~~
tomkarlo
I don't think it's so much the wealth of the victims as the size of the
transaction (ticket price) as well as the total spend. It makes a class action
lawsuit (where the lawyers will get a % of the value recovered) attractive,
whereas if it was a smaller purchase, with the same number of affected
customers, that might not be compelling to lawyers.

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CaptainZapp

      Serious logistical planning for the festival didn’t even begin until late February or early March 
    

This is just so beyond the pale.

i did logistics for a collective of artists and this is about the amount of
time you need to get a couple containers from Zurich to Torino.

Ironically, customs is not really the big issue, provided that you get the
paperwork right, the t's crossed and the i's dotted. This blasé attitude about
"don't worry about customs" would have made me run far and wide from any such
project.

Amateurs!

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sschueller
After all this I can't believe they are actually trying to convince people to
take VIP tickets for next year instead of a refund.

~~~
SkyMarshal
They probably have no money left to refund.

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wodenokoto
I'm surprised people even arrived at the island.

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brudgers
Reading the headline made me think of George Best.

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joezydeco
Yet, right in the middle of this Vice article when I loaded it, is a video ad
for an overpriced vodka with beautiful model staring back at you and making
eyes with the camera.

(The point is: don't act all high and mighty about companies using models to
sucker you into buying stuff when you're doing it yourself. I reloaded the
page and now it's a semi-famous DJ talking. Strike two.)

~~~
fivestar
But next year's is going to be awesome and hey, the tix are 2 for 1 if you
just be-leeve! The essence of a good scam is that at first, you have the dream
and they have the money and at the end, you have the money and they have the
dream.

~~~
joezydeco
That pretty much describes 2016-2017 in America in general, doesn't it?

~~~
086421357909764
Sums up the world really, most every country has a version of this. Status and
notoriety has always been used to sell, it's horrible, but it's hardly a
uniquely American thing.

~~~
joezydeco
Was referring to our current president.

