EXCLUSIVE: The Fyre Pageant, the notorious music occasion based by Billy McFarland and Ja Rule that was explored in two separate documentaries, is getting a brand new life as a music streaming service.
Deadline understands that Shawn Rech, who co-founded the TruBlue streaming service with former To Catch A Predator host Chris Hansen, has acquired among the IP of the occasion together with two emblems that can enable him to launch the service.
The deal comes shortly after it emerged that the second iteration of the competition, which was set to happen in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, was postponed indefinitely.
“Music networks are all simply programming now and I’ve no real interest in watching individuals slip on bananas. It has nothing to do with music. I wanted an enormous title that folks would bear in mind, even when it’s connected to infamy, in order that’s why I purchased these [trademarks] to start out the streaming community,” he advised Deadline.
“This isn’t about festivals or hype—it’s about placing the facility of music discovery again within the palms of the followers,” Rech added. “We’re constructing one thing genuine and lasting.”
Rech has not acquired the competition itself, which continues to be owned by McFarland, who’s trying to find a brand new location for his second occasion. McFarland is predicted to have a presence on the community.
Fyre Music Streaming
Shawn Rech
The platform will likely be a person submitted and fan curated service. This can embody a subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) platform, that can probably value round $3.99 a month, in addition to FAST networks. It’s going to begin with one FAST feed that includes pop music and hip hop, however in success the hope is to maneuver into different genres reminiscent of heavy metallic and spoken phrase. Anybody who’s subscribed to the SVOD service can vote for artists to be featured on the FAST channel.
It’s going to launch on Thanksgiving, which Rech mentioned is when his different digital platforms have launched. “I’m superstitious,” he added.
Rech, who runs Transition Studios, beforehand launched TruBlue with Hansen, which runs sequence reminiscent of Takedown with Chris Hansen and Crime Stoppers. He’s additionally behind American Gospel TV.
The primary iteration of Fyre Pageant happened in 2017 on the island of Nice Exuma within the Bahamas. Promoted by influencers together with Bella Hadid and Hailey Baldwin, the occasion noticed an important many issues involving lodging, safety and medical companies, in addition to meals, as evidenced by a well-known cheese sandwich.
On account of the competition, which was set to characteristic artists together with Blink 182 and Diplo’s Main Lazer, McFarland pleaded responsible to 1 depend of wire fraud to defraud buyers and ticket holders, and a second depend to defraud a ticket vendor and was sentenced to 6 years in prisons. He was launched in March 2022 after serving lower than 4 years.
The occasion impressed two documentaries that have been launched days aside in 2019 together with Hulu’s Fyre Pageant, directed by Julia Willoughby Nason and Jenner Furst that was launched on January 14 2019, and Netflix’s Fyre: The Biggest Occasion That By no means Occurred, which was directed by Chris Smith and got here out 4 days later. Ample Leisure and Fremantle have been additionally engaged on a sequence about McFarland in 2022.
