Australian magician Matt Tarrant is one of several artists owed a collective AU$200,000 after event organizer, JumpClimb, folded unexpectedly. Tarrant is owed $30,000 for at least four months of work including weeks of shows at the 2018 Fringe World festival. He is, entirely understandably, not pleased. 

While Fringe World owns and operates its titular festival, it employs third party event companies like JumpClimb to provide nearly half its acts. Fringe World uses ticket revenue to pay these companies, who in turn are supposed to pay their artists. Fringe World claims it has paid “all owed ticket income” to JumpClimb for the 2018 festival. A company press release continues: 

It would seem that JumpClimb did not then use this money to pay the money owed to the artists who created the work. Event management companies have a (legal) responsibility to pay their creditors, in particular the artists they present. Fringe World is deeply troubled that JumpClimb has failed … (this responsibility) and that this will negatively impact on artists. In light of this incident and the impact on Fringe artists, Fringe World is meeting with key stakeholders including relevant government stakeholders about how relevant policies and procedures and contracted relationships with independent producers presenting at Fringe can be improved moving forward with an aim to better protect artists at all costs.

JumpClimb directors Aaron Rutter and Paul Fletcher have claimed they will be “reaching out and communicating to all artists and suppliers affected by our situation in the coming days with the intent of finding solutions.”

Hopefully they do find a solution – 200,000 of them to be exact.