The union representing artists and performers has hit back at claims their ‘call for a ‘boycott’ caused the collapse of the Doune the Rabbit Hole festival.
The festival’s organisers announced via a statement on Wednesday evening that the 2023 event – set to take place next month – would no longer be going ahead and placed the blame firmly at the feet of the Bectu union.
They claimed Bectu had led calls for people not to attend the festival this year amid continued concerns over unpaid fees owing from last year’s troubled event.
The organisers said they were “beyond devastated”, adding that the festival would be scrapped for the “foreseeable future”.
In their statement, the DTRH organisers also hit out at what they claimed was a “campaign of misinformation” surrounding the event and encouraged those looking for refunds to go through their banks.
It read: “The team has tried everything in our power to recover from the challenges of 2022 and to produce the event our audience deserves, while making good on our promises to pay creditors from the 2022 event.
“Sadly, since the start of Bectu’s call for a boycott in June, based on a campaign of misinformation, the numbers are just not stacking up and we have no choice other than to cancel the event.
“We’ve looked at all options to keep the event on the table, as we know how much it means to all the people and families who have bought tickets, but we just aren’t able to produce the event in the current environment.
“We’ve seen a number of other festivals cancelled across the country so far this year citing the cost of living crisis and increased costs as factors. Those events have not also had the challenges posed by sustained media and social media campaigns spurred on by Bectu, to try and prevent them from going ahead using conjecture, misinformation and rumour presented in bad faith.”
The organisers also claimed they would be taking legal action against the union for its role in the cancellation of the festival.
The statement added: “We’re so sad to say that this is definitely ‘it’ for DTRH, we won’t be back, we can’t be back, so from here we wish you all well and hope you go on to find wonderful new independent festivals where you can continue your voyages of discovery.”
There are now fresh fears over whether those waiting to be paid from previous events will receive the cash they are owed, with a previous plan committing to use the profits from the following three years’ festivals to pay off creditors.
The company behind the 2022 event – Doune the Rabbit Hole Festival Ltd, run by Jamie Murray – was put into liquidation, with responsibility for 2023 passed over to Festival Beverage and Property Services Ltd.
This company was set up in 2018, with Jamie’s dad Craig Murray as the sole director.
More controversy had also come last month after DTRH asked volunteers to pay deposits ahead of working at the event of up to £145.
Responding to the organisers’ statement, Bectu – alongside the Musicians Union and the Equity union – said the latest news would affect even more performers and staff, with the festival having racked up more than £1million in unpaid bills.
The statement reads: “Over the last few years this festival has amassed well over £1million pounds in unpaid bills to both bands and staff (£800,000 in 2022 alone).
“Many people including the headline bands last year were paid nothing other than their deposits, in some cases bands are owed tens of thousands of pounds with no hope of getting their final payments, and this year’s cancellation will impact yet more bands and staff.
“As trade unions we have tried to have a constructive dialogue with the organisers of the festival, but the undertakings which were offered to us were not forthcoming.
“The organisers said that they would share sales figures in order to reassure us that they would make enough profit this year to begin to repay the debts owed by the previous festival.
“They stated their intention to repay those debts over three years. They have not provided any such information and that undertaking to repay those debts is now in jeopardy.
“In a radio interview on Good Morning Scotland on June 8 Craig Murray, one of the festival’s organisers, stated that Doune the Rabbit Hole currently has ticket sales of £5,000 per week, but needed ticket sales of £25,000 per week to be on target.
“That he sought to blame trade unions, and by implication the very people who work so hard at the festival each year, was incredibly disappointing.
“We had agreed with the organisers that they would offer 100 per cent deposits up front to those considering working at the festival, but again Craig disclosed that this has not happened, so once again those who had agreed to perform and work at this year’s festival will be left out of pocket by the failure of those organising the event.
“As trade unions we are concerned that the festival was able to enter liquidation last year and be reborn so quickly with so many of the same faces involved, and that concern has been born out with so many of the same issues this year.”
