The 2023 Festival of the Red in Slade Kentucky took place from June 22nd through 24th and featured a lineup of over 50 musical acts from across the region. Many great musicians graced the stage over the three-day period to perform for the festival crowd. However, after the conclusion of the festival many performers were left wondering about their pay for playing the event. Over two weeks have passed since the festival took place and dozens of artists have publicly stated that they have still not received any payment for their performance. Furthermore, some of those that did receive payment say the check they received bounced. L.G. Richardson, who is listed as co-owner of the Festival of the Red and owner/manager at Hollerbilly Music Management, released a public statement on Monday, July 10th
“We want to express our deepest apologies for any inconvenience or frustration caused by the delay in artist payments… We were unaware that only particular amounts of deposits could go into the account. We made a deposit during the festival of $40,000 and it flagged our account which has now led to a full-blown audit.” He went on to say: “We are also exploring other options such as personal loans and business loans to try to make sure everyone gets paid sooner. We remain dedicated to resolving this matter as quickly as possible to ensure that the artists receive the payment they rightfully deserve.”
However, this statement came after Appalachian singer/songwriter Tim Goodin (who performed at the Festival of the Red) released a public statement that outlined his experience from the event, including the fact that the check he was paid with, bounced upon him trying to deposit it. He further noted an extreme lack of communication and overall sense of unprofessionalism from Mr. Richardson after the check bounced.
Mr. Goodin stated in a phone interview with WBON Channel 9 News reporter Brett Noland that: “…the festival itself was a good experience, it was the after that kinda soured things… as I was walking off stage I was paid with a check by L.G. and then he asked me not to deposit it until the following Monday which was fine, the following Monday I deposited the check and it looked as if everything was going to go through but I noticed Friday the check had reversed and bounced.” He continued: “Me and my manager Jason, contacted L.G. and he was very apologetic. Then he told us he’d have our money by either that following Wednesday, no later than the following Friday, and those days came and went and there was no money, we gave him our paypal and venmo links. Still didn’t get any money deposited any money from him, we reached out this past weekend, Jason called a few different times and didn’t get an answer. I sent a message Saturday while he was active on facebook and it didn’t get read. Yesterday morning I messaged him again for some kind of an update and he didn’t respond to that message either so I decided enough is enough I’m probably not going to get paid anyway at least I’m gonna call him out on it.” Furthermore, Goodin stated: “he’s not attempted to reach out to me and I pretty much have gave up on it. I feel like I probably won’t get paid, but at the very least I feel if it led to him not doing this to anyone in the future it was worth what I was owed.” When Goodin was asked if Richardson had reached out to him since Richardson had made the public statement on the Festival of the Red page promising to contact artists and keep them updated on payment information, Goodin stated: “No, they have no reached out to me and I have not heard anything from them….When he stopped communicating entirely with me I was fed up with it at that point.” Goodin further stated “from here on out, we are changing our payment policy… I don’t hold any ill will towards him, I just don’t plan on dealing with him anymore in the future and as far as artists go, I hope he does pay everyone”
At this point in time, no other public statement or updated payment information has been made available by Mr. Richardson, Festival of the Red, or Hollerbilly Music Management. Furthermore, our attempts to secure an interview with Mr. Richardson have been unsuccessful at this time. WBON Channel 9 News will continue to provide updates on this developing story.
