rtboswell
Full Fledged Farker
We got a call on Monday morning from one of the comp organizers that our checks would bounce if we cashed them. Supposedly someone from the company withdrew money from their bank account without authorization. I'm not buying it. At least we did get a call saying not to cash the checks. That's the short version.
Here's the long version and general discussion of this issue. The festival moved locations at the last minute and ended up putting on the concert associated with it for free with some mid-level country music talent. There is no way they made any money on this event and in fact they probably lost a large sum. Sadly if KCBS had done their homework about Celeb Scene (there are lawsuits against this company that were easily found with a google search) then they may not have sanctioned the comp. As is, those of us who won money may never see it. It is early in the game in terms of the non-payment BUT with the situation as it is I would be shocked if they come up with money to pay for the production company, bands, and the KCBS prize money. This was not a minor event.
KCBS gets them to sign a piece of paper guaranteeing the payouts but what does it matter if KCBS doesn't do anything but call them and tell them they need to pay us? That piece of paper is worthless. There needs to be some sort of real guarantee that the money is actually there to pay teams; this is the third instance within less than a year of organizers not paying teams (see the thread on the comp in PA and the Music City Fest in Nashville, TN)
In my mind the responsibility for non-payment falls to KCBS as well as the company/organizer, in this case Celeb Scene, because we as competitors compete in good faith that KCBS has properly vetted the people organizing a competition. This includes the aforementioned form. I guess the KCBS' sanctioning of a contest doesn't really mean anything in relation to the prize money.
In past posts about this issue it been said that it wouldn't be good for KCBS to pay the prize money and then take legal action because it would set a precedent for non-payment by organizers. Well, I think the opposite precedent has been set: KCBS has shown that it doesn't matter if you pay the teams that cook in their sanctioned contests by not only their lack of meaningful action in past cases, but even more so by the fact that they have not changed the bylaws governing the sanctioning of comps.
Here's the long version and general discussion of this issue. The festival moved locations at the last minute and ended up putting on the concert associated with it for free with some mid-level country music talent. There is no way they made any money on this event and in fact they probably lost a large sum. Sadly if KCBS had done their homework about Celeb Scene (there are lawsuits against this company that were easily found with a google search) then they may not have sanctioned the comp. As is, those of us who won money may never see it. It is early in the game in terms of the non-payment BUT with the situation as it is I would be shocked if they come up with money to pay for the production company, bands, and the KCBS prize money. This was not a minor event.
KCBS gets them to sign a piece of paper guaranteeing the payouts but what does it matter if KCBS doesn't do anything but call them and tell them they need to pay us? That piece of paper is worthless. There needs to be some sort of real guarantee that the money is actually there to pay teams; this is the third instance within less than a year of organizers not paying teams (see the thread on the comp in PA and the Music City Fest in Nashville, TN)
In my mind the responsibility for non-payment falls to KCBS as well as the company/organizer, in this case Celeb Scene, because we as competitors compete in good faith that KCBS has properly vetted the people organizing a competition. This includes the aforementioned form. I guess the KCBS' sanctioning of a contest doesn't really mean anything in relation to the prize money.
In past posts about this issue it been said that it wouldn't be good for KCBS to pay the prize money and then take legal action because it would set a precedent for non-payment by organizers. Well, I think the opposite precedent has been set: KCBS has shown that it doesn't matter if you pay the teams that cook in their sanctioned contests by not only their lack of meaningful action in past cases, but even more so by the fact that they have not changed the bylaws governing the sanctioning of comps.
