Goldenvoice, creators of Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, has split with Sean Carlson, the founder of its annual FYF Fest in Los Angeles.
The L.A. Times cites an email distributed Monday to booking agents in which Goldenvoice president/CEO Paul Tollett wrote, “Effective immediately, Goldenvoice has ended its relationship with Sean Carlson. We’re evaluating our path forward as it relates to FYF Fest.” No reason for the decision was given.
At the age of just 18, Carlson founded FYF Fest – or, Fuck Yeah Fest — in 2004 as a multi-day, punk-and-alternative leaning event in the Echo Park neighborhood of L.A. The fest quickly outgrew its surroundings and today its lineup appeals to a broader palate. Its 10th anniversary event was held over two days at L.A. State Historic Park with a bill featuring Yeah Yeah Yeahs, My Bloody Valentine, TV on the Radio, MGMT, Beach House, Solange, Deerhunter, Devendra Banhart and many others. The most recent show took place at Exposition Park over three days from July 21, with Missy Elliot, Bjork, Frank Ocean and Nine Inch Nails among its headliners.
FYF partnered with Goldenvoice and parent AEG Live in 2011. “They’re our partners,” Carlson told Billboard in 2013. “They help with everything production related. I have a very close relationship with (Goldenvoice president and Coachella booker) Paul (Tollett). It’s a great team. I did it for the first seven years by myself, and [Goldenvoice] came onboard for years eight and nine. They’ve made it more and more organized, and this year they stepped it up the most.”
Reps from Goldenvoice, AEG Live and FYF Fest have yet to comment on the latest development.
This post originally appeared on Billboard.
