American talent executive says he's "coming" for those responsible for the cancelled Pemberton Music Festival

An L.A. music promoter has blasted the Pemberton Music Festival in an interview with Billboard magazine.

"This is just gross to me,” said Marc Geiger, a partner at WME talent agency’s music division. "These guys are declaring bankruptcy, but none of them are actually bankrupt. Their shell company is bankrupt. And now they want fans to pay the price. That's not bankruptcy. That's fraud."

Geiger represents three big acts that were scheduled to play Pemberton this summer. Those are Haim, Tegan and Sara, and Big Sean. The event was abruptly cancelled earlier this month when the corporation behind the festival filed for bankruptcy.

"I want each of them to know, 'I'm coming after you personally,'" Geiger told Billboard. "We're going to pursue all of these people to the full extent of the law."

"They should not be able to run away from this,” he added. “You can't do this much damage to the festival ecosystem and think you can get away with it.”

Pemberton Music Festival was scheduled to happen at a field and campsite about 30-minutes north of Whistler the weekend of July 13. It would have been the event’s fourth consecutive run.

On May 18, the Straight reported that the festival was cancelled without warning. In the hours and days that followed, a confusing picture emerged and fans were told they were unlikely to receive refunds for tickets already purchased.

Huka Entertainment, a New Orleans-based production company that has served as the festival’s public face, issued a statement claiming that it was not responsible for the cancellation.

“As a contract producer, Huka did not make the decision to cancel the Festival,” it reads in part. “That decision was made by the Pemberton Music Festival, LP. We are extremely disappointed for our fans, artists and all of our partners who have supported the festival over the years."

Journalists have since revealed that Pemberton Music Festival, LP is a company that barely exists beyond paper. On May 19, online news outlet the Breaker reported that Pemberton Music Festival, LP and a numbered company, 1115666 B.C. Ltd., owe $16.7 million dollars to lenders, vendors, and now ticketholders, among others.

1115666 B.C. Ltd. is registered as a partner of Pemberton Music Festival, Ltd. It’s controlled by James Dales of Vancouver, Amanda Girling of Langley, and Stephane Lescure of California, according to the Breaker.

Tickets for the festival were still being sold via pembertonmusicfestival.com as recently as May 18.

According to a statement released by Pemberton Music Festival, LP and 1115666 B.C. Ltd., bankruptcy was declared on May 18 and Ernst & Young was appointed as a trustee.