MUNCIE, Ind. -- Fans of Chance the Rapper found out Tuesday that he will not be playing ChirpFest at Ball State.
ChirpFest is a music festival "created for students by students," according to the event website.
Word leaked that Chance the Rapper was supposed to be playing the festival on April 8 and hundreds of people bought tickets only to see this:
I'm not playing chirpfest at ball state, don't buy fake tix. If you already bought fake tix, go demand your money back.
— Lil Chano From 79th (@chancetherapper) December 27, 2016
One of the organizers of the ChirpFest, Chris Cammack, said he and his partner reached out to a group in Atlanta called Global Talent Agency to book Chance the Rapper. They paid at least $10,000 to secure him for the festival.
Cammack says they did not announce Chance the Rapper would be performing, but they did plan to have a flash sale on tickets on the day before Christmas. There would be a $20 discount for buying the tickets early.
When Cammack and his partner sent promotional materials for the flash sale to Global Talent Agency for approval, the booking manager did not respond.
That’s when Cammack says he called Chance the Rapper’s representatives directly. They told him the rapper was not coming and that he’d been ripped off.
In the meantime, Cammack says he mentioned the flash sale to a sponsor of ChirpFest who in turn told some of his employees. One of those employees tweeted about the tickets. 500 were sold in less than four hours.
Now Cammack and his partner are in the process of paying back anyone who bought a ticket.
We are very sorry for the inconvenience; everyone that has purchased tickets to our Spring 2017 Event will be refunded.
— The ChirpFest (@ChirpFestival) December 27, 2016
The Eventbrite page for the festival tickets is still up. Cammack says, per Eventbrite regulation, it must stay that way until every individual has received a refund for tickets purchased.
Cammack and his partner are now working through legal channels to see it they can recoup their money.
As for Chance the Rapper performing at Ball State, he appears to be still open to the idea
I would love to play Ball State at some point, in some capacity this school year. Just gotta take the proper channels. https://t.co/jZWXTJept8
— Lil Chano From 79th (@chancetherapper) December 27, 2016
