This article has been updated to include a statement from Mike Dunphy of ML Live Inc.
A reference to refunds has been quietly removed from the official website of Roxodus, the Ontario music festival that was suddenly cancelled on Wednesday morning.
A statement that was posted on the Roxodus site initially ended with: “Information about ticket refunds will be released shortly." But, on Thursday, the statement was re-posted to the site without the line about refunds.
Statement on July 3 (left) and on July 4 (right)
It is not known who made the change to the website.
The inaugural Roxodus was a four-day event scheduled to kick off July 11 at the Edenvale Aerodrome in Clearview Township with headliners like Aerosmith, Kid Rock, Nickelback, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Alice Cooper.
MORE: Roxodus Music Festival's Fab Loranger Stays Silent
Passes ranged from $129 for single day general admission to $639 for a four-day VIP pass. Organizers also sold camping packages priced between $219 and $1,600; parking from $49 to $119; and shuttle bus services from nearby towns. It is believed about 20,000 passes had been sold – half of the stated capacity.
Ticket sales were not suspended until the day before the cancellation announcement, which blamed weeks of “tremendous rainy weather” for saturating the grounds and impacting “our ability to produce the festival.”
Many fans took to social media to scoff at the water-logged excuse.
Weather data for Edenvale indicates there was 58.8 mm of precipitation in June and 81.7 mm in May. Only 18.7 mm of rain fell between June 26 and July 2 (and only 0.2 mm after June 30). The forecast calls for 4.8 mm of precipitation between now and the festival’s scheduled first day – with five days of sun and temperatures in the mid- to high-20s.
Previous buyers agreed to terms and conditions that stated the event can be scrapped “without ... any obligation to issue a refund or reschedule the Festival” if due to “events outside the Company’s control.”
MORE: Should Fans Be Surprised By Roxodus Cancellation?
Roxodus was being produced by MF Live Inc., a company that takes its name from the first initials of Mike Dunphy and Fab Loranger.
In a statement issued Friday evening, Dunphy said: "Many rumours are floating around regarding my involvement with the Roxodus Music Festival cancellation and status of ticket holder refunds. My role at MF Live was that of Talent Buyer/Operations. I did not sign contracts, issue cheques or control funds received from ticket sales. I have not stolen monies as widely rumoured on social media.
"I was not involved with any decisions regarding the Roxodus Music Festival at the time of its cancellation. Eventbrite is the ticketing partner with whom Roxodus sold tickets. They alone have all purchaser information. Since I am not in control of financial items regarding Roxodus, I cannot communicate the plans for refunds."
Sources claim Loranger had no choice but to pull the plug on the festival because Dunphy recently left.
The Huronia West detachment of Ontario Provincial Police are investigating a complaint against a former employee of MF Live Inc. but will not name the individual. It is not known if Dunphy is the subject of the investigation.
MORE: Roxodus Joins Graveyard Of Canadian Music Festivals
As reported here, records show the Roxodus domain was registered on Oct. 23, 2018 by Dauphin Media Group, a company run by Dunphy that was ostensibly shuttered six years earlier.
In 2012, Dauphin Media Group closed its Toronto office – owing about $5,000 in rent – and folded Holmes, The Magazine after collecting an estimated $500,000 in prepaid subscriptions. Months later, Dunphy ceased publication of NFL Magazine, reportedly due to a lack of capital.
“We were just too small,” he told The Star.
Just this past March, Dunphy and Loranger announced they were postponing their annual Wasaga Beach Motorcycle Rally.
Given the circumstances around this event, we encourage ticket buyers to call our hot line at 416-326-8800/1-800-889-9768 with questions about their rights under the Consumer Protection Act or the Ticket Sales Act.
— ConsumerProtectionON (@ONconsumer) July 5, 2019