After two failed attempts as a music festival, Fyre Fest is now being being reimagined as a streaming service. Documentarian Shawn Rech has purchased some of the brand’s IP (including two Fyre Festival trademarks) with plans to spearhead an operation to transform Fyre into a new music-focused subscription video-on-demand platform.
Rech co-founded the true crime streaming platform TruBlu alongside To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen. He’s now announced plans to use the festival’s infamous name to his (dis)advantage, and intends to launch the Fyre-branded service by Thanksgiving. “Music networks are all just programming now and I have no interest in watching people slip on bananas. It has nothing to do with music,” Rech told Deadline. “I needed a big name that people would remember, even if it’s attached to infamy, so that’s why I bought these [trademarks].”
Surely using the notorious label of a festival whose founder misled investors and pleaded guilty to fraud won’t deter customers from subscribing. Rech counters that the Fyre Festival streaming platform will succeed: “We’re building something authentic and lasting.” As an added incentive, Fyre Festival’s disgraced founder and convicted felon, Billy McFarland, is expected to have a presence on the network.
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Fyre will operate as both a subscription service (likely priced at $3.99 per month) and as an ad-supported FAST channel, the latter of which will feature use-submitted content leaning heavy in hip-hop and pop. There will also be an audio-only streaming option.
Meanwhile, the second physical iteration of Fyre Festival was pushed back several times through 2025 before being called off for the foreseeable future last week. It was set TO take place in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, with Antonio Brown announced as the sole performer. City officials denied involvement with McFarland’s operations. McFarland has since announced plans to stage the event at a different location to be announced.
McFarland was convicted on counts of mail and wire fraud, then sentenced to six years in prison, and ordered to pay $26 million in restitution. but was released in 2022. After his release, he worked alongside Donald Trump to persuade Black voters in his 2024 presidential campaign.
“This isn’t about festivals or hype — it’s about putting the power of music discovery back in the hands of the fans,” Rech said.
