No DFest 2010 - Greens Withdraw
Edit Note: The following statement was provided by Tom and Angie Green
For the past eight years, we have tirelessly promoted and produced Dfest Music Conference & Festival. We have experienced some amazing performances, made friendships that will last a lifetime, and created a special event that made Tulsa a very exciting place each July. Those of you who truly know us understand we do this out of sheer passion, our unending love of music and to empower and create a better place for hardworking, independent musicians.
In 2010, we have to make the difficult decision to put Dfest on hiatus. A tough economy, rising production costs and a decline in lower level corporate sponsorships and support have caused us to take pause. These factors have made us unable to produce the kind of event we are known for, so we are unable to move forward with the festival this year.
At the point we knew that we had exhausted any and all options and head into July 2010 with full steam, we decided to postpone the event on our own terms. The integrity and quality of Dfest is of the utmost importance to us as the creators of the event.
We know that Dfest is a very special event and so much more than just a festival. We are not willing to compromise the quality of the event in any way that might cause it to be less of a festival than the people of Tulsa and our fans have come to know and love. In light of these events, we would like to give a very special thanks to the fans who have bought tickets to Dfest in the past, told your friends by Facebook, tweet, blog and let everyone you knew know about how much you love Dfest. We would also like to thank our loyal sponsors, media partners, team members, emerging artists, and volunteers who have supported Dfest year after year. A very special thanks and appreciation goes to State Farm, who shared our vision for this event and stood by our side throughout this difficult decision.
With love and respect,
Tom and Angie Green and the Dfest Team
The two-day multi-genre music festival fused with a music industry conference was established in 2002 to help emerging artists gain exposure and connect with the music industry. The conference consisted of music panels, a trade show, music clinics and artist mentoring. Each night, national recording artists performed on large outdoor festival stages while top local, regional and national emerging artists performed on a multitude of outdoor stages, indoor venues and club stages. Dfest become one of the top independent music conferences in the nation as well as the Midwest’s largest music festival of its type, and a hot bed for showcasing exciting new diverse music talent.
Editorial Observation: The abrupt withdrawal by the organizers of Dfest, Tom and Angie Green, raise more questions than their statement answers. Why was notice not given earlier in the year? Why would “lower level corporate sponsorships” cause failure? Tulsa Today and other organizations had expressed interest in sponsorship in years past, but the Greens did not respond. It was often noted that the Greens took personal credit for success so why did they fail this year? No effort was observed to solicit new sponsorship. No public opportunity was provided to rally support. Quality public festivals are planned and organized year-round so what happened? Repeated calls to Tom Green have not been answered and the voice mail on that phone number is full and not accepting additional messages. Should more information become available; Tulsa Today will provide more detail.