It's not easy to set something up on your own. In addition to all the effort for the preparations and execution of concerts, which often only break even with a lot of luck, there is always more trouble to follow. Timo from Be-Part.Records can sing a long song about this. Since he probably isn't in the mood for cheerful singing on this occasion, he writes down his frustration about the accusations made against him by former collaborators due to financial differences. Those who find the muse should simply read the entire letter. Here, all the reasons are listed why there will be no Be-Part.Festival this year.
Please take the time to read this completely and attentively. I can provide evidence and documentation for everything I present here in black and white. These are the definitive and true facts of the festival organization from the person who organized the Be-Part.Festivals:
Enriching? Enriching! I have often been told that I enrich the Stuttgart subculture, that I supported bands that would never have played in Stuttgart otherwise, and that I organized shows that would never have taken place in Stuttgart. But I have also repeatedly been accused of profiting from shows. But those of you who have organized shows for a longer period or attended a Be-Part.Eventz know that this is not possible! How can one profit from shows when, for example, a band from Sweden plays with a support act and both bands need gas money, and food and drinks have to be financed, all with just 25 to 40 guests and, for example, 5 to 6€ admission? At Be-Part, there was never a youth center or anyone else as financial support behind it, but always just me!
For almost a year, I worked three jobs simultaneously and sold a lot of my personal property (Marshall amp, motorcycle, ...) to make my dream of traveling the world, which I have had for too many years, come true. I earned money as a freelance graphic designer – which is also my "normal" job – while simultaneously working as security at events and as a stagehand. So, no Hartz IV recipient as someone in the Mafia claims. Three jobs, little sleep, and no free time. On top of that, organizing concerts, including the festival and the work surrounding it ...
Well ... too early to rejoice!!! During the last months, I received the most vile accusations. Even sadder is that several people joined in!
Maybe I shouldn't have made such a big deal about my stay abroad!? But still – it seems there are a few envious people who don't wish you well and then weave all sorts of rumors from all of this.. But maybe it also comes from somewhere completely different ...
Since it is now quite obvious that there are a whole series of accusations, I will address these point by point. Sorry for the official writing style – but otherwise, misunderstandings would probably arise again.
I hope you have a long breath, as this will be my second but also last post in this thread, but it will still take some time to read!
So point by point and partially supported by "your quotes". And again sorry that it took so long, but I had to gather various information from several sides and had only limited internet access. It was also cowardly to launch these accusations in my absence:
1. The post on Indymedia: What reached me most recently ... Indymedia is really not the platform to post such things. Well ... I find it very embarrassing! I would be curious to see if it can be determined whether the person is the same one who also wrote the piece on the Mafia? Are there any more statements (from supposedly uninvolved but still very shocked people) on any boards or forums? The Indymedia moderators must have wondered what this is about ... and have already reacted accordingly. The article is now hidden.
2. The post on the Mafia: Anyone can say what they want and what annoys them! But one should have the guts to name their name! Also the anonymous cocktail bar victims! Here too, I could name names – but I will not do so.
I am available to anyone at any time for a conversation, personally or via email! What also surprises me is the origin of the information, which is probably not entirely correct ... and one should always listen to both sides before forming an opinion. But here, there seems to be a rather uniform trend. More on that later.
3. Structure and organization team of the Be-Part.Festivals and Be-Part.Concerts: To take the wind out of the sails of some here in advance ... the mysterious organization team of the festival and the concerts consists of only one person: me! For the festival, I usually need about ¾ of a year for preparation and, if everything goes smoothly, ¼ of a year for follow-up (which this time is not the case, but is still ongoing due to all the accusations), so that the work of the previous festival can transition directly into that of the upcoming one. In the last 3 years, there were just 3 people who, more or less according to satisfaction or necessity, carried out the tasks required by the organization. These 3 areas of responsibility were: box office, bar, catering. This means I constantly had to remind the people of their tasks – by phone, on-site, or however – and those who worked with them often complained about their unreliability! But these 3 people are the advocates of this entire campaign and drag all sorts of people into it. I won't go into more detail now, otherwise, I would have to name the involved parties. So relatively little work but high financial expectations. It has always been the case in recent years that I set up with 2 other friends from Wednesday evening and only left on Monday morning after everything was taken down all night and the aforementioned 3 people did not show up! So if you annoy someone, you should first get your own sheep in order! In catering, Vegan-Wonderland had to step in often (thanks at this point) because nothing went smoothly, the bar situation was more or less extremely unsatisfactory, except that free drinks were thrown around, especially since the bar was completely managed by the youth center Fasanenhof in 2008, the box office crew constantly let "friends" in for free and distributed drink tokens generously – and this got worse over the last 3 years until it ultimately spiraled out of control in 2009. I only mention the number of over 700 free beers (including bands)! In this respect, the youth center Fasanenhof also took money that does not appear on any of the statements provided by the youth center.
To return to the topic: booking the bands, equipment, backline, posters, flyers, promo, backstage passes, internet advertising, booking drivers to/from the airports, booking flights with the help of a good friend, Gema bullshit, rider, running order, signs, certificates, lectures, directions, other organizational matters, an enormous amount of work during the festival, setup and teardown, and much more ... I managed mostly alone.
For each festival, there was always one contact person for the cocktail bar ... but I will come back to that topic later.
2009 was then the hammer, that at the only meeting that took place with the 3 people for a preliminary discussion, as they otherwise never had time and were unavailable, nothing really came of it, except that they told me they wanted 400€ each for their participation (do all the friends and supporters of their campaign know this?). Is it correct that these people are making accusations against me – claiming I want to profit from this?), which I immediately rejected with the argument that otherwise, other people would also have to be paid and that I would also need a "salary" that would have to be significantly higher.
4. Money to MURDER DISCO X: The band Murder Disco X (hereinafter MDX), which played at the festival in 2009, provided part of the backline. We're talking about a bass box and a microphone stand. According to MDX, the microphone stand was destroyed, bent – whatever. I can't remember the exact wording. The box completely failed on the 2nd or 3rd day. The two sound technicians looked at it but couldn't find a solution to get it working again. Therefore, a replacement was put on stage and the defective box was taken by MDX for repair after the festival. At Soundland in Stuttgart-Fellbach, the box was quickly examined, and the suspicion was raised that all 4 (!) speakers were irreparably damaged and that it would probably be cheaper to buy a new one. At that time, this item was included in the preliminary accounting with the estimated 400€ from Soundland. The microphone stand was estimated at 100€. These were estimated costs at that time, as a rough, preliminary accounting had to be made. Later, however, it turned out that only the cables on all 4 speakers had come loose and were re-soldered by Soundland, which resulted in a bill of 45€. MDX waived payment for the microphone stand and the fee of 100€. That the 3 items (400€ for the box, 100€ for the microphone stand, and 100€ fee) appeared in the preliminary accounting is incorrect and can be attributed to me as a mistake. I apologize for this and I take responsibility for it! This preliminary accounting is the basis on which all the accusations are based. However, it was not foreseeable at that time that the costs for MDX would develop differently.
4. Why a preliminary accounting: Here is a rough reproduction of the SMS from one of the 3 people: "we need to meet! You will be gone soon and so will I ..." - the date was the end of September ... My reaction was that I went to the meeting without being the least bit prepared because I simply wasn't ready yet. No final accounting – just this cost estimate – and actually also with no bad intention of any attacks. Wrongly thought – once again – I was totally unprepared and accused of embezzling funds. No evidence on site – so powerless! An accounting from the youth center Fasanenhof was brought by the 3, which I had never seen before and still do not have, although I requested a copy that was denied to me. My preliminary accounting was a pure calculation that I presented to describe the costs that were still pending. But I wasn't really listened to – I was just accused! I was then given a week by one of the 3 to present a "clean accounting". O.K. – sorry – I'm a stubborn person and didn't see the pressure that was being exerted on me! Therefore, I put the topic on hold for a while, which was probably a mistake. Shortly before my departure, I received another email saying I should get lost and immediately hand over the money. No mention of the amount or which money, just "will you transfer us the money or should we come and get it".
5. How the story continued: In the first days of my trip, which started on October 22, I decided to respond to smooth things over. Here is the entire email that only went to those 3:
On October 24, 2009:
Hi, ...
I will try to clarify the topic despite my absence over the next few days. I do not have access to the account from abroad, so you will have to wait for that until I return to Germany. I ask you to be patient until then - we will clarify this to everyone's satisfaction - okay?
Timo ...
No reaction to that!!! Then I sent this email on November 7, 2009:
So now I finally get around to writing. I have thought a lot about the whole topic and want to clarify it now before it weighs heavily on me and the rumors that are being spread take on an even worse level.
First of all, I want to explicitly say that I have no desire for such a tone as was in […] email: "get lost", "we're glad you're leaving" etc. ... I write in a completely normal manner, and if the tone of communication is not appropriate and mature, I will no longer respond to further such emails. Moreover, I hope that after this email there will be peace until I am back in Germany, as I have no way from here to prove, document, or summarize anything, just as I did not have during the "post-discussion".
Among other things, the last email from [...] stated that I was inciting people against you!? How do you come to that? I only asked [...] who were equally and significantly involved in the festival on a voluntary basis whether the guy from the youth center invited the three to a "post-discussion without Timo" – which is already a mockery! Asking the three is my right and has nothing to do with incitement! What is more in the direction of incitement is that I felt completely cornered at the [...] concert and had to justify myself in front of people who had NEVER been to a Be-Part.Festival that I was supposedly withholding 15,000€. First of all, you wrote that involved persons have the right to look at the accounting, which you believe is documented. Then I wonder why third parties have this "information", especially since these are completely false, as this concerns income, not revenue. You should know that and handle it accordingly! [...]
Regarding Fasanenhof: how you can trust them is a mystery to me!? On the day I made the accounting with them, I clearly told him that I DO not want to do another festival with them. First, because the team is incompetent, counterproductive, and simply not up to such an event, and second, that he did not adhere to verbal agreements.
[...]
O.K. regarding Be-Part as a project: the project has existed since 2001, as I have already told you. In addition to the profitable festival, there are various shows that operate at a loss, Gema costs and fines amounting to thousands, etc. I think it is more than legitimate that the festival bears such costs. The topic is much more complex than you think and too complicated to handle here! If you had dealt more with the subject, you would know what I mean. And it is still the Be-Part.Festival and nothing else, and thus it is part of the whole. With 30-50 shows that I did per year in Stuttgart, the festival is even a relatively small part. Well – the number of helpers is greater than at a single show, but the scheme is the same. People help so that the whole can continue to function, and money is earned at a concert to cover other concerts that operate at a loss. What do you think, for example, how much loss came into the cash register at various shows with just 15 paying guests in Esslingen!? Therefore, I do not understand why someone feels cheated who helped ... it is about keeping the whole thing alive and nothing else. And we are all very grateful to the helpers! But even that will probably only be realized by people when it is too late. Be-Part.Eventz will dissolve.
If you think that I wanted to profit from this, I would have taken a different route! And to remind you; it was you who wanted money for help at the festival or brought up the topic! [...] In addition, other helpers would also have to be paid, and for example, the [...] who helped me book flights for half a year would have to receive a much larger share than any of you. He, on the other hand, was happy to help and keep the festival alive, even though he couldn't even be there! So what is this?
When I return to Germany, I will give you insight into the accounting of Be-Part and send you the documentation you requested. My accounting is correct, and I will provide you with the evidence! However, I do not feel compelled or pressured by you or others to do this, but I do it out of voluntary motivation so that you can see what an enormous effort it is and what costs are involved. You will receive all accounts, transfers, and (donation) receipts related to the Be-Part.Festival 2009 and an overview of the last years with profits and losses.
We can then decide together, via email, where the surpluses will go [...] . I will certainly NOT transfer you "the money" (whatever it may be) or let you pick it up! [...] and as previously stated, if you had participated more in the planning and follow-up as requested, you would not have made such statements, as your insight would not have been so distorted by third parties!
I still remember clearly that I was alone with [...] during setup and teardown ... on Sunday, luckily the [...] helped out while others just watched.
I can only say one more thing: the day will come when you realize how wrong you were with your accusations, how far you leaned out of the window, and that you will hopefully engage just as much in repairing the damage you caused! Real friends would NEVER have behaved like this and would never have invited to such a post-discussion, but would have discussed all questions with me in a friendly tone – then everything would not have come to such hardened fronts as it is now.
[...]
Timo ...
Again no reaction and then the accusation in the statement that I did not react! Until the ominous statement, which allegedly went out as an email to "all involved", appeared. This resulted in one or more shocked persons anonymously posting the same (partially with additions) on the Mafia, Indymedia, and possibly elsewhere. Thus, everyone invents their stories about it ...
6. Regarding the funds: It is true that in previous years the money was donated. I have the receipts for that in black and white! So also in 2007.
It is true that in 2008 there were revenues of 4500€, which were deposited into a daily account managed by me, as agreed with the 3 people, since at that time we could not think of a purpose for the donations and we deemed it advisable to have a financial cushion to cover expenses for future festivals. For example, in 2009, about 3500€ for flights were partially advanced from this account, partially from the youth center Fasanenhof. Bank statements, receipts for flight and baggage costs exist and are carefully filed at home in my festival folder. Anyone who is interested can have a look!
What is not true is that I allegedly touched this money privately or even went traveling with it.
The fact is that the youth center Fasanenhof managed the money from the festival for the most absurd reasons and it was only paid out after weeks upon presentation of volunteer certificates. I had to take care of this alone. Why it had to be that the funds generated by the Be-Part.Festival ended up in the youth center's safe was never properly explained to me. But every year there was always a theater about it, as the youth center manager had to be asked a thousand times to release the money! If the money had simply stayed with us, this nerve-wracking step would never have been necessary.
It is also true that in 2009, 3600€ were ultimately transferred. I have NEVER seen or received an accounting of how this amount came about.
What is not true is that these 3600€ were profit, but there were still numerous costs to cover, such as flights, baggage costs (for excess baggage, for example, with Ryan-Air and extra charges for guitars and hardware (special luggage), defective equipment, etc.! These receipts also exist!
So it is the case year after year that the money is paid into the Be-Part account and then offset against the expenses. In 2009, there was a deficit of about 1200€ that came out in the end, which has now been reduced from 555€ from point 3 to 645€. This information was no longer available to the 3 people, as our communication was only one-sided, as explained in point 5.
In 2008, more than 4500€ were also paid out, but in the end, 4500€ came out.
This money was also partially used to pay off Gema fines and costs, as well as to cover losses from other small shows. Thus, the money was also involved in a constant cycle of the Be-Part concerts.
As already written in the email from November 7: "You will receive all accounts, transfers, and (donation) receipts related to the Be-Part.Festival 2009 and an overview of the last years with profits and losses. We can then decide together, via email, where the surpluses will go."
Thus, the Be-Part project would be declared finished and all funds donated. Unfortunately, no one reacted to that! Ultimately, I will do this after my return home so that I have my peace! So that there can be NO accusation anymore that I used the money privately or even financed a world trip with it.
Receipts for all this can, as already mentioned, be presented to all interested and involved parties. My years of work will then have been completely voluntary!
7. Regarding the youth center Fasanenhof: I had several conflicts with the director of the youth center Fasanenhof before, during, and after the festival. Agreements such as the youth center financially covering the equipment and sound technicians were initially not kept until I found the accounting of the youth center manager openly in the office during the event, in which he charged Be-Part that amount. He also claimed at one point, when there must have still been enough money available to pay the bands, that there was almost nothing left. A previously agreed bar participation was denied with the words "I can't remember that". In a post-discussion with him about what that was, he only said, "As the manager of the money, I have to keep an eye on it somehow so you don't pay too much to the bands." So, misrepresentation of facts! And who ever asked that guy to manage the money!?
The entire team of the youth center worked more against us than with us. Normal workflows were harassed by questionable rules! All of this led to me raising these points in the post-discussion with the director and explicitly stating that there would be NO further festival in collaboration with him and the youth center Fasanenhof! That must have hit him at his sore spot. Of course, with an estimated 10,000 – 13,000 € in beverage sales, he is missing something in the annual cash register, which he will never recover with an average audience of 5-15 children and teenagers per day. Consequently, he invited the 3 to a post-discussion, where he claimed that he had paid for all flights, etc., and that I had received 3600€ in pure profit, which he allegedly can prove in black and white, but I can clearly refute with my accounting!
After our heated discussion, the aforementioned 3 people met with the director of the youth center, and he presented his accounting. I have not seen this accounting to this day.
8. The risk of the Be-Part.Festival: I have always borne the risk alone, neither the 3 people nor anyone else. Although the director of the youth center Fasanenhof always claimed that if the festival makes a loss, he has a strong association (the Stuttgart Youth Center e.V.) behind him that would cover it. But one can see that he instead claims that the Be-Part.Festival made a profit. Surely he does not want to stand in front of his superiors and say that he needs financial resources because he and others have made a loss!
Everyone knows how high the risk of such an event is and how quickly red numbers can be written. For example, in 2009, the PUNK ILLEGAL festival in Sweden took place at the same time, which clearly affected the visitor numbers and thus also the admission revenues. I wanted to cancel the festival in advance for this reason, but I didn't do it because some flights had already been booked and paid for. Isn't it more than legitimate to have a financial buffer to secure such a risk? After the loss of 2009, it ultimately shows that the Stuttgart Youth Center Association does NOT cover it, and the youth center manager of Fasanenhof instead falsifies the numbers and the accounting.
If there had been no support to offset the loss, who would have financially supported me? I say NO ONE!
9. Regarding the statement itself: As stated in the published statement, there should be no witch hunt against me. But what is the reason for publishing such a thing? On the Mafia, this is reacted to with statements like "[...] then Timo can find a new scene" without ever having heard me! Maybe one should weigh both sides and then form an opinion before just following the current trend.
I am currently not in Germany and cannot react quickly. If a friend hadn't informed me about the nasty story via email, I would probably still know nothing about it while many at home are tearing their mouths apart! That is very cowardly! Can you imagine – as someone who has been involved in the scene for over 20 years and has been organizing concerts and running a label for 10 years – how I feel right now? I can only hope that my statement reaches as many people as the previous statement and that people can form their opinions in a differentiated manner. Although I will not organize any more shows after the bad experiences, I would still like to attend some without being pointed at! It is also absurd that the advocates of the statement and their environment are now organizing a replacement festival (New Directions Festival) and have formed a concert group called Fragaboom Shows, which is booking the touring bands from my contacts. I will not condemn either of them!
10. Allegedly ripped off bands: The bands that played at Be-Part all these years clearly knew what the festival was about, and each band was paid appropriately for what was expected from them. Some were paid for flights, others for travel by car/bus, thus enabling a nice weekend with food and drinks. I have never received negative feedback from a band – quite the opposite, many emails after the festivals stating that the bands enjoyed it, such as "We enjoyed your well-organized festival. Thanks a lot!" and many have gladly played again or visited the festival as guests in another year.
This also brings me to the following statement from the user XsheXwolfX on the Mafia: "I'm just surprised why this is now (only) being brought to light in such a let's say cautiously stupid anonymous way and how it could have come to this over the years. I mean, anyone who knows at least a handful of Stuttgart scene people and international touring bands personally knows just as many stories and dramas about or with Timo to tell. Stories that are partly years old or have been repeating for years, stories about ripping off, high debts to private and (label) business partners, embezzled funds, sudden termination of friendships, baking powder problems in all their facets, not keeping agreements with bands, other organizers, and locations,... and none of this has anything to do with the Be-Part festival. This can't really be THE BIG SHOCK, can it? Or do you not talk to each other in Stuttgart? And only complain to outsiders or on the net via MySpace and Mafia, but only when the person is on the other side of the world: haé?:
And yes, to fit the typical internet bashing, I don't really know Timo personally, so I haven't had either negative or positive experiences with him directly. It's just not really my scene...".
I emailed the person on the board (PM) with the following wording:
"Hi, ...
Although we don't know each other, or I don't know you ... I'm not aware of it. But before I annoy you here on the board as you annoy me, I would like to know where your unfounded claims come from, which are all untrue!
Timo ..."
Unfortunately, once again no reaction. It seems to me that the internet is an appropriate platform for people to vent their frustrations on others by attacking them and feeling protected and safe through their anonymity!
The statement regarding GRAF ORLOCK (the band played at the Be-Part.Festival in 2009) from countrykid666: "Now I also understand the request that he wanted copies of the invoices for van rental and flight tickets from Graf Orlock/ghostlimb ..." - I really don't know if this is supposed to be a joke or whatever!? But if it is not, this is also completely pulled out of thin air. The bands were on tour and received their previously agreed fee at the festival. Moreover, Sunday was free of charge – so what would the flight costs have to do with me? Just hope that this was meant ironically!?
11. Volunteer helpers: All volunteers who helped at the festival over the years received free admission and a certain number of free drinks on the days they worked at the box office, bar, or food. People who helped for 2 or more days (which was already the exception) received free admission for the entire weekend! Nevertheless, it often happened that completely different people received free admission and thus friends were often waved through at the box office without me being asked. Also, all "cocktail bar people" got in for free and helped themselves to the drinks. Furthermore, there were drink tokens that were lying in the office and were distributed diligently without me being informed. In 2009, such cases were unfortunately no longer exceptions.
12. The cocktail bar 2008 / 2009: It is fascinating that the users Zaubercore and Rädel take the trouble to register on the Mafia board to also attack me! Regarding the money from the cocktail bar in 2008 and 2009 and its payout, I will now elaborate:
In each of the festival years, there was a contact person for me with whom I arranged the cocktail bar in advance. Neither user Zaubercore nor Rädel were one of those contact persons. For example, in 2007, the money from the cocktail bar was managed by one person and they took care of its use. In 2008, I initially managed the money and also deposited it into the Be-Part account until the cocktail bar crew agreed on where the money should be donated. Originally, the money was supposed to go to the people from "Ex-Steffi", who honestly said that they had no use for it at that time and waived it. As far as I know, the money was only to be donated when it was urgently needed somewhere and would actually serve a good purpose. That they could not agree within a year cannot really be blamed on me. The suggestions from user Rädel served only their self-interest and profiling and had no timely meaningful value. Only in October 2009 was it decided that the money should be donated to AnimalLiberation stuff. I have nothing more to do with this money.
In 2009, I also managed the money and was contacted shortly after the festival by GAY-EDGE LIBERATION to transfer everything. However, there seemed to be some disagreement within the team – it was never agreed whether everything or just part of it would be donated there and whether perhaps part would be donated to the Be-Part.Festival. So there was a partial transfer before everything was transferred to GAY-EDGE LIBERATION shortly thereafter. The team apparently never reached a unanimous agreement, as my contact person from 2009 says.
Again here – untenable claims! Just loose talk!
13. Conclusion: So you see, the whole thing is much more complex than to say: "3600€ were paid out and Timo is now embezzling it and ripping off the whole scene!" The superficial information from the previous statement is simply not enough to form an opinion!
Clear facts and all of this in black and white can be viewed by all parties involved after my return! I hope this clarifies a lot!?
After all this was set in motion, I decided to hold the 2010 festival somewhere else. Now, after all the attacks, my mood for this and for continuing to organize concerts has been thoroughly spoiled. I have never been in such a nasty situation, and I can tell you that I am more than disappointed with those who have spoken negatively here!
A big thank you to all the bands, tour organizers, and venues for the years of collaboration, and of course to all the visitors and helpers!
So there will be NO FESTIVAL from me in 2010 and also no more SHOWS from Be-Part for the foreseeable future!
So much from me – Timo ...
