It’s been brought to my attention that the organizers of Low Pone have posted some disparaging remarks about me, our venue and our companies on social media. I’ve always taken the position that if it’s not true, then I don’t need to engage or respond. But, in this case, these accusations are absolutely not true and are defamatory.
So, I am providing this response. First, I will note that I have reached out to the promoter and extended an opportunity to speak about this matter, with no response.
The situation stems from a disagreement from an event sponsorship with Low Pone over two and a half years ago. We provided a venue for an employee (at the time) to start hosting events. We incurred all the costs, didn’t charge any rental fees, paid all the labor, used our marketing team, printed all the posters and flyers, and cleaned up after each event. I even offered to help contribute more dollars to help them attract larger artists until they got on their feet. An existing event partner of ours offered to kick in some sponsorship to help market the event. We agreed that half would go to Low Pone and the other half was used for Low Pone event promotion ads on Do317, our related promotions company. The events went on for at least 5 months, and then we parted ways in 2018.
I am sorry there was a business disagreement, but there was certainly never any theft. I’m glad they’ve kept their event going. It’s important that we are able to continue to sustain and build diverse events like Low Pone, as well as the new events they are creating. We are committing to continuing to offer safe spaces that support diverse forms of expression. That is very important to us as a business and for me personally.
If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly. It is not our policy to discuss business matters in a public forum.
Josh Baker, President
HI-FI
jb@hifiindy.com