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Refunds for 'Future Music Festival Asia' in Singapore tickets expected to take up to 45 days

Refunds for 'Future Music Festival Asia' in Singapore tickets expected to take up to 45 days

[UPDATED on Monday, 9 March at 7:00pm: Adding statement from Livescape Singapore Pte Ltd]

All ticket purchasers for the now-cancelled Future Music Festival Asia 2015 will be receiving refunds soon as organiser Livescape Singapore begins the reimbursement process tomorrow (10 March 2015). It will take between 30 to 45 days to complete.

In a statement released on Monday, they said, "We thank all fans for their patience and support. Our care team is at hand to provide any further clarification or assistance and can be reached at support@futuremusicfestival.asia."

No submission or action is required from purchasers as the process will be automated. 

Here's how the refunds will be given out:

1. If tickets are purchased using debit or credit card, "refunds will be credited directly into your respective accounts".

2. If tickets are purchased via cash or eNETS, "Collection of refunds can be made at the SISTIC Headquarters (10 Eunos Road 8, #03-04, Singapore Post Centre, Singapore 408600). A subsequent official announcement will be made when refunds are ready to be collected".

3. If tickets are purchased through a travel agent, "We have instructed the travel agents to refund you directly within 30 - 45 days".

4. If credit has been pre-loaded into wristbands for purchases on the festival ground, "refunds will also be credited directly back into your credit or debit card account within 30 – 45 days".

Livescape Singapore Pte Ltd announced the cancellation of the event earlier on Sunday after their appeal for a Public Entertainment License was rejected. 

The festival was scheduled to take place on Friday and Saturday (13 and 14 March) at the Changi Exhibition Centre, with international acts Avicii, Afrojack and The Prodigy headlining the show.

"Full ticket refunds will now be made to all FMFA ticket buyers, details of which will be made available by Monday evening. We are also aware of the many fans overseas that have made travel arrangements into Singapore for the festival. We are extremely sorry for the inconvenience you’ve been put through," said the statement. 

Fans took to the Future Music Festival Asia Facebook page to voice their unhappiness. Some who made plans to travel to Singapore for the gig pointed out that their bookings could not be amended.

"Like most of the people here, my friends and I are also extremely disappointed. We bought event tickets in advance, paid for flights, booked a hotel, and we were all excited to see some of our favorite acts," said a Ralph Huerto. "As event organizers, they should have made sure that all necessary permits and licenses are approved and accounted for."

"Next time, first get official approval from authorities and then announce [the Event] and start ticket [sales]," said a German fan by the name of Frank Gerhardt. He added that he had spent €850 (S$1,270) for the trip. 

Livescape Singapore's appeal to the authorities to host the first ever 'Future Music Festival Asia’ in Singapore was rejected on Saturday.

Previously, the organiser's permit applications were rejected twice by the police, who cited drug concerns.

Organisers applied for a public entertainment license to the police once in January, and another in February, but were rejected both times. They then submitted an appeal to Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean on Tuesday, 3 March.

Police cited “serious concerns” over probable drug abuse at the event, according to a TODAY report.

The Future Music Festival Asia then posted a statement on their Facebook page regarding the news and assuring that appeals have been made and “no final decision has been made as yet”.

The page also addressed the concerns over the drug abuse that happened in Malaysia last year.

“Isolated incidents which happened outside of Singapore cannot and do not carry any implication that FMFA is in any way linked to drug use nor is it any indication that there will be drug abuse at the event. FMFA firmly stands behind our goal of creating a drug-free event for our festival goers to enjoy, and we are working with the best international organisations in the world with a combined 50 years of experience working on similar events to ensure that this is the case,” it said.

The Livescape Group had sold about 15,000 of the 20,000 tickets for the two-day festival, which was slated to be held this weekend. Ticket sales and promotions for the event were still ongoing.

Six Malaysians died after consuming drugs at the event held in Kuala Lumpur last year. Some Singaporeans were also taken to the hospital, and 19 people were nabbed for drug possession. Organisers then cancelled the third day of the event.

In an interview with Yahoo Singapore, The Livescape Group’s CEO Muhammad Iqbal said that the decision to move FMFA to Singapore had nothing to do with the drug-related deaths, and that it was a business decision.