Turns Out Booking R. Kelly To Play Your Music Festival Is Bad For Business

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An Ohio music festival has found itself in a difficult position on the heels of its booking of controversial R&B singer R. Kelly as one of its headliners.

The Fashion Meets Music Festival, slated for Aug. 29-31 in Columbus, Ohio, has run into a number of troubles since they announced last month that Kelly would be playing their inaugural fest alongside jam band O.A.R. and Destiny's Child alum Michelle Williams, among others.

Since then, two Ohio-based bands -- Damn the Witch Siren and Saintseneca -- have dropped out of the lineup since Kelly's booking was made public and Sunday Columbus Alive reported that radio station WCBE 90.5 FM has withdrawn from sponsoring the festival, also due to Kelly's participation in the event.

As WBEZ's Jim DeRogatis notes, ticket sales for the 'I Believe I Can Fly' singer's performance at the festival -- which start at $58.50 plus fees -- also appear to be selling very slowly.

The pushback stems from Kelly's past allegations of child pornography and sexual assault, a story DeRogatis helped break and Jessica Hopper detailed in a viral news story for the Village Voice in December 2013.

'We feel [R. Kelly's] selection as a performer ignores his very serious allegations of sexual violence and assault,' Saintseneca said in a statement explaining their decision. 'We feel it is an affront to all survivors, who are already often overlooked and forgotten in our society.' The band plans to host an alternative concert benefiting victims of sexual assault.

In response to the criticism, Fashion Meets Music Festival co-founder Bret Adams defended the booking to Columbus Alive, noting that Kelly was acquitted of the allegations in 2008, saying, ' we're not the morality police.'

Kelly also headlined the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago last year, a booking DeRogatis lashed out against but which was not met by any bands or sponsors dropping out from the event. Kelly also played the Bonnaroo and Coachella festivals in 2013.

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