AEG Buys Out FYF Fest Founder's Stake, Moves Forward With Plans for 2018

A number of women spoke to Spin about the allegations, including former freelance music photographer Natasha Ryan, who said she met Carlson at a late night VIP after-party where she and others got into a hot tub.

"This guy kept coming up to me and trying to take my bra off and I had to keep batting him away," she said. After repeated attempts, Carlson allegedly approached her and "started grabbing me and trying to kiss me" while attempting to pull her into the bathroom to make out. Another woman accused Carlson of barging in on her in a bathroom at a party and demanding oral sex, later pinning her down on a couch and trying to make out with her. The four accounts told to Spin allege a pattern of behavior that included aggression, intoxication, barging in on women in the bathroom and persistently trying to kiss women, even after he had been told to stop. 

Spin also spoke to a man who described Carlson’s conduct with women as an “open secret” in the L.A. music scene and said, “I think that most of the women who work in the industry are just terrified of coming forward and giving their names and being blacklisted."

Carlson later admitted some of the incidents were true, while others "contain serious misstatements and omissions." He also said, "I acted inappropriately and shamefully, and deeply regret my actions."

Created by Carlson in 2004, FYF Fest has grown from a small festival staged at The Echo in L.A. to a large multiday event. Ut first moved to L.A. State Historic Park in 2009 and then Exposition Park near USC and the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in 2014. While the festival began with mostly independent and unsigned bands, the 2017 event included performances by Missy Elliott, Björk, Frank Ocean, A Tribe Called Quest, Nine Inch Nails and Iggy Pop.