Popular Country Music Festival Accused of Missing Payments, Violating Contracts

Voices of America Country Music Fest will not be back in West Chester, Ohio, next year. After a four-year stint in the Cincinnati suburb, West Chester Township did not renew Further Festivals LLC’s license agreement for organizers to hold the event in 2027.

News of the lack of renewal first broke in July, days before Blake Shelton, Rascal Flatts, and Brad Paisley took the stage at the 2026 festival.

At the time, West Chester Township said that the festival hadn’t “produced a measurable local economic benefit sufficient to offset” the significant resources it requires, Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

Now, more information about that decision is coming to light. In a statement to the outlet, West Chester Township said that it “cannot continue to commit substantial public resources and assume financial risk for a private, for-profit event without timely payment or demonstrated positive economic impact to the community.”

Festival organizers, the township claimed, were late to pay for public safety costs in 2024 and 2025. That prompted the township to “involve legal counsel to receive payment.”

Additionally, the township alleged that “Further Festivals creates financial risk for the Township by not paying bills on time, failing to meet contractual obligations, and failing to repair and remediate public property wholly and in a timely manner.”

VOA Country Music Fest Didn’t Have Positive Economic Impact, Despite Big Names

The statement also addressed the purported lack of economic impact the festival had on the township, noting that less than one percent of attendees stayed in local hotels and that nearby businesses saw a decline in traffic and sales during the event.

“We recognize the value large events can bring to the community and remain open to working with organizers who can reliably meet their financial, operational, and contractual obligations,” the statement concluded.

Neither Further Festivals nor its CEO responded to the outlet’s request for comment.

The first VOA Country Music Fest took place in 2023, and welcomed performers including Dan + Shay and Old Dominion. The following year, Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, and others performed. Attendees in 2025, meanwhile, got to see Carrie Underwood, HARDY, Bailey Zimmerman, and Darius Rucker take the stage.

The event is still scheduled to be held in Cincinnati next year. Organizers will announce details including the new location and lineup in the coming days.

Photo by Katja Ogrin/Redferns