R Kelly headline slot at festival cancelled following protests

Ohio's Fashion Meets Music have called off the singer's performance,
after fans, sponsors, performers and staff objected to his appearance
R Kelly:

Outcry from concertgoers, performers, sponsors and vendors prompted
Kelly and the Fashion Meets Music festival to "come to the mutual
decision" to cancel Kelly's gig on 29 August.

It's almost unprecedented for a festival to call off a performance by
its headliner, especially a festival in its inaugural year. Fashion
Meets Music's move had nothing to do with ticket sales, according to
spokeswoman Melissa Dickson, and came after more than a month of
internal discussions. "The festival has taken a lot of heat, and we
really just wanted to listen to Columbus, [Ohio] and really take a
stance and move forward," she said.
Local band Damn the Witch Siren spearheaded the protests against
Kelly, refusing to play at the festival in light of Kelly's appearance.

Another act, Saintseneca, withdrew from the lineup at the end of July.
"Being so closely associated with [R Kelly], especially here in our own
hometown, is something we are not comfortable with," they wrote on
their website. "We feel his selection as a performer ignores his very
serious allegations of sexual violence and assault." Fashion Meets
Music's partners, including radio station WCBE, subsequently
announced they would not continue to work with the festival.

Despite allegations of rape and sexual abuse, the singer has never been
convicted of these crimes. In 2008, a jury found Kelly not guilty on
charges of making child pornography. The multi-platinum-selling
musician faced renewed scrutiny last year, when the Village Voice
highlighted a long-running investigation by Chicago journalist Jim
DeRogatis , that accused Kelly of further offences.

In an email published Monday, Damn the Witch Siren hailed news of
Kelly's Fashion Meets Music split. "We've never been so proud to be
part of the Columbus community," they wrote. "We live in an
incredible, intelligent, compassionate city, and we hope this sets an
example and starts a dialogue throughout the entire country."

A representative for the singer said: "R Kelly is sorry to disappoint his
fans, but looks forward to seeing them in the near future during one
of his upcoming tours." Even in the face of repeated accusations, the
singer has remained a popular festival performer, appearing at
Coachella and headlining the 2013 Pitchfork music festival. He last
toured the UK in 2011.