Back in July, Fyre Festival’s Billy McFarland listed the Fyre brand on eBay. Now, the founder has confirmed the new owner – and its the noughties’ favourite music (and virus) sharing service, LimeWire.

LimeWire’s acquisition of the Fyre brand was announced yesterday on Instagram. “Big news: Fyre Festival has officially been acquired by LimeWire,” the post reads. “What could possibly go wrong?”

• READ MORE: Billy McFarland’s Fyre Festival brand is up for sale, as he describes the brand as “one of the most powerful attention engines in the world”

Both McFarland and LimeWire are aware of the irony of the two brands joining forces. The ill-fated Fyre Festival was a total shambles, while LimeWire’s peer-to-peer file sharing was notorious for circulating malware. “Two of the internet’s most infamous names are now under one roof – and no, this isn’t about repeating past mistakes,” the post notes.

“Together, two of the most talked-about names in internet history are starting a new chapter: built on transparency, tech, and a healthy dose of humour.”

Speaking of humour, the announcement goes on to reveal another famous figure who lost out in the Fyre brand bidding war – Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds. “LimeWire secured the Fyre brand after a bidding war that even included Ryan Reynolds and his agency Maximum Effort,” the post reads.

Ryan Reynolds even provided a comment to be included in the announcement, saying: “Congrats to LimeWire… I look forward to attending their first event but will be bringing my own palette of water.”

Considering Reynold’s comment, the Canadian star was fully aware of Fyre Festival’s history. That being said, he’s clearly got a taste for investing and injecting new life into projects on the decline; back in 2020 he purchased Wrexham Football club alongside It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia star Rob McElhenney. And the investment has proven to be a success – the 2024–25 season saw Wrexham playing their first League One match in 19 years.

Regardless, LimeWire already has plans in place for the future of Fyre Festival. However, Julian Zehetmayr, LimeWire’s CEO, notes that the days of it being a ‘festival’ are in the past. “We’re not bringing the festival back,” he explains. “We’re bringing the brand and the meme back to life. This time with real execution.”

Instead, Fyre will be “reimagined” to expand “beyond the digital realm and tap into real-world experiences”.

LimeWire’s acquisition follows on from LimeWire’s 2022 relaunch as an NFT marketplace. The company also recently announced its plan to “democratise the creative space” with its AI Music Studio.

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