LimeWire, the file-sharing giant that defined early 2000s internet piracy, is back in the headlines. This time, though, it’s not for music downloads or lawsuits.
Featured VideoThe company has confirmed that it officially bought the rights to Fyre Festival, the brand behind one of the most notorious event disasters of the last decade.
The move comes after Fyre Festival’s founder, Billy McFarland, quietly put the brand up for sale on eBay earlier this year. The auction ended in July, with the name fetching $245,300.
A bidding war that included Ryan Reynolds
According to LimeWire, the brand purchase wasn’t a simple one. Multiple parties were interested, including actor Ryan Reynolds and his marketing agency, Maximum Effort.
AdvertisementIn the end, LimeWire came out on top, announcing the win with a cheeky press release titled: “LimeWire Acquires Fyre Festival Brand — What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”
Reynolds even issued a tongue-in-cheek statement: “Congrats to LimeWire for their winning bid for Fyre Fest. I look forward to attending their first event, but will be bringing my own palette of water.”
What LimeWire says it plans to do with Fyre
So why buy a brand that’s synonymous with disaster? LimeWire’s CEO Julian Zehetmayr says the plan isn’t to revive the Bahamas music festival that went down in flames in 2017. Instead, the idea is to reframe Fyre as a cultural icon that bridges internet meme history with “real-world experiences and community.”
Advertisement“We’re not bringing the festival back,” Zehetmayr explained. “We’re bringing the brand and the meme back to life. This time with real experiences, and without the cheese sandwiches.”
For now, LimeWire hasn’t given any concrete details of what those experiences will look like.
Social media users react
On X, responses to the news included, “Limewire? Haven’t heard that name in years,” and, “Sorry, Limewire is still alive?!”
AdvertisementUnder a post on Reddit’s r/music, commenters weren’t exactly empathetic to either brand.
“The most surprising thing isn’t that someone bought Fyre Fest. It’s that LimeWire still exists and has the money to buy this,” one person wrote.
Another joked, “Oh man, I can’t wait for the 7pm set of The Offspring with Dragonball Z fight scene super cuts on the background screens.”
AdvertisementAnd one user summed it up: “Kind of apt, both would give you viruses if you’re not careful.”
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