Ex-Furnace Fest Partner Speaks Out Following Sale Of Festival

Following the recent sale of Furnace Fest, veteran concert and festival promoter Mike Ziemer has publicly accused two of his former business partners of misconduct, claiming he and fellow promoter Ryan Luther were pushed out of the festival after years of foundational work.

Ziemer was part of the partnership that helped resurrect Furnace Fest in Birmingham, AL in 2020 alongside Luther, Johnny Grimes, and festival founder Chad Johnson. Earlier this week, organizers confirmed that Furnace Fest had been sold to an outside production company—widely rumored to be Peachtree Entertainment—after the event reportedly struggled with significant operational losses and outstanding debts.

One day after news of the sale became public, Ziemer took to social media to share a lengthy and pointed statement outlining his version of events, alleging deception, broken promises, and exclusion from the festival’s future.

“Myself and Ryan Luther were lied to, gaslit, and left off the team after 2024, the year we were told was the last year.

Ryan and I handled all booking for 2021–2024. I ran all marketing and paid ads for 2021–2024, along with the media team and many other tasks, and between us we did most of the on-site coordination. The ticketing company and most major sponsors were my relationships.

The remaining two partners got greedy and felt they could do it without us in 2025, despite telling us over and over the fest couldn’t sustain a profit outside of years one and two.

I kept my mouth shut because I was promised a buyout that never came. Another lie. Ryan and I’s buyouts are not included in the bankruptcy and we are just shit out of luck for everything we built and now get to watch it all go down in flames.

So much for caring about brotherhood and community — just another shining example of Christian hypocrisy that turns so many people away from religion.

I promise this will never be the Furnace Fest you all know and love without myself and Ryan being part of it. It took four of us to make this something special, but only two people to destroy it.

I have a lot more to say… but that’s for later.”

Ziemer’s remarks mark the first public criticism from a former Furnace Fest partner since the sale was announced. As of publication, neither the remaining former organizers nor the festival’s new ownership have responded to the allegations.

Further details regarding Furnace Fest’s future, including plans for the previously announced 2026 edition, have yet to be made public.

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