In light of their sudden explosion into the Salt Lake City EDM community and their rapid growth, HVLON has decided to assemble a management team, headed by Tyler Madole. Through his efforts, Madole hopes to free up more time for the members of HVLON to make their awesome music and continue to explore their creativity.
In light of a recent controversy that has erupted over the event "Avicii Tributes" by Utah Parties, scheduled for May 11th, Madole has issued a statement explaining HVLON's position. "The entire show should be free or the proceeds should go to suicide awareness centers. It's not okay to profit off of someone's death if you're tributing them," writes one fan on the event page on Facebook.
"It has been brought to our attention by our fans that the way the money is being appropriated by the Avicii Tribute that is to be held at The Complex by Utah Parties do not reflect the values of our community," his statement starts.
He goes on to explain the measures that HVLON is taking to address the situation. He says, "We have personally reached out to the organizer of this event, asking for specific information as to how the funds are being used. We are currently awaiting his response. I want to ensure that is clearly understood on both sides.
"Please keep in mind that renting a venue and putting on an event costs money, so at times a fee may be required, but if there are any profits involved, we want to ensure those profits are handled by the event management in a way that reflects our values and the values of the EDM community."
Madole then clarifies that HVLON was never poised to profit from the event: "We would like to make it clear that at no time has HVLON accepted any money for this show, and money was never on the table for it. We could not, in good conscience, accept money for an event such as this. If we ever did, it would be donated to a charity in the honor and memory of the departed."
He also reminds fans that in spite of HVLON's darker theme, they still live by PLUR and strive to uphold the values of the EDM community. "Despite our darker approach to EDM, PLUR is very alive with us. Upon receipt of the information from the event management, we will determine if the proceeds from the show are being used in a respectful manner. If they are not, we will do everything in our power to correct that, up to and including removal of ourselves from the line-up."
Madole thanks fans for their continued support of HVLON, and assures fans that the situation is currently being addressed.