It’s the story that’s got everything, sex, drugs, shady deals and clubwars and its ensuring that Ibiza 2019 will be remembered as a most litigious year in Clubland. Marco Carolas shock move to Pacha with the islands #1 party Music On, which had been “officially” announced by the industry as “confirmed” for 23 dates at Pacha and Destino, is now subject to a legal judgment that stops it from performing outside Amnesia. The owners of Amnesia, the Ferrer family, this week secured a local court judgement that recognised their contract with Marco Carola and Music On as a legally binding and valid one, which prevents Carola or the Music On Brand from playing any other venue on the island of Ibiza. For Marco to do so, would incur a personal liability of €2.4 million.

The sensational development which broke in the local Ibiza media on Tuesday, but well know within industry circles beforehand, is sure to prove very decisive on the island.  Already sides have been taken and there is strong support for Amnesia’s view that they own rights to the Music On brand performing in Ibiza. Amnesia are not shy about fighting their battles in public, but to have lost this case, would have had serious implications for their reputation. In recent years, some star Amnesia players have defected to Pacha including Solomun, Sven Vath and now Marco Carola and one would have to ask why this is happening. Another Amnesia star in the making, Vibra host Gianluca Vacchi, is also missing in action at the Club this summer after rumours Ushuaia were trying to sign him to their Wednesday slot which was surprisingly filled by Carl Cox. Since this story broke on Tuesday, radio silence has surrounded the main protagonists involved, however soon after the judgement was announced, Marco Carola, reaffirmed his commitment to Pacha by posting the Music On lineups on his Facebook page.

The ball is now firmly in Pacha’s court and the next move in this drama is very much theirs to make, as potentially they have a gaping hole in their weekly program to fill if Marco returns to Amnesia or is forced to sit out the season. As with all things Ibiza, there are a lot of factors at play behind the scenes. As we pointed out in an earlier blog, who is actually pulling the strings at Pacha these days and what agenda they may have, is a key component to this story. With the arrival of Pacha’s more discreet and publically shy owners in 2016, one would have expected the Pacha-Amnesia rivalry to cool down, but in reality it has only intensified. In situations like these in Ibiza, I tend to look at who benefits the most from this case going to the courts and right now its not Pacha or Amnesia. One thing we can expect during this developing drama, is plenty of fireworks Spanish style over the next few months. Stay tuned to the blog for further updates as they happen.