The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1 – ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION
History and Organization
VNUE, Inc. (formerly Tierra Grande Resources, Inc.) (“VNUE”, “TGRI”, or the “Company”) was incorporated under the laws of the State of Nevada on April 4, 2006.
On May 29, 2015, VNUE, Inc. entered into a merger agreement with VNUE Washington, Inc. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, all of the outstanding shares of any class or series of VNUE Washington were exchanged for an aggregate of 50,762,987 shares of TGRI common stock. As a result of the Merger, VNUE Washington became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, and the transaction was accounted for as a reverse merger with VNUE Washington deemed the acquiring company for accounting purposes, and the Company deemed the legal acquirer.
The Company is developing technology-driven solutions for Artists, Venues, and Festivals to automate the capturing, publishing, and monetization of their content, as well as protection of their rights.
On February 13, 2022, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with VNUE Acquisition Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“MergerCo”), Stage It Corp., a Delaware corporation (“Stage It”), and the stockholders’ representative for Stage It, pursuant to which the Company will acquire Stage It for up to $10 million (the “Merger Consideration”), by merging MergerCo with and into Stage It, with Stage It continuing as the surviving entity and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Merger”).
On February 13, 2022, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with VNUE Acquisition Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“MergerCo”), Stage It Corp., a Delaware corporation (“Stage It”), and the stockholders’ representative for Stage It, pursuant to which the Company contracted to acquire Stage It for up to $10 million (the “Merger Consideration”), by merging MergerCo with and into Stage It, with Stage It continuing as the surviving entity and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Merger”). At the same time, Stage It and several of the shareholders of Stage It entered into a voting agreement concerning the Merger.
Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, at the closing of the Merger (the “Closing”), each of Stage It’s outstanding shares (including common and preferred shares) were converted into the right to receive the applicable portion of the Merger Consideration. $1,085,450 of the Merger Consideration was paid in cash and satisfaction of certain outstanding debt obligations of Stage It, as outlined in a Closing Payment Certificate of the Merger Agreement, and the other portion was paid in shares of the Company’s common stock or preferred stock, with the actual number of such shares to be issued reduced by the cash component outlaid in the transaction. A portion of the Merger Consideration, $1 million, was held back for the purposes of satisfying certain contingent obligations of Stage It.
The Merger Agreement provides for the issuance of earnout shares which the company estimates will not be achieved.
On February 14 2022, the Company completed the acquisition of Stage It. As a result of the Closing, Stage It became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. For the acquisition, the Company issued the initial 135,000,000 shares, paid certain amounts to Stage It vendors and will potentially pay additional amounts as detailed under Merger Consideration in the Merger Agreement.
NOTE 2 – GOING CONCERN
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the settlement of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. As reflected in the accompanying consolidated financial statements as of March 31, 2023, the Company had $54,191 in cash on hand, had negative working capital of $6,524,049 and had an accumulated deficit of $37,247,403. Additionally, for the three months ended March 31, 2023, the Company used $412,213 in cash from operating activities. These factors raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date of the financial statements being issued. The ability of the Company to continue as a going concern is dependent upon the Company’s ability to raise additional funds and implement its business plan. The Company does not have any commitments for additional capital.
The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might be necessary if the Company is unable to continue as a going concern. In addition, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, in its report on the Company’s March 31, 2023, consolidated financial statements, has raised substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
The continuation of the Company as a going concern is dependent upon its ability to obtain necessary debt or equity financing to continue operations until it begins generating positive cash flow. Historically, the Company has been able to fund its operations from the proceeds of notes payable and convertible notes. No assurance can be given that any future financing will be available or, if available, that it will be on terms that are satisfactory to the Company. Even if the Company can obtain additional financing, it may contain undue restrictions on our operations, in the case of debt financing, or cause substantial dilution for our stockholders, in the case of equity financing.
NOTE 3 – SIGNIFICANT AND CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND PRACTICES
Basis of Consolidation
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) “FASB Accounting Standard Codification™” (the “Codification”), which is the source of authoritative accounting principles recognized by the FASB to be applied by nongovernmental entities in the preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States.
The Company consolidates its results with its wholly-owned subsidiary, Stage It Corp.
Revenue Recognition
The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 606, Revenue from Contracts. ASC 606 creates a five-step model that requires entities to exercise judgment when considering the terms of contracts, which includes (1) identifying the contracts or agreements with a customer, (2) identifying our performance obligations in the contract or agreement, (3) determining the transaction price, (4) allocating the transaction price to the separate performance obligations, and (5) recognizing revenue as each performance obligation is satisfied. The Company only applies the five-step model to contracts when it is probable that the Company will collect the consideration it is entitled to in exchange for the services it transfers to its clients.
Stage It receives revenue through a percentage of ticket sales and tipping. This show-based revenue creates a pool that is shared with the performing artist. Once a show is completed, the revenue that has been created through tickets and tips is allocated. Typically, Stage It retains 20% of the revenue as an agent and the artist receives 80% of the revenue as the performer; however, there are occasions when the profit split has different ratios. Revenue is recognized once a show is complete and the performance obligation to the consumer has been met. Since Stage It acts as an agent, revenue is recorded on a net basis only on the 20% portion, less direct expenses such as broadcast costs, merchant processing fees, bank services charges, license fees and the cost of production.
The Company also recognizes revenue from the sale of CDs and USB drives that contain the recording of live concerts and are made available to concert attendees immediately after the show and online. Revenue is recognized on the sale of a product when our performance obligation is completed, which is when the risk of loss transfers to our customers and the collection of the receivable is reasonably assured, which generally occurs when the product is purchased.
As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, deferred revenue amounted to $872,990 and $862,597, respectively. As of March 31, 2023, deferred revenue was comprised of two amounts, $74,225 at VNUE related to the Matchbox Twenty Tour with Rob Thomas that was cancelled due to Covid-19, and $798,765 in unredeemed notes at Stage It that have been purchased by customers but not used toward any events. When these notes are redeemed, on average, the performing artists will receive approximately 80%, and the Company will record 20% of the value of these notes as revenue.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the financial statement date and reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates include the valuation allowance for the deferred tax asset and the accruals for potential liabilities. Actual results could differ from these estimates.
Stock Purchase Warrants
The Company accounts for warrants issued to purchase shares of its common stock as equity in accordance with FASB ASC 480, Accounting for Derivative Financial Instruments Indexed to, and Potentially Settled in, a Company’s Own Stock, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The Company determines the fair value of its assets and liabilities based on the exchange price in U.S. dollars that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The Company uses a fair value hierarchy with three levels of inputs, of which the first two are considered observable and the last unobservable, to measure fair value:
|
● |
Level 1 — Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. |
|
|
|
|
● |
Level 2 — Inputs, other than Level 1, that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities. |
|
|
|
|
● |
Level 3 — Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. |
The carrying amounts of financial instruments, such as cash, and accounts payable and accrued liabilities, approximate the related fair values due to the short-term maturities of these instruments. The carrying values of our notes payable approximate their fair values because interest rates on these obligations are based on prevailing market interest rates.
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recorded at its fair value and is then re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the consolidated statements of operations. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is evaluated at the end of each reporting period. Derivative instrument liabilities are classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not the net-cash settlement of the derivative instrument could be required within twelve months of the balance sheet date. There were no derivative liabilities outstanding as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022.
Income (Loss) per Common Share
Basic net income (loss) per share is computed by using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net income (loss) per share is computed giving effect to all dilutive potential shares of Common Stock that were outstanding during the period. Diluted income (loss) per share reflects the potential dilution, using the treasury stock method, that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock or resulted in the issuance of common stock that is then shared in the income (loss) of the Company as if they had been converted at the beginning of the periods presented, or issuance date, if later. In computing diluted income (loss) per share, the treasury stock method assumes that outstanding options and warrants are exercised and the proceeds are used to purchase common stock at the average market price during the period. Options and warrants may have a dilutive effect under the treasury stock method only when the average market price of the common stock during the period exceeds the exercise price of the options and warrants. Dilutive potential shares of Common Stock consist of incremental shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of stock options. No dilutive potential shares of Common Stock were included in the computation of diluted net loss per share on March 31, 2023, because their impact would have been anti-dilutive.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are stated at cost or fair value if acquired as part of a business combination. Depreciation is computed by the straight-line method and is charged to operations over the estimated useful lives of the assets. The carrying amount and accumulated depreciation of assets sold or retired are removed from the accounts in the year of disposal and any resulting gain or loss is included in the results of operations. The estimated useful lives of property and equipment are as follows:
Schedule of property plant equipment estimated useful lives |
|
|
|
Computers, software, and office equipment |
|
3 years |
|
Furniture and fixtures |
|
7 years |
|
As of March 31, 2023, the Company’s property, which consisted solely of computers at its Stage It subsidiary, was fully depreciated. Depreciation expense for the three months ended March 31, 2023, and 2022, amounted to $9,134 and $1,880, respectively.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Goodwill represents the future economic benefit arising from other assets acquired that could not be individually identified and separately recognized. The goodwill arising from the Company’s acquisition is attributable to the value of the potential expanded market opportunity with new customers. Intangible assets have either an identifiable or indefinite useful life. Intangible assets with identifiable useful lives are amortized on a straight-line basis over their economic or legal life, whichever is shorter. The Company’s amortizable intangible assets consist primarily of customer relationships, trademarks, and product formulations. The useful life of these customer relationships is estimated to be three years.
Goodwill is not amortized but is subject to annual impairment testing unless circumstances dictate more frequent assessments. The Company performs an annual impairment assessment for goodwill during the fourth quarter of each year and more frequently whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the fair value of the asset may be less than the carrying amount. Goodwill impairment testing compares the fair value of the reporting unit to its carrying amount. The fair value of the reporting unit is determined by considering both the income approach and market approaches. The fair values calculated under the income approach and market approaches are weighted based on circumstances surrounding the reporting unit. Under the income approach, the Company determines fair value based on estimated future cash flows of the reporting unit, which are discounted to the present value using discount factors that consider the timing and risk of cash flows. For the discount rate, the Company relies on the capital asset pricing model approach, which includes an assessment of the risk-free interest rate, the rate of return from publicly traded stocks, the Company’s risk relative to the overall market, the Company’s size and industry and other Company-specific risks. Other significant assumptions used in the income approach include the terminal value, growth rates, future capital expenditures, and changes in future working capital requirements. The market approaches use key multiples from guideline businesses that are comparable and are traded on a public market. If the fair value of the reporting unit is greater than its carrying amount, there is no impairment. If the reporting unit’s carrying amount exceeds its fair value, then an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to the excess. As of December 31, 2022, the Company determined that its goodwill and intangibles were fully impaired, and as a result, recorded an impairment of goodwill and intangible assets amounting to $4,261,683 in its Statements Operations for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”) and also issued subsequent amendments to the initial guidance: ASU 2018-19, ASU 2019-04, and ASU 2019-05 (collectively, “Topic 326”). Topic 326 requires measurement and recognition of expected credit losses for financial assets held. The Company will be required to adopt this ASU for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The adoption of Topic 326 is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements and financial statement disclosures.
NOTE 4 – PREPAID EXPENSE
As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the balances in prepaid expenses was $261,100 and $130,000.
Schedule of prepaid expense |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 31, 2023 |
|
|
December 31, 2022 |
|
Matchbox Twenty agreement |
|
$ |
100,000 |
|
|
$ |
100,000 |
|
Deposit with joint venture partner |
|
|
161,100 |
|
|
|
30,000 |
|
Total prepaid expenses |
|
$ |
261,100 |
|
|
$ |
130,000 |
|
$100,000 of the prepaid expense in both periods relates to a January 9, 2020 agreement entered into by the Company with recording and performance artist, Matchbox Twenty “MT Agreement”), to record its 2020 tour and sell limited edition double CD sets, download cards, and digital downloads. As part of the deal, the Company agreed to pay an advance of $100,000 against sales to MT and its affiliated companies, which was paid in full in installments, with the last installment of $40,000 paid on March 4, 2020. This tour which has been delayed due to Covid-19 is expected to commence in May 2023.
NOTE 5 – RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
DiscLive Network
On July 10, 2017, the Company entered into a Licensing Agreement with RockHouse Live Media Productions, Inc., DBA “DiscLive” or “DiscLive Network” (“DiscLive”) to formalize the terms of the Strategic Alliance entered into by the Company with DiscLive on July 21, 2016. VNUE has acquired an exclusive license from DiscLive, for a period of three years unless earlier terminated under the Agreement, for the use of all its assets, including but not limited to the DiscLive brand, website (including eCommerce platform), intellectual property, inventory, equipment, trade secrets and anything related to its business of “instant live” recording. Under the terms of the Agreement, DiscLive granted the Company a worldwide exclusive license.
In exchange for the license, DiscLive will receive a license fee equal to five percent (5%) of any sales derived from the sale and use of the products and services. DiscLive is controlled by our Chief Executive Officer. Revenues of $3,875 and $5,049 for the periods ended March 31, 2023, and 2022, respectively, were recorded using the assets licensed under this agreement. For the periods ended March 31, 2023, and 2022 the fees would have amounted to $194 and $252, respectively. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer agreed to waive the right to receive these license fees for both years and has never taken any fees pursuant to this agreement.
Advances from Officers/Stockholders
From time to time, officers/stockholders of the Company advance funds to the Company for working capital purposes. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer advanced $10,000 to the Company on an interest-free basis. That amount was repaid in the fourth quarter of 2022.
NOTE 6 – BUSINESS ACQUISITION
On February 13, 2022, VNUE, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with VNUE Acquisition Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“MergerCo”), Stage It Corp., a Delaware corporation (“Stage It”), and the stockholders’ representative for Stage It, pursuant to which the Company will acquire Stage It for up to $10 million (the “Merger Consideration”), by merging MergerCo with and into Stage It, with Stage It continuing as the surviving entity and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Merger”).
Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, and subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, at the closing of the Merger (the “Closing”), each of Stage It’s outstanding shares (including common and preferred shares) will be converted into the right to receive the applicable portion of the Merger Consideration. A portion of the Merger Consideration will be paid in cash and take the form of satisfying certain outstanding debt obligations of Stage It, as outlined in a Closing Payment Certificate of the Merger Agreement, and the other portion will be paid in shares of the Company’s common stock or preferred stock, with the actual number of such shares to be issued reduced by the cash component outlaid in the transaction. A portion of the Merger Consideration, $1 million, will be held back to satisfy certain contingent obligations of Stage It.
The Merger Agreement also allows for the issuance of earn-out shares, not to exceed the overall Merger Consideration, provided that certain EBIDTA requirements are met over the course of 18 months.
On February 13, 2022, the Company, Stage It and the shareholders of Stage It entered into a voting agreement concerning the Merger.
On February 14, 2022, the Company completed the acquisition of Stage It. As a result of the Closing, Stage It became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. For the acquisition, the Company will issue the initial 135,000,000 shares and pay certain amounts as detailed under Merger Consideration in the Merger Agreement. The price to be paid in cash and stock for the Earnout Shares and Holdback Shares are set forth in the Merger Agreement.
The Merger Agreement has been included to provide investors with information regarding its terms. The representations, warranties, and covenants contained in the Merger Agreement were made only for the purposes of the Merger Agreement, were made as of specific dates, were made solely for the benefit of the parties to the Merger Agreement, and may not have been intended to be statements of fact, but rather as a method of allocating risk and governing the contractual rights and relationships among the parties to the Merger Agreement. In addition, such representations, warranties, and covenants may have been qualified by certain disclosures not reflected in the text of the Merger Agreement and may apply standards of materiality and other qualifications and limitations in a way that is different from what may be viewed as material by the Company’s shareholders. None of the Company’s shareholders or any other third party should rely on the representations, warranties, and covenants, or any descriptions thereof, as characterizations of the actual state of facts or conditions of the Company, the Company, Merger Sub, or any of their respective subsidiaries or affiliates
For the acquisition of Stage It, the following table summarizes the acquisition date fair value of the consideration paid, identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed:
Consideration paid
Schedule of fair value of consideration |
|
|
|
|
Common stock issued, 41,476,963 shares of the Company’s restricted common stock valued at $0.0101 per share |
|
$ |
418,917 |
|
Common stock issuable, 93,523,037 shares of the Company’s restricted common stock valued at $0.0101 per share |
|
|
944,583 |
|
Net liabilities assumed |
|
|
2,871,066 |
|
Cash paid |
|
|
1,085,450 |
|
Fair value of total consideration paid |
|
$ |
5,320,016 |
|
Net assets acquired and liabilities assumed
Schedule of net asset acquired and liabilities assumed |
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents |
|
$ |
107,689 |
|
Computer equipment |
|
|
36,882 |
|
Total assets |
|
|
144,571 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities |
|
|
1,711,349 |
|
Notes payable |
|
|
526,385 |
|
Deferred revenue |
|
|
777,903 |
|
Total liabilities |
|
$ |
3,015,637 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net liabilities assumed |
|
$ |
2,871,066 |
|
The Company has allocated the fair value of the total consideration paid of $10,400,000 to goodwill and $2,600,000 to intangible assets with a life of three years. The value of goodwill represents Stage It’s ability to generate profitable operations going forward. Management estimated the provisional fair values of the intangible assets and goodwill on March 31, 2022, and did not complete a valuation study with an independent third party. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company recorded $758,333 in amortization expense.
On December 31, 2022, the Company, based on its internal analysis, estimated that its Stage It subsidiary would not achieve its Earnout and that all of the goodwill and intangible assets relating to the acquisition of Stage It was fully impaired. As a result, the Company recorded an impairment of goodwill and intangible assets charge net of the earnout reversal of $4,262,683 on its Statements of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2022.
The amount of $4,262,683 was calculated as follows:
Schedule of net impairment |
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|
|
|
Goodwill impairment |
|
$ |
10,400,000 |
|
Intangible assets impairment |
|
|
1,542,847 |
|
Reversal of Earnout liability |
|
|
(7,679,984 |
) |
Net impairment |
|
$ |
4,262,863 |
|
NOTE 7 – DEFERRED REVENUE
As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, deferred revenue amounted to $872,990 and $862,597, respectively. As of March 31, 2023, deferred revenue was comprised of two amounts, $74,225 at VNUE related to the Matchbox Twenty Tour with Rob Thomas that was cancelled due to Covid-19, and $798,765 in unredeemed notes at Stage It that have been purchased by customers but not used toward any events. When these notes are redeemed, on average, the performing artists will receive 80%, and the Company will record 20% of the value of these notes as revenue.
NOTE 8 – ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED LIABILITIES
Accounts payables are recognized initially at the transaction price and subsequently measured at the undiscounted amount of cash or other consideration expected to be paid. Accrued expenses are recognized based on the expected amount required to settle the obligation or liability.
The following table sets forth the components of the Company’s accrued liabilities on March 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022:
Schedule of accrued liabilities |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
March 31,
2023 |
|
|
December 31,
2022 |
|
Accounts payable and accrued expense |
|
$ |
2,435,129 |
|
|
$ |
2,389,231 |
|
Accrued interest |
|
|
306,178 |
|
|
|
282,612 |
|
Soundstr Obligation |
|
|
145,259 |
|
|
|
145,259 |
|
Total accounts payable and accrued liabilities |
|
$ |
2,886,566 |
|
|
$ |
2,817,102 |
|
NOTE 9 – SHARES TO BE ISSUED
As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the balances of shares to be issued were 975,174 and $975,174, respectively. The balance as of March 31, 2023 is comprised of the following:
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● |
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had not yet issued 5,204,352 shares of common stock with a value of $247,707 for past services provided and for an acquisition in previous years. |
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● |
During the year ended December 31, 2022, pursuant to the acquisition of Stage It described throughout this Report, an additional 72,026,422 shares remain issuable to Stage It shareholders valued at $727,647. |
NOTE 10 – NOTES PAYABLE
The balance of the Notes Payable outstanding as of March 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, was $1,159,262 and $1,134,262, respectively. The balances as of March 31, 2023, were comprised of numerous 8% notes for $885,157 due to Ylimit, payable on September 30, 2023, and $274,104 in notes due to former Stage It shareholders.
NOTE 11 – CONVERTIBLE NOTES PAYABLE
Convertible notes payable consist of the following:
Schedule of convertible notes payable |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 31, 2023 |
|
|
December 31, 2022 |
|
Various Convertible Notes(a) |
|
$ |
131,703 |
|
|
|
131,703 |
|
Golock Capital, LLC Convertible Notes(b) |
|
|
339,011 |
|
|
|
339,011 |
|
Total Convertible Notes |
|
$ |
470,714 |
|
|
|
470,714 |
|
(a) |
This total
is comprised of six convertible notes with five different noteholders. With the exception of one note for $28,500 due to a former related
party which is interest free, all of the remaining notes at a 10% interest rate are past due their maturity. The Company has not received
any default notices on these notes and continues to accrue interest on these notes. Additionally, $73,204 of these notes due to DBW Investments
is in dispute. |
(b) |
On
February 2, 2018, the Company issued a convertible note to Golock Capital, LLC (“Golock”) in the principal amount
of $40,000
with an interest rate of 10%
per annum and a maturity date of November 2,
2018. The note included an original issue discount of $5,000. The note is convertible into shares of the
Company’s common stock at $0.015
per share. As additional consideration for Golock to enter into this agreement with the Company, the Company issued warrants to
Golock to acquire in the aggregate 2,500,000
shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $0.015
per share that expire three years from the date of grant. The relative fair value of the warrants, the original issue discount, and
the beneficial conversion feature totaling $40,000
was recorded as a debt discount and will be amortized to interest expense over the term of the note. On November 5, 2018, the Company
amended the notes above by changing the conversion feature for the aggregate notes to be convertible into shares of common stock of
the Company at the lower of (i) $0.015 per share or, (ii) 58% of the lowest closing bid price in the 20 trading days prior to the
day that Golock requests conversion. This feature gave rise to a derivative liability of $553,000
at the date of issuance, as discussed below. The amendment also increased the principal face amount of notes to include accrued
interest, and an additional $43,250
was added to the principal, which was recorded to financing costs. The aggregate balance of the notes outstanding, and the related
debt discount was $302,067
and $0,
respectively, as of December 31, 2018. |
On April 29, 2019, Golock entered into an amendment with the Company to extend the maturity of the Notes until July 31, 2019. In return, Golock received several concessions. They received (a) a warrant to purchase 12,833,333 shares of the Company’s common stock for 48 months, exercisable at a strike price of $.00475. The Company recorded a financing charge of $28,227 related to these warrants and (b) the conversion noted above was changed from 58% to 50% of the lowest closing bid price in the 20 trading days prior to that day that Golock requested conversion. During the year ending December 31, 2019, the Company issued new notes payable of $53,331, and $23,102 of notes and accrued interest were converted into 100,000,000 shares of common stock. The balance of the notes outstanding on December 31, 2019 was $339,010. As of December 31, 2019, $285,679 of these notes were past due. As of March 31, 2023, all of the Golock notes amounting to $339,011 were past due.
As a result, Golock has assessed the Company additional penalties and interest of $1,172,782. The Company disagrees with the accrued interest and penalties due to Golock. Initially, the Company recorded this amount as a liability on its balance during the period ended 2021. Subsequently, during the three-month period ended September 30, 2021, the Company obtained a legal opinion supporting its position that these charges were egregious and reversed the liability on its balance sheet. The Company intends to litigate this amount as well as the validity of the principal and interest outstanding if a settlement on a vastly reduced amount cannot be reached.
NOTE 12 – STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
Common stock
The Company has authorized 4,000,000,000 shares of $0.0001 par value common stock. As of March 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, there were 1,783,508,869 and 1,676,014,753 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2023, the Company sold 107,494,116 common shares pursuant to the terms of its equity line and raised $258,597 in proceeds.
Preferred Stock Series A
On July 2, 2019, the Company filed a Certificate of Amendment (the “Charter Amendment”) to the Company’s Articles of Incorporation (as amended to date, the “Articles of Incorporation”) with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada. The Charter Amendment increased the Company’s capitalization to 2,000,000,000 shares of Common Stock and 20,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, of which 5,000,000 were designated as Series A Convertible Preferred Stock.
As of March 31, 2023 and 2022 the Company had 20,000,000 shares of $0.0001 par value preferred stock authorized and there were 4,250,579 shares of Series A Preferred Stock issued and outstanding.
On May 22, 2019, the Company authorized and designated a class of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series A Preferred Stock”), in accordance with a Certificate of Designation filed with the State of Nevada (the “Series A Designation”). It subsequently issued 4,126,776 restricted shares of Series A Preferred Stock to various employees and service providers to compensate and reward them for services and to incentivize them to provide continued service to the Company. The Series A Preferred Stock receives relative rights and preferences under terms and conditions set forth in the Certificate of Designation of the Preferred Stock.
Pursuant to the Series A Designation, each share of Series A Preferred Stock may be converted into 50 shares of common stock of the Company. The Series A Preferred Stockholders shall be entitled to share among dividends with the common stock shareholders of the Company on an as-converted basis. The Series A Preferred Stockholders shall vote with the common stock as a single class, on a 100 to 1 basis, such that for every share of Series A Preferred Stock held, such shares shall entitle the holder to cast 100 votes. The holders of the Series A Preferred Stock have no liquidation or redemption preference rights but get treated as common stockholders on an as converted basis.
The Company believes that the issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock was exempt from the registration requirements under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Act in that said transaction did not involve a public solicitation and said restricted shares were issued to only a small number of employees and consultants with an ongoing relationship with the Company.
As
of March 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, there were 4,250,579 shares of Series A Preferred issued and outstanding.
Preferred Stock Series B (Update)
On January 3, 2022, the Company authorized and designated a class of 2,500 shares, par value $0.0001, of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series B Preferred Stock”), in accordance with a Certificate of Designation filed with the State of Nevada (the “Series 5 Designation”).
During the three months ended March 31, 2023, the Company issued 117 Preferred B shares to GHS. These share shares were valued as follows:
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● |
6 shares were considered financing fees valued at $6,000 |
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111 shares were used to raise 111,000 in cash |
As of March 31, 2023, there were 2,422 Preferred B shares outstanding.
Warrants
In connection with the issuance of Series B Preferred Stock to the Company described in Note 14, the Company issued 279,655,690 warrants, with a five-year life, at an average strike price of $0.0788.
A summary of warrants is as follows:
Schedule of warrants |
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Number of Warrants |
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Weighted Average Exercise |
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Balance outstanding, December 31, 2020 |
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23,805,027 |
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Warrants expired or forfeited |
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(8,004,708 |
) |
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- |
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Balance outstanding and exercisable, December 31, 2021 |
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15,800,319 |
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$ |
0.00475 |
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Warrants exercised or forfeited |
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(15,800,319 |
) |
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Warrants granted during the year ended December 31, 2022 |
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279,655,690 |
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|
$ |
0.00788 |
(a) |
Balance outstanding and exercisable, December 31, 2022 |
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|
279,655,690 |
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|
|
|
|
Warrants exercised or forfeited |
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- |
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|
|
|
|
Warrants granted during the three months ended March 31, 2023 |
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|
55,785,127 |
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Balance outstanding and exercisable, March 31, 2023 |
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335,440,817 |
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(a) |
The strike price is subject to adjustment based on the market price of the Company’s stock price. |
Information relating to outstanding warrants on March 31, 2023, summarized by exercise price, is as follows:
The
weighted-average remaining contractual life of all warrants outstanding and exercisable on March 31, 2023 is approximately 4.26
years. As of March 31, 2023, there were 58,013,989 warrants “in the money” at an average price of $0.00279
with an intrinsic value of approximately $93,000.
Preferred Stock Series C
On May 25, 2022, the Company authorized and designated a class of 10,000 shares of Series C Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001. The holders of the Series C Preferred Stock shall have the right to cast one million (1,000,000) votes for each share held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of holders of the Company’s common stock. On the same date, the Company issued to each of Zach Bair, Chief Executive Officer & Chairman, Anthony Cardenas, Chief Financial Officer and Director, and Lou Mann, Executive Vice President and Director, 1,000 shares of this newly created Series C Preferred Stock for services rendered. These share which represented 3,000,000,000 (billion) votes, was valued at the trading price of the Company’s securities of $0.0051 on the date of Board of Director approval. As a result, the Company recorded a non-cash charge of $15,300,000 on its Statement of Operation for the three months ended June 30, 2022.
As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, there were 3,000 shares of Series C Preferred Stock outstanding.
NOTE 13 – COMMITMENT AND CONTINGENCIES
Litigation
Legal Matters
In the matter of VNUE, Inc. v. Power Up Lending Group, Ltd. On October 6, 2021, the Company commenced an action against Power Up Lending Group, Ltd. (“Power Up”) and Curt Kramer (“Kramer”) (Power Up and Kramer together, the “Power Up Parties”) in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The complaint alleges that: (1) Power Up is an unregistered dealer acting in violation of Section 15(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Act”) and, pursuant to Section 29(b) of the Act, the Company is entitled to recessionary relief from certain convertible promissory notes (“Notes”) and securities purchase agreements (“SPAs”) entered into by the Company and Power Up; (2) Kramer is liable to the Company as the control person of Power Up pursuant to Section 20(a) of the Act; and (3) Power Up is liable to the Company for unjust enrichment arising from the Notes and SPAs.
On December 10, 2021, the Power Up Parties filed their pre-motion conference request letter with the Court regarding their forthcoming motion to dismiss the Company’s complaint. On December 17, 2021, the Company filed its opposition thereto. On January 26, 2022, the Company filed its amended complaint, which asserted the same causes of action set forth in the initial complaint, and further alleged that Power Up made material misstatements in connection with the purchase and sale of the Company’s securities in violation of Section 10(b) of the Act and, thus, the Company is entitled to recessionary relief from the Notes and SPAs pursuant to Section 29(b) of the Act.
On February 9, 2022, the Court ordered an initial conference. The initial conference is currently scheduled for May 16, 2022, at 12:00 p.m. (EST). As of the date hereof, the Company intends to litigate its claims for relief against the Power Up Parties.
On June 7, 2022, the Company filed a voluntary dismissal of the action because the parties reached a confidential settlement.
Golock Capital, LLC and DBW Investments, LLC v. VNUE, Inc. On September 29, 2021, Golock Capital, LLC (“Golock”) and DBW Investments, LLC (“DBW”) (Golock and DBW together, the “Golock Plaintiffs”) commenced an action against the Company in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The Golock Plaintiffs’ complaint alleges that the Company is in breach of certain convertible promissory notes and securities purchase agreements separately entered into with Golock and DBW and seeks declaratory judgment, injunctive relief, and specific performance against the Company.
On
December 2, 2021, the Golock Plaintiffs filed their amended complaint, which asserted the same causes of action set forth in
the initial complaint and an additional cause of action for unjust enrichment. On January 19, 2022, the Company filed its
answer with affirmative defenses to the amended complaint. As to its affirmative defenses, the Company asserted that the Golock
Plaintiff’s claims are barred because: (1) the Golock Plaintiffs are unregistered dealers acting in violation of Section 15(a)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Act”), and, pursuant to Section 29(b) of the Act, that the Company is
entitled to recessionary relief from the certain convertible promissory notes and securities purchase agreements at issue in the
amended complaint; and (2) that the convertible promissory notes are, in fact, criminally usurious loans that impose interest onto
the Company at a rate that violates New York Penal Law § 190.40 and, therefore, the subject convertible notes are void ab
initio pursuant to New York’s usury laws.
On January 20, 2022, the Court ordered that the parties submit a joint letter in lieu of a pretrial conference on or before February 3, 2022. As of the date hereof, the Company intends to vigorously defend itself against the Golock Plaintiff’s claims.
On September 1, 2022, the Company filed an amended answer with counterclaims against the Golock Plaintiffs and their control persons asserting claims under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”) and the Act. On September 23, the Golock Plaintiffs filed a motion to dismiss the counterclaims.
On February 14, 2023, the Court granted the motion to dismiss and also dismissed all claims against the Golock Plaintiff’s control persons. The Company remains committed to actively litigating its affirmative defenses under the Act of and RICO.
NOTE 14 – SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
Subsequent to March 31, 2023, the Company sold
70,757,457 common shares pursuant to its equity line of credit with GHS and raised approximately $198,000 in gross proceeds.