As far as I understand, the organizers hadn't actually got the money to pay the hotel and the performers. The deal was basically "You give us what we want now, and at some point we pay you for it. But not now, because right now we don't have any money to pay you with. ...Is that gonna be a problem?"
Honestly, I think that the Night Vale story is this: The Night Vale people got suspicious after they heard about how the organizers didn't have the money to pay the hotel, and askedsomething along the lines of "Do you actually have the money you'll pay us with?"
The organizers pulled a Han Solo and said "I don't have it with me..." and the Night Vale people bolted, realizing that it was far from certain that they'd get paid.
Honestly, I think that the Night Vale story is this: The Night Vale people got suspicious after they heard about how the organizers didn't have the money to pay the hotel, and askedsomething along the lines of "Do you actually have the money you'll pay us with?"
The organizers pulled a Han Solo and said "I don't have it with me..." and the Night Vale people bolted, realizing that it was far from certain that they'd get paid.