Due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus, Live Nation is telling its touring shows — both domestic and international — to return home, according to Billboard.
The company told employees Thursday that current arena shows will be postponed through the end of the month as large gatherings around the world are being canceled and banned in some areas.
Select shows will be taken into account over the next few days, but the majority of concerts will be postponed.
Live Nation executives told employees that March is generally a slow month and the company will re-evaluate the situation at the beginning of April, hoping to resume touring in May or June.
Live Nation is also telling employees to work remotely as they are mostly closing the company’s Beverly Hills, California, headquarters until the end of March. They are not planning any layoffs and are well prepared for the closure.
Billie Eilish, Jason Aldean, Zac Brown Band, Cher, Kiss, Post Malone, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Chris Stapleton and many other concerts will be affected by the announcement.
AEG, one of the North America’s largest concert promoters, has aligned with its competitor Live Nation in instructing its touring shows to prepare to return home in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
In a joint statement, obtained by Rolling Stone, executives from Live Nation, AEG, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), William Morris Endeavor (WME), Paradigm and United Talent Agency (UTA) said they are working together to develop best practices to safeguard artists, fans and staff in the concert industry.
“The world’s leading forces in live entertainment have come together to form a global task force to drive strategic support and unified direction ensuring precautionary efforts and ongoing protocol are in the best interest of artists, fans, staff, and the global community,” the coalition said in a joint statement. “At this time, we collectively recommend large scale events through the end of March be postponed.
We continue to support that small-scale events follow guidance set by their local government officials. We feel fortunate to have the flexibility to reschedule concerts, festivals, and live events as needed, and look forward to connecting fans with all their favorite artists and live entertainment soon.”
additional source: New York Post
3 Responses
i’m sure this will be the case for the next few months until we get a handle on this virus – it’s impacting local shows in my neck of the woods as well as the economy here `
Makes sense and smart moves. Good luck to all out there and good health to all. To get scared, get prepared.
How To Support Your Favourite Artists During The Coronavirus Crisis
https://junkee.com/coronavirus-tour-cancellation-support-bands/246690
An excerpt from article….
Venmo and PayPal are direct means of financial support, requiring the musicians in question to share their payment details. But if you’re in a position to help, you don’t have to wait for a musician to ask.
Instead of streaming your favourite indie album on Spotify, why not consider buying the record outright through Bandcamp? Bandcamp give money “directly and instantly” to bands, as Sarah Thompson of Camp Cope pointed out on Twitter. You get the music, and the band in question get real financial support.
Then there’s Patreon. Patreon takes a cut of any money that you give to artists, which is something of a downside, but the money is regular, meaning that bands and musicians can depend on it. Setting up a regular donation to a band on Patreon — even a relatively small one — is a way of providing an artist with something like a safety net.
Obviously, it’s up to you which bands that you want to support, if you’re in a position to do so at all. But always remember to make an informed decision about where your money goes. The bigger the band is, the more that they’ll have saved up in the kitty, and the less that they’ll need your support. The really vulnerable bands are emerging or stridently independent ones.
Maybe, if you have some time, do some digging, and work out where your cents can be best spent. You won’t regret it. After all, the music industry is, at the end of the day, a human industry. And giving back to people is a way to feel connected and centred during difficult times.