As concern over the spread of the coronavirus has spread rapidly this week, the world’s two largest live entertainment companies, AEG and nation liveand several major agencies announced they were suspending tours for the remainder of March.
Billed as a “statement by Live Nation, AEG, CAA, WME, Paradigm and UTA”, the statement reads:
“World leaders 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 interests of artists, fans, staff and the global community.
“The Task Force includes Michael Rapino (CEO and President, Live Nation Entertainment), Dan Beckerman (President and CEO, AEG and Board Member, ASM Global), Jay Marciano (President and CEO , AEG Presents), Rob Light (Managing Partner and Head of Music Division, CAA), Marc Geiger (Partner and Head of Music, WME), Sam Gores (Chairman, Paradigm), Marty Diamond (Head of Global Music, Paradigm) and David Zedeck (Global Head of Music, UTA).
“At this time, we collectively recommend that large-scale events until the end of March be postponed. We continue to support that small-scale events follow the guidelines set out by their local government officials. We feel fortunate to have the ability to reschedule concerts, festivals and live events as needed, and we look forward to connecting fans with all of their favorite artists and live entertainment soon.
The collective statement from promoters and agencies is unprecedented in the modern touring industry and will affect hundreds of concerts and thousands of ticket buyers worldwide. Among the artists currently on the road – and forced to stop – include Billie Eilish, who launched an extensive arena tour on Monday, Tame Impala, who played two nights at the Forum in Los Angeles earlier this week, The Strokes (scheduled for the Forum on Saturday), Post Malone, Michael Buble, Maluma, Cher, Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, Trippie Redd and Young MA, plus many more. It seems that the directive applies to all concerts in the world.
