Live Nation Acts Just The Way We Thought They Would

Rolling Stone is out with an article about how Live Nation is shifting COVID-19 related financial losses onto bands (shocker). MetalSucks has a nice breakdown. Apparently Live Nation sent around this memo meant for talent agencies. The memo outlines:

• Artist guarantees will be adjusted downward 20% from 2020 levels.
• Artists are required to have their its own cancellation insurance.
• Live Nation will not pay the artists its fee if an event is canceled due to an event of force majeure “including a pandemic similar to COVID-19.” [note: didn't I just mention this about insurance riders? I knew this was coming!]
• If a show is cancelled due to poor ticket sales, the artist will receive 25% of their guarantee, NOT the full 100% they are usually paid 
• If the artist cancels the show, they have to pay Live Nation twice the amount of their fee.

Now this all might not matter for big acts like Taylor Swift, Adele, Rhianna or even bands like Def Leppard. But what about smaller bands? This will be brutal for them. You have to think most smaller acts will just say "screw it" and opt to not tour and instead charge for Zoom shows or something. Or hang it up for good. No one knows when and where the next Covid spike will happen. If you are a band on tour and have a routing and suddenly a city is locked down, do you try to do your show? Of course not, no one will attend. So then what? You are screwed both ways. Ridiculous. 

Live Nation Attempting to Shift Financial Burdens to Artists https://t.co/Suhqsqkrsu

— MetalSucks (@metalsucks) June 18, 2020

Comments

[Bkallday]

It’s not Live Nation’s fault, it’s the Crüe’s fault!

[JCD]

Screwing people, it's what LiveNation does best.

[Gary]

There’s a special level of hell reserved for the asshats on the boards of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. Best thing is, there’ll be $75 in bogus “handling” charges tacked onto the entrance price for their eternity of torment,paid each day . (Im thinking Josh Groban songs on repeat 24/7 at 130 decibels as the soundtrack?)

[Metalboy!]

Artists’ best revenge during these times?

Do your own Pay-Per-View and cut LiveNation out of it entirely ...

Bands could build off their Safe at Home Concerts so when shows do finally happen, Live Nation can kiss their a*ses!

Pay Per View would also be really successful for all those one-off reunion shows we’ve talked about ad nauseous here!

Huh-uh-lo-oh, RATT, Skid Row, Cinderella!

Properly promoted and priced right, cutting out all the gouging LiveNation types, it would be HUGE!!!

[Metalboy!]

Oh, and very FUNNY, Funny Gary, as usual!!!

[Shawn]

Great Point PPV would be awesome and add special content - one off acoustic set with covers? of their favorite songs...... Someone once said - go find what influenced your favorite artist then find what influenced them and so on..

@Gary I like your sick mind:)

Hey Bob how are things in San Diego? You out there -- Christian you surviving down under?