Touring
Venues Won’t Have to Reapply for Supplemental Shuttered Venue Grants
The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant was passed in December and supplemental grants were worked into the bill language to provide additional funding for entertainment businesses that continued to suffer closures into 2021. More than six months after the bill was passed, following failed launches and missed deadlines, venues are slowly receiving the much-needed initial round of funding, with just over $3 billion disbursed as of Monday. Information on how the supplemental grants will work continues to be minimal, but the SBA provided stakeholders with additional details this morning. In addition to year-round entities that lost 70% or more of their revenue in 2020, seasonal events such as annual festivals or amphitheaters that lost 70% or more of their revenue in...
SBA Has Approved 43% of Shuttered Venue Grant Applications
Of those notified of their awards, 2,374 are live music venue operators or promoters and 734 are talent representatives. Live performing arts organizations have received 1,777 award notifications. In addition, the SBA has “come to a decision on eligibility” for another 5,902 applicants, which means they will soon be notified of their applications success, failure or need for revision. Monday’s numbers show the SBA has “decisioned” 86% of the total 15,026 applications submitted. The administration has another 11% of applications in review and 3% waiting to be reviewed. As of midday Monday, the SBA has disbursed $3.3 billion in federal funding to venues, promoters, talent agencies, zoos, museums and movie theaters since May 26. Another $1.7 billion has...
Stadium Concerts Are Back: Inside Garth Brooks’ Huge Show at Las Vegas’ ‘Death Star’
Brooks took great pride in being a post-pandemic trailblazer, embracing the challenge of delivering a pivotal show for both fans and the industry. “To every musician out there, all I can say is get back in the game because it’s the greatest feeling in the world,” Brooks said during the concert, at one point getting on his hands and knees to thank the audience. The 28-song set, which is a continuation of what fans saw on his derailed 2020 tour, had Brooks and the crowd in a perpetual two-hour state of elation. He banged through all his hits and a few monumental covers including Billy Joel’s “Piano Man,” Bonnie Tyler’s “Mom” and George Strait...
Inside Track: How the Music Business Is Preparing to Return to the Office
Katovsky explains that BMG tested its return-to-work plan at its offices in Sydney, Australia, where COVID infection rates were low until recently. After surveying its global staff, Katovsky says that moving forward, the majority of BMG’s employees will be permitted to work from home two days per week. “We’re eager and excited to get back into the office, but we’re also pragmatic about that, and accept that we’ll have to make changes along the way,” he says. Meanwhile, a source says Sony Music has told its employees that, moving forward, the company plans to support more flexibility regarding working from home, and Triple 8 Management founder George Couri says the company’s employees, who are based in Nashville and Austin, Texas will have the option to work at home for part of the week. “A...
One Year In: Tour Photographer Catherine Powell Bought a House, Is Hitting the Road With Dan + Shay
When COVID started, none of us knew that a year later we’d still be in this. [In] March last year, everyone was kind of like, “Prepare for three months off, and then come summer we’re gonna be back on the road,” or “Come fall we’re gonna be back on the road.” So I formatted [my online print store to sell my photographs] in a way where it was only open for like six weeks or something like that — it got me through those months that I planned on not being on the road and a little past that. And then I was like, “Aww sh–, I should have done this for longer.” But it is what it is. Unemployment would go up and down in terms of, some weeks we got that bonus and that was great and that could fully keep me afloat, but then when that ...
SBA Has Delivered $1 Billion in Shuttered Venue Grants
The SBA’s grant website states that roughly 27% of the more than 14,600 applications are currently under review, with another 21% awaiting consideration. About 1,600 applicants will be receiving a notice to fix technical corrections from the SBA as well. According to an SVOG stakeholder, these are entities that meet the criteria for approval, but something in their application needs to be fixed. The SBA is working on a process to send emails to those that need technical corrections and show them on the portal how to address them. Also in the works is an appeals process for those who have been denied but believe they are still eligible for the grant. While details of the process are still being worked out, it is estimated that businesses will have around two weeks t...
Elton John Calls U.K. Government ‘Philistines’ Over Post-Brexit Touring Issues
John noted that artists like him “can afford to go to Europe” because they can pay for teams to focus on all the forms and individual visas now required thanks to the post-Brexit trade pact. But for younger or lesser-known artists, who have already been struggling following the shutdown of the touring industry due to the pandemic, the system is actively working against them. “We’ve been talking to Lord Strasburger about it, and we’ve been talking to Lord Frost, but we didn’t really get anywhere with him,” John said. “It’s a nightmare. To young people just starting a career, it’s crucifying.” Much of the singer’s ire was due to those failed attempts at lobbying members of the U.K. government on behalf of the arts and entertainment industry. “The government are philistines,” John said of Bor...
A Calendar of Tours & Festivals Returning in 2021 (Updating)
As the touring industry plots the return of concerts for 2021, Billboard has compiled a list of the major festivals and tours slated to take place later this year (organized by when they’re kicking off). JUNE Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam – June 4-6 in Panama City Beach, Fla. Essence Fest – June 25-27 and July 2-4 in New Orleans JULY Chris Stapleton, All-American Road Show (partially rescheduled) – Starts July 17 in Chicago Rolling Loud Miami – July 23-25 in Miami Dave Matthews Band, North American Summer Tour (rescheduled) – Starts July 23 in Raleigh, N.C. Green Day, Weezer & Fall Out Boy, The Hella Mega Tour (rescheduled) – Starts July 24 at Globe Life Field in Dallas James Taylor & Jackson Browne,...
Event Designer Bobby Garza In Austin, In a Pandemic: Cash-Poor Venues Have Decisions to Make
When the concert business shut down in March 2020, Bobby Garza abruptly shifted from putting on live events to tearing them down — his company, Austin-based Forefront Networks, had to cancel the California food-and-music festival Yountville Live later that month. In early April, his life changed even more dramatically: Forefront furloughed 30 percent of its staff, including him. As part of Billboard‘s efforts to best cover the coronavirus pandemic and its impacts on the music industry, we will be speaking with Garza, a 44-year-old former Forefront creative team leader who used to be general manager of festival producer Transmission Events, every other week to chronicle his experience throughout the crisis. As of early January, he is now vice president of programs and community ...
WME Artists Urge Boris Johnson to Fix Travel Between UK and EU
In the letter below, agents and music artists ask that the government act without any further delay and engage with its EU counterparts to ensure visa-free touring for artists. RT Hon Boris Johnson MPPrime Minister10 Downing StreetLondon, SW1A 2AA Dear Prime Minister: The UK music industry, which sustains over 197,000 full-time jobs, is amongst the most affected by COVID-19’s devastating impacts, and thousands of musicians whose livelihoods depend on touring are keen to get back to work. However, due to the changes brought about by Brexit, we are facing a crisis that may prevent that from happening, and we need your help. Over the past several decades, the UK has experienced a consistent upward trajectory in live touring, bringing with it a significant and positive economic impact. Much of...
Inside Track: Leadership Shakeup at UMG Latin; KAABOO’s Future Up In the Air
Universal Music Latino is home to major stars like J Balvin, Karol G and Sebastian Yatra, with Kaminsky, a seasoned and respected executive, having had a hand in the regional and international development of all of them. “I’m thrilled to be a part of this talented team and looking forward to working together with our amazing roster of artists through the next phase, making Universal Music Latino even more successful,” said Kaminsky. “I want to thank UMG for this exciting journey, and for this new opportunity to continue making history for Latin culture.” In addition, Salomón Palacios, who has been at Universal since 2013, most recently as director of live and artist services division GTS, has been appointed senior vp of marketing & artist strategy for Univ...
Belgian Officials Force Tomorrowland to Cancel 2021 Festival
During a press conference Thursday in Belgium, government officials said that while they revere the festival and regret this outcome, they have to follow current law and react to the current situation regarding the virus, especially on an international scale. For Tomorrowland to happen, its roughly 75,000 daily attendees would need to undergo testing for each day of the three-day event, officials said Thursday. The Belgian government stipulates that private companies cannot do the testing, and today local officials noted that the police do not have the resources to provide that level of testing. The police also have stated that they would not be able to secure the area sufficiently if they would also have to check IDs and proof of vaccination. In a statement, Tomorrowland said th...
