Live Nation Considering Drive-In Concerts Amid COVID-19
Amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, promotion and ticketing mammoth Live Nation is looking to reopen and renegotiate its concert business, with one of the considerations being drive-in concerts; something Denmark, Sweden and Germany have already begun successfully testing.
The company’s CEO, Michael Rapino, stated, “Over the next six months, we’ll be starting slow and small, focusing on the basics and testing regionally. But whether it’s in Arkansas or [another] state that is safe, secure and politically fine to proceed in, we’re going to dabble in fan-less concerts with broadcasts and reduced-capacity shows, because we can make the math work.”
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He adds, “Over the summer there will be testing happening, whether it’s fan-less concerts, which offer great broadcast opportunities and are really important for our sponsorship business; drive-in concerts, which we’re going to test and roll out and we’re having some success with; or reduced-capacity festival concerts, which could be outdoors in a theater on a large stadium floor, where there’s enough room to be safe. We have all of these plans in place depending on the market and where that local city may sit in their reopening phases.”
As for venues and business overseas, he explains, “There are a lot of great artists that can sell out an arena, but they’ll do higher-end theaters or clubs. So you’re gonna see us [gradually reopening] in different countries, whether it’s Finland, Asia, Hong Kong — certain markets are farther ahead [in the recovery process].”
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