Tag: COVID-19

Electric Forest 2021 postpones to August

Electric Forest 2021 announced that it will be postponing its original 2021 festival dates to August due to ongoing “COVID-19 considerations.”

It is still uncertain if whether or not the festival will be taking place this year. However, organizers of the event posted an announcement on social media and their website saying,

“HQ is working tirelessly to navigate our potential options for 2021, and discussions with all parties involved are ongoing. If Electric Forest 2021 is to happen, it will take place in August.
While we all miss each other tremendously, and can’t wait to connect again in the Forest, the safety of the Forest Family remains the utmost priority. With a little more patience, we will have the clarity we desire. For now, we want to make sure that clarity is based on every bit of information possible.”
Electric Forest

The White Lake Beacon reported in January that the Rothbury Village Council approved dates in June as well as two additional weekends for the festival in August. According to Village clerk Carol Witzke, the alternate dates are August 12 – 15 and August 19 – 22, which were reported when the 2021 festival date was announced in January.

2021 would mark Electric Forest’s rescheduled 10th-anniversary celebration. Its 2020 edition lineup, which was canceled featured the likes of Bassnectar, Big Gigantic, Diplo, Duke Dumont, Flume, Louis The Child, Major Lazer, and Tchami to name a few. To remain up-to-date with the Electric Forest, please visit its official website.

April 10, 2021
Coachella 2021 is canceled for the third time

Coachella 2021 announced its cancellation for the third time due to the coronavirus pandemic in an order issued by health officials on Friday.

Due to the pandemic, Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser today (Jan. 29) signed a public health order canceling Coachella Valley Music and Arts, Stagecoach Country Music festivals planned for April 2021. We look forward to when the events may return. https://t.co/YAIn8uTea9
— Dr. Cameron Kaiser (@RivCoDoc) January 29, 2021

“The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Country Music Festival currently scheduled for April 2021 are hereby canceled. This order is intended to reduce the likelihood of exposure to COVID-19. If COVID-19 were detected at these festivals, the scope and number of attendees and the nature of the venue would make it infeasible, if not impossible, to track those who may be placed at risk.”
Dr. Cameron Kaiser, Riverside County Health Officer

Coachella was originally scheduled to take place in 2020 with headliners Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, and Rage Against the Machine on April 10-12 and April 17-19, It was then pushed to the weekends of Oct. 9-11 and Oct. 16-18, 2020. The last time the festival took a hiatus was after its 1999 debut and its 2001 return. There is no word yet from festival organizers or health officials when the festival will take place in the future.

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is an annual festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. Founded in 1999, it is organized by Goldenvoice, a subsidiary of AEG, and is known to feature an eclectic range of acts from a range of genres with performances by Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys, Madonna, Daft Punk, Prince, Paul McCartney, The Killers, Jay-Z, Fedde Le Grand, and Nora En Pure to name a few.

January 31, 2021
Grammy Awards 2021 are postponed to March

Grammy Awards 2021 are postponed to Sunday, March 14, 2021, at the STAPLES Center amidst COVID-19 concerns.

Having originally been scheduled to take place on January 31, organizers chose to postpone this year’s ceremony within three weeks of the event. A statement was released by organizers Harvey Mason Jr., Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy; Jack Sussman, Executive Vice President, Specials, Music, Live Events and Alternative Programming, CBS; and Ben Winston, Grammy Awards Executive Producer, Fulwell 73 Productions.

“After thoughtful conversations with health experts, our host, and artists scheduled to appear, we are rescheduling the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards to be broadcast Sunday, March 14, 2021. The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show.
We want to thank all of the talented artists, the staff, our vendors, and especially this year’s nominees for their understanding, patience, and willingness to work with us as we navigate these unprecedented times.”

Having originally planned the award show with no live audience except the presenters and performers appearing in person, it is still unclear if whether or not this plan will remain intact. For a complete list of all of the Grammy Awards 2021 nominations, please visit here. To remain up-to-date, on all of the 2021 Grammy Award show announcements, please visit its official website.

January 6, 2021
Insomniac Cares & Musically Fed deliver food drives at Park N Rave events

Insomniac Cares & Musically Fed are teaming up to deliver weekly food drives to help the stagehands and crew at Insomniac’s Park N Rave events, which take place at NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, California.

All voluntary donations will be collected at Insomniac’s Park N Rave shows where they will collect non-perishable dry goods and canned foods. All donations will be collected prior to the event by team members scanning tickets. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many crew members have faced unemployed. Therefore, it is important to help those who make these special live performances happen.

For those looking to donate, Insomniac recently announced a slew of upcoming Park N Rave events, which are scheduled to take place in December. Some of these events include a two-night performance by Audien on December 4 and 5, a special early event with Day Trip on December 6, a Bass takeover with Subtronics on December 11 and 12, and a special two-night event with Valentino Khan on December 18 and 19. Finally, deadmau5 will be delivering five performances kicking off with a special New Year’s event on December. 31.

Musically Fed strives to utilize the music industry in the fight against hunger. Rallying artists, promoters, management, and venues nationwide, Musically Fed donates unused backstage meals to communities that feed the homeless and those in need. For additional information about Musically Fed, please visit here.

Insomniac Cares is dedicated to making a positive impact on issues facing the communities and neighborhoods where Insomniac Events are held. For events that sponsor Insomniac Cares, one dollar for every ticket purchased goes to beneficial organizations focusing on: children and families, sustainability and environmental awareness; law enforcement; first responders; education; and self-care and harm reduction. Since its inception, Insomniac Cares has partnered with over 50 local and national charities and community organizations and donated over two million dollars. For additional information about Insomniac Cares, please visit their official website.

November 29, 2020
Relentless Beats celebrate the success of live pod concert experiences

Relentless Beats celebrate the success of their socially distant pod concert experiences, which took place over five weekends from October through November at Rawhide Event Center.

Welcoming over 16,000 attendees, the near sold-out events featured performances by Kayzo on October 9 and 10; Adventure Club on October 16 and 17; NGHTMRE on October 23 and 24; Deorro and Party Favor for Ritual Halloween weekend; Subtronics on November 6 and 7; and Green Velvet who closed out the series on November 8.

“I had my reservations to do these shows but given the positive feedback following our drive-in series it felt like the right thing to do. I’m pleased to have hosted five successful consecutive weeks where our fans and our team came out to promote safety, unity, and positivity. Special thanks to everyone at Relentless Beats & Rawhide who worked tirelessly to make it happen for us. Most of all THANK YOU to our fans for the support and love.”
Thomas Turner, Relentless Beats founder

The love received from the events is captured in a “Thank You” video from Relentless Beats, which can be seen below. The video provides highlights from each show and uses the upbeat track, “Thin Line” as its soundtrack from pod concert experience alum John Summit.

Relentless Beats pod concert experience

Each event followed State, Federal, and all CDC guidelines for outdoor gatherings by providing health checks, implementing face mask requirements, and equipping sanitation stations throughout the venue in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In addition, the Rawhide Event Center implemented a concession and merchandise system easily accessible via phones with orders received and delivered safely to pods. Welcoming guests without a single positive COVID-19 case to report serves as a testament that the guidelines put in place do work and live music can still be enjoyed amidst a pandemic.

“The first in a series of what we hope will be a continuation of Relentless Beats POD concerts were an absolute success. We worked in conjunction with all local health and safety officials to create a safe, sanitized, and energized environment- allowing attendees to feel comfortable returning to a Relentless Beats event. Running our steps of operations through our HealthyVerify process and Task Force oversight and after welcoming guests to our facilities over several weeks and with not a single positive covid test means the process, the mask, and enforcement of physical distance can work.”
Mark Grado, Rawhide Event Center general manager

For additional information on upcoming future events, please visit Relentless Beats’ official website.

November 23, 2020
Swallow Events launches first COVID-19 rapid testing facility service

Swallow Events has announced the launch of a brand-new rapid COVID-19 testing kit specifically designed for the event industry to use throughout the UK and the rest of the world.

This announcement comes after the company formed an exclusive partnership with Roche to offer MHRA and CE approved 15-minute (99.68% specificity) turn-around pop-up testing facilities. These facilities will be conducted by healthcare professionals who are government-approved for events at any size and scale, which will enable large-scale gatherings to be held in a COVID-19 secure environment.

Their consultancy service is in line with UK government guidelines Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and also in conjunction with any local authority restrictions and necessary health and safety precautions.

“The events industry has been forgotten and devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although a common misconception, events have actually been allowed to take place in the UK in 2020. The guidelines regarding them, however, are unclear, with the ultimate decision often based on a single person’s opinion at the local authority level.
There are instances of events receiving approval and licenses granted, only for them then to be revoked at the last minute, which only serves to further fuel financial problems and job losses to the industry.
With this in mind, we are very proud to announce we are the first events company in the UK to offer an on-site rapid testing service for Covid-19 in as little as 15 minutes, which, we believe, is a complete game-changer.
Our rapid testing kits – a market leader (which meets MHRA target product profile with sensitivity: 96,52% & specificity: 99,68%) used in conjunction with track and trace data-collection and other Covid secure protocols such as touchpoint and temperature checks will help event organizers in all sectors from large scale festivals, concerts, stadia, business conferences, and trade shows through to agricultural shows and small boutique festivals. It will kick start a £39.1 billion contributing sector to the UK’s economy whilst helping to protect over 570,000 full-time jobs which are rapidly disappearing.
Our mission is to support and lobby for events of all nature, working in close conjunction with local authorities and ultimately enabling organizers to open in a safe, responsible and Covid secure environment”
Oli Thomas – Founder and Managing Director of Swallow Events

Swallow Events is a UK-based business that is a leading event and festival operations specialist, with vast experience managing all aspects of event infrastructure to a wide range of clients and across a diverse number of industries. Having already been a market leader in event catering management and operations, Swallow Events plans to expand into full event logistics and operations, brand sponsorships and partnerships, as well as a highly specialized digital marketing consulting business. For additional information, please visit their official website.

November 18, 2020
Global Eclipse Festival refuses to issue refunds

The Argentine festival, Global Eclipse is refusing to reimburse ticketholders with refunds for the December 10-16 event, despite the fact that authorities are not letting international tourists into Argentina due to COVID-19.

Organizers of the EDM event refuse to issue refunds because the festival has not officially been canceled; however, there is still no way a vast majority of ticket holders can attend the event due to the restrictions being placed by the government.

https://vimeo.com/329865765

“We’ve had requests to ‘refund the money’ but it’s not possible to retrieve sunk costs for labour, and niche physical assets are not easy to sell in the downtrodden Argentine economy.
Humans are social beings. Isolation has taken a toll on all of us. We are meant to connect and we are meant to gather. We plan to do it safely in the best way possible.
We are producers with decades of experience who are 2.5 years into a three-year project and we’ve learned to prepare for permutations of earth, wind, and fire but none of us had ‘global pandemic’ on our 2020 bingo card.”
– Global Eclipse Festival

Having been in the works for three years, many fans have purchased tickets before the Coronavirus pandemic hit. Despite seeing the country hit almost one million cases in recent months, organizers of the festival announced that the Patagonian party will be taking place in Dec. There is still much up for speculation because a lineup still has yet to be revealed for the festival.

Argentina has been enforcing one of the most stringent lockdowns in the world with regular internal flights set to resume for the first time since March this week.

For additional information on Global Eclipse Festival, please visit the festival’s official webpage here.

October 22, 2020
BPM Festival Costa Rica 2021 is announced

BPM Festival Costa Rica announced dates for next year’s sophomore edition, which is scheduled to return to Tamarindo, Costa Rica on March 3-7, 2021.

BPM Festival Costa Rica 2021

To celebrate the announcement, the festival revealed a special recap “Thank You” video from its 2020 debut. Please see below to get a glimpse into what BPM Festival Costa Rica is all about.

The festival, which was scheduled to take place next January, cooperated with government guidance to reschedule its planned dates to provide fans with the safest, most immersive experience possible.

In its previous 2020 edition, BPM Festival Costa Rica saw a number of unique label showcases across a number of daytime and nighttime venues with performances by Loco Dice, Luciano, Michael Bibi, Nicole Moudaber, Paco Osuna, and many more. 2021 will mark BPM Festival Costa Rica’s return as the brand’s dedicated fanbase enjoys revelrous nights with some of the world’s best artists in house and techno.

The tropical landscape of Tamarindo will provide the perfect backdrop to the next chapter in BPM Festival Costa Rica’s story. Costa Rica and its government will be warmly welcoming international tourists from Canada, the European Schengen Zone, Mexico, and the United States as of November 1, 2020.

Festivalgoers will have the traveling option to fly into either Liberia International Airport (LIR), which is approximately 60 minutes via car from Tamarindo, or San José’s primary international airport, San José International Airport (SJO), a 3-4 hour car ride away. Potential attendees must follow all COVID-19 testing guidelines set forth by Costa Rica before entering the country.

BPM Festival Costa Rica 2021 will be offering flexible ticketing policies to accommodate the needs of its travelers due to COVID-19 concerns. Ticket-holders will have three available options this year, with credit, resale, and refund options all available. Please note that if you are denied entry into Costa Rica for failing to meet entry requirements set in place, no refund or credit will be given.

Please click here for a list of all COVID-19 travel policies in Costa Rica. Please click the following link for pre-sale ticket registration.

The BPM Festival has grown to become a must-attend staple within the Electronic Dance music industry with parties and showcases from some of the biggest labels and artists in house and techno. Up until its 2017 edition, it has been held in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. For additional information on the BPM Festival, please visit the festival’s official website.

October 21, 2020
Beastie Boys’ ‘Sabotage’ used in ad for Joe Biden campaign

The Beastie Boys have given a rare clearance of their 1994 Ill Communication hit, “Sabotage” to be used in an advertisement for the Joe Biden campaign.

Having first aired during the NFL games on Sunday, Oct. 18, the advertisement aims to focus on the impact COVID-19 has had on music venues across the US. Among those featured in the ad is Joe Malcoun, the owner of the grassroots venue The Blind Pig.

Discussing the effects that the pandemic has had on his venue and others, Malcoun believes that Donald Trump’s response has been devastating for venues.

“We don’t know how much longer we can survive without any revenue. A lot of restaurants and bars that have been mainstays for years will not make it through this. This is Donald Trump’s economy. There is no plan and you don’t know how to go forward.”
– Joe Malcoun, Owner of The Blind Pig

Please see below for the full advertisement, which aired.

It is rare for the Beastie Boys to give approval for their music in advertisements. The last advertisement where their music appeared was in 2017 when “Sobotage” was used in a trailer for the “Destiny 2” video game.

The Beastie Boys recently aired a live-stream of their final official performance at Bonnaroo before their fellow group member Adam Yauch passed away from cancer.

Beastie Boys Music, a new collection of music, is scheduled to be released on Oct. 23.

The Beastie Boys are a New York City-based rap/rock group comprised of Michael Diamond (Mike D), Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock), and the late Adam Yauch (MCA). Having become pioneers of the music industry since their first album Licensed to Ill was released in 1986, they have since been one of the first groups to merge both rap and alternative music genres. They also have become notable political activists for a number of causes including the Free Tibet movement. For additional information on the Beastie Boys, please visit their official website here.

This news story was initially reported by DJMag.

October 20, 2020
Save Live Events Now coalition petitions US government

The Save Live Events Now coalition petitioned the US government to expand the Save Our Stages Act to include live event workers.

Live Nation, AEG Presents, and Oak View Group, the colossal forces behind live entertainment in the US, have joined together to form the Save Live Events Now coalition to petition the US government for relief for live event workers and musicians who have been impacted by the shutdown of live events due to COVID-19 back in March.

According to the coalition, 90% of the 12 million industry workers employed by venues and businesses don’t qualify for support under the Save Our Stages and it’s estimated that 77% of live event workers have lost 100% of their income.

The coalition is calling for a number of measures including $600 a week in compensation; healthcare subsidies, including an expansion of COBRA to ensure that live events workers do not lose medical coverage; and changes to unemployment insurance to make life easier for live event workers

The bipartisan Save Our Stages Act, which was petitioned on Oct. 1 has now been stalled after President Trump announced that he would be walking away from any talks until after the Nov. 3 election.

“Live entertainment and in-person experiences play vital roles in stimulating our culture, communities, and local economies and venues are the centers that host and make that possible.”
“Many venues are publicly owned because our society has recognized the important role they play, and now we need to extend that same acknowledgment to the millions of workers who are just as critical to the future of events.”
– Brad Mayne, CEO at International Association of Venue Managers

More than 20 companies have joined the coalition, including Music Artists Coalition (MAC), Feld Entertainment, Rhino, TAIT, Endeavor, Paradigm, SAG-AFTRA, Bandit Lites, Fullstop Management, Universal Music Group, and more.

This article was originally reported by IQ-Mag.

October 12, 2020
Elements Festival presents ‘Meadows of Lost Souls’

Elements Festival announced that it would be hosting a special 2-night, open-air Halloween event titled, “Meadows of Lost Souls,” which is scheduled to take place on Friday, Oct. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 31 at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, NJ.

Having recently hosted a successful edition of “In My Elements” featuring performances by Maceo Plex and DJ Tennis back in July, the festival has decided to host a special Halloween edition of the music event with two packed nights filled with house and bass music.

Fans can expect a safe partying environment where two-part COVID-19 testing will be taking place. “In My Elements” provided on-site, advanced COVID-19 testing for all of its staff, talent, and patrons while employing thorough disinfection protocols throughout its three-day retreat.

“A primary goal of ‘In My Elements’ is to pave the way and provide guidance for how advanced testing could allow increased capacities for gatherings, so that events around the country, including our Elements Music & Arts Festival, can open safely in the fall.”
– Timothy Monkiewicz, Co Founder of Elements/BangOn!NYC

To receive its event’s upcoming lineup announcement or to receive first access tickets, fans can sign-up here. Tickets will be sold on a first-come-first-serve basis.

October 10, 2020
Relentless Beats announce Adventure Club Duality

Relentless Beats, Arizona’s leading dance music and EDM promoter, recently announced their newest 2-day socially distant experience, Adventure Club: Duality, which is set to take place on Oct. 16 and Oct. 17 at Rawhide Event Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

Adventure Club-Duality

Adding to their event series, which will kick off this weekend with a performance by Kayzo, ticket holders will be able to enjoy the melodic tunes of Adventure Club next weekend paired with openers ATLiens and Decadon on Friday and Dion Timmer and Brondo as openers on Saturday.

Tickets are currently available starting at $195 plus taxes and fees for each socially distanced pod holding an occupancy of five people. There will be the option to add three other to parties at the gate.

Relentless Beats will continue to follow State, Federal, and CDC guidelines for outdoor gatherings, with temperature checks taken upon arrival, facemask requirements, hand-wash and sanitation stations, and social distancing in place.

Patrons will be required to certify that they do not and have not experienced COVID-19 symptoms in the last 14 days. Gates will open at 7 pm, and it is highly recommended to arrive before the show begins. Everyone in each pod must arrive together. No outside food or beverages will be allowed but food and beverages may be delivered and ordered online. For additional information, please visit the promoter’s official webpage at the following link.

October 9, 2020
Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival may reschedule to Oct. 2021

It’s been reported that Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival is considering rescheduling its Palm Springs, CA event to Oct. 2021 a source Goldenvoice, Coachella’s event producer, told Billboard.

The move will be contingent on how dire the COVID-19 pandemic progresses throughout the rest of the year and whether Govldenvoice, local, and government officials feel the event can be safely staged in April. The current Coachella dates are April 9-11 and April 16-18, 2021.

It is rumored that ticketholders should get word of the move after Election Day on Nov. 3 and before the end of the year.

Moving to October 2021 would mark the third time Coachella would have to change dates. Nearly all 2020 festivals that postponed their dates to later in the year have since been rescheduled to 2021 or moved to a virtual format.

Coachella was originally scheduled to take place on April 10-12 and April 17-19, 2020, with headliners Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, and Rage Against the Machine. It was then pushed to the weekends of Oct. 9-11 and Oct. 16-18, 2020. The last time the festival took a break was after its 1999 debut and its 2001 return.

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is an annual festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. Founded in 1999, it is organized by Goldenvoice, a subsidiary of AEG, and is known to feature an eclectic range of acts from a range of genres with performances by Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys, Madonna, Daft Punk, Prince, Paul McCartney, The Killers, Jay-Z, Fedde Le Grand, and Nora En Pure to name a few.

October 9, 2020
Armin van Buuren & Ferry Corsten celebrate ASOT 1000 with b2b set

Armin van Buuren & Ferry Corsten announced that they would be celebrating A State of Trance’s (ASOT) monumental 1000th episode with a special b2b vinyl set on Thursday, Oct. 15 from 20.00 to 22.00 (CEST).

The set will be performed in a special COVID-19 proof setting and streamed live via ASOT’s Twitch, YouTube, and VK channels, providing fans the opportunity to tune in and watch two of trance’s most seminal artists take a trip down memory lane.

Armin van Buuren recently asked fans to vote for their favorite featured record of all time on the radio show via ASOT 1000 voting, which is scheduled to come to a monumental close the night of the live-stream.

“Celebration the milestone number of 1000 episodes means looking back as well, and I feel that the best way to do so is to play some vinyl again. I couldn’t think of anyone better to do this with than Ferry; it’s a great honor and I’m really excited for this to happen next week Thursday!”
– Armin van Buuren

“Armin and I go way, way back. We went from frequently playing the same events in the late ‘90s to collaborating on several tracks over the course of the past twenty years. We were long due for a back-2-back set that takes us right back to the amazing moments we shared, especially since I started my residency at his A State Of Trance radio show earlier this year. And it only feels right to do it in a way that pays homage to those early days of our shared history: with vinyl!”
– Ferry Corsten

Founded in 2009 by Armin van Buuren & Ferry Corsten, A State of Trance is a Dutch two-hour-long radio show aired on a weekly basis and has provided enough magical moments to last any trance music fan a lifetime. For additional information regarding the program, please visit its official webpage here.

October 8, 2020
Spain to host clinical study for rapid COVID-19 tests at live events

Spain is scheduled to host a clinical study of 1,000 participants at the Apollo Hall in Barcelona this October to establish the effectiveness of conducting rapid coronavirus tests at live events.

Organized by Primavera Sound, the Fight Against Aids and Infectious Diseases Foundation, and the Germans Trias hospital in Barcelona, the pilot will require each attendee to undergo a rapid antigen test, which detects the coronavirus within minutes. Only those with negative test results will be allowed to enter the event on the same day the test was conducted. Participants of the study will be required to wear masks at all times except when consuming beverages.

Prior to the opening of the event’s doors, another PCR test will take place on half of the participants to evaluate the effectiveness of rapid tests. The objective of the study is to test different formulas that can guarantee a safe environment for live events to take place within closed spaces while a COVID-19 vaccine is still yet to be established.

This pilot test is a smaller-scale version of Germany’s Restart-19 pilot which saw 1,500 participants spend ten days inside Arena Leipzig on August 22 to show how the coronavirus travels indoors at events. Results of Germany’s Restart-19 will be revealed on Oct. 22.

This story was originally reported by IQMag.

October 7, 2020