– Amy Corbin

The Deciders

Amy Corbin and C3 Presents, like everyone promoting concerts and festivals, took a wallop from the coronavirus pandemic as it began to sweep through the country in March. But she points to the cancellation of South By Southwest as the first big shock to her system in 2020.

“SXSW was one of the first major events to cancel due to COVID-19,” she says. “The impact on the Austin community was felt immediately.  Within two weeks from that moment every show in March through May had postponed or canceled.  We have been so accustomed to react quickly and keep moving forward.  

“It was becoming more clear that we needed to press pause, watch, learn, then make an informed decision on what to do.  It felt like being inside of a tornado.  These are unprecedented times and a decision you make today may be voided tomorrow, so going forward we need to proceed with caution, communicate with each other and not react immediately.”

But Corbin is looking ahead in the Live Music Capital of The World, as Austin experiences record population growth and new venues in development, virus be damned. The new Moody Amphitheater is to open in March 2021 in downtown Austin with a capacity of 5,000, followed in 2022 with the opening of Moody Arena.

“We are excited to begin programming these venues,” Corbin says. “In addition, we are using this time to see how to come back better and stronger by identifying what was working, what wasn’t working, what ideas and innovation to explore.  We have this time and incredible opportunity which we may never get again.”

Still, the future is fraught with uncertainty and Corbin is acutely aware that there’s no crystal ball to guide the business in this unprecedented time. 

“It’s hard to predict the coming year when it is impossible to predict tomorrow,” she says.  “How many of our beloved venues and clubs will be out of business?  What capacity will we be allowed to work with?  Everyone who participates in live music is going to have to work together in order for us all to get back on our feet and establish the new normal.”

But Corbin’s experience and positive outlook will have an impact in whatever that “new normal” looks like. 

“At this point in my career, being in a position that can make a positive difference in our industry is what makes me proud,” Corbin says. “Putting strong women on stages of festivals, building an incredible team over the last 20 years and seeing them develop their own careers, and using that power for positive change and influence gives me confidence to keep going.”

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