Features
Live Nation Ceases Doing Business With Russia
“Live Nation joins the world in strongly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” the company says in a statement first released to IQ. “We will not promote shows in Russia, and we will not do business with Russia. We’re in the process of reviewing our vendors so we can cease work with any and all Russian-based suppliers.”
Live Nation the latest live entertainment company to boycott Russia. Earlier this week, OVG (Pollstar’s parent company) ceased all business activity with Russia.
Other incentives from the music industry include ILMC’s call for donations, the Portuguese music export office’s offer to help all Ukrainian musicians in Portugal, Slovakian festival Pohoda’s “Concert for Ukraine” in the main square of country capital Bratislava.
Other prominent boycotts come from the European Broadcasting Union, which won’t allow Russia to participate in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. In the United States, New York’s Carnegie Hall removed Russian conductor Valery Gergiev and piano soloist Denis Matsuev from its program. Both musicians reportedly had strong ties to Putin.
In the UK, the Royal Opera House canceled a summer season from the Bolshoi Ballet, the Helix theater in Dublin, Ireland, canceled a performance of “Swan Lake” by the Royal Moscow Ballet, even though the Royal Moscow Ballet stated that it is in “no way funded or sponsored by the Russian government.”
Associations from way beyond the music biz took action. FIFA and its European counterpart UEFA banned Russian soccer clubs from all tournaments. The executive board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) wants to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from international competitions.