Here’s a roundup of the concerts, music festivals, and industry functions that have been put on ice due to coronavirus concerns during the last 24 or so hours. The ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic has had a significant worldwide impact. H…
Category archives: Feature Story
Newly-Discovered Insect Species Named After Lady Gaga
A graduate student at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has named a newly discovered treehopper species after Lady Gaga. Brendan Morris said he was inspired to base the treehopper’s name off Lady Gaga because the insect, like the artist, is hi…
Coachella, Stagecoach Officially Postponed — Here’s the Official Statement + Details
Last night, sources pointed to a postponement of both Coachella and Stagecoach festivals. Now, both moves are official. The following announcement was emailed to Digital Music News shortly after 4 pm PT. Official Goldenvoice statement: At the directi…
Sorry, SXSW Will Not Be Offering Refunds
The SXSW 2020 saga has taken yet another unfortunate turn, as a recent letter to the mega festival’s badge holders made clear that they won’t be receiving refunds for their passes. Instead, those who paid to attend the 10-day-long Austin event will be …
7digital Secures a Critical Loan to Keep the Lights On
7digital has sealed a critical loan from a UK-based lender, prolonging the company’s hunt for profitability. London-based digital music and radio services platform 7digital has secured a 12-month, $646,000 (£500,000) loan, and company executives …
Fyre Festival’s Andy King Embarks on a UK Speaking Tour — A ‘Fyre Side Chat’
Andy King was one of the few employees to emerge unscathed (and rather well-liked) from the Fyre Festival fiasco, and now, he’s hitting the road to speak of his behind-the-scenes experiences and observations. Dubbed “A Fyre-Side Chat with Andy King,” t…
SXSW Lays Off One-Third of Its Workforce, Says 2021 Event Is In Doubt
The immense financial impact of last week’s SXSW 2020 cancellation has forced the mega festival’s organizers to lay off approximately one-third of their full-time workforce. Additionally, SXSW 2021 is also in doubt, according to CEO Roland Swenson. Pr…
Coachella Is Getting Postponed Six Months Until October, Sources Report
With the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic raging on and an ever-increasing number of high-profile events being called off in response, AEG Presents and Goldenvoice are attempting to strike a balance between an outright cancellation and proceeding as pla…
Spotify Plucks 36 Artists for Its Global Emerging Artist Program, ‘Radar’
Spotify announced today that its updated global emerging-artist program, now called RADAR, has signed 36 new artists. As with Spotify’s previous efforts to promote up-and-coming acts, RADAR will center on a playlist (entitled “On Our RADAR&…
Live Nation Stock Tanking Amidst Cancelled Concerts & Festivals
Although Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino downplayed the probable impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on business operations just last week, the concert-promotion company’s stock value tumbled today as event cancellations—and refund requests—continued t…