AEG Presents is offering refunds for postponed events, Lyte is donating its March revenue to industry partners, and the new streaming service Broadway on Demand will launch next month. Here is a round-up of positive responses to the COVID-19 crisis from across the industry…
AEG
AEG Presents, which promotes Coachella and Stagecoach among others, has announced it will offer ticketholders a 30-day window to apply for refunds for concerts that have been delayed by COVID-19.
As of May 1, fans will have a month after they receive notification of a postponement to ask for a refund from the promoter of the show.
Fans that hold tickets for cancelled events will receive automatic refunds, while ticketholders of events that are yet to be rescheduled will not be eligible for refunds until a new date is set.
Lyte
San Francisco-based ticketing company Lyte has announced it will forgo all its revenue from its venue and touring business in March and distribute the profits to venue partners.
The move will support venues who have started crowdfunding campaigns to support their staff amid the COVID-19 shutdown of live events.
The company has also made donations to two organisations, Backline and Plus1, focused on assisting individuals in the events industry.
Backline is the music industry’s mental health and wellness hub and provides free resources for the music industry in an effort to improve the wellbeing of these individuals on and off the road. Plus1 has launched a COVID-19 Relief Fund that it will grant to organisations providing direct relief to community members impacted by the pandemic.
UK creative industries
More than 130 UK MPs and peers have backed calls for a targeted creative industries support package.
Peers from the House of Lords such as Michael Grade, Joan Bakewell, Floella Benjamin and David Puttnam are also among those to sign a letter to the government that claims the support so far has failed to reach “the very large numbers of directors of small limited companies, freelancers or agency workers that keep our creative industries booming”.
The letter also states that without further action from the government, creative industry workers and their families will be “left with no option than to join the ever-growing queue for universal credit”.
UK Music and Creative Industries Federation, both of which have penned their own calls for support, have also backed the letter.
Broadway on Demand
Broadway on Demand, a membership-based streaming service for Broadway shows, has been unveiled and will launch next month.
The platform will offer a library of video on demand content, exclusive livestream events, interactive platforms, and educational resources, including live-captured Broadway shows, exclusive performances and backstage access to masterclasses.
Broadway on Demand will kick off with ‘30 Days of Opening Nights,’ a free-to-access benefit concert that will be live-streamed from Hollywood’s Bourbon Room in accordance with social distancing guidelines and policies. The event will raise funds for entertainers affected by COVID-19, including playwrights, musicians, composers and theatre personnel.
The service is also partnering with individual artists, concert series, brick-and-mortar performance venues, and producing entities to offer a wide-array of events.
In addition to free content, a Premium Subscription will offer access to a special selection of premium content, including archival materials and the bulk of livestreams. A handful of special events will be “ticketed” using a pay-per-view model, with discounts offered to Premium Subscribers.
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