In the wake of the postponement or cancellation of a number of festivals and tours in recent weeks, tQ will be using this page to provide ongoing updates on how the spread of the novel coronavirus, AKA COVID-19, is affecting the worldwide music scene.
July 17
• Signalling a move into "Stage Four" of the UK government’s coronavirus response, Boris Johnson has said that "indoor performances" will be permitted in England with socially distanced audiences from August 1.
July 16
• Much-loved Manchester venues The Deaf Institute and Gorilla have closed down for good, citing the financial impact of the COVID-19 shutdown as the reason.
July 15
• Portugal’s Semibreve festival has confirmed plans for an online edition this October in place of its annual event in the city of Braga. Laurel Halo, Nkisi, Klara Lewis, and more will be involved.
July 14
• Having recently indicated that it would go ahead a month later than usual next month, with the approval of Serbia’s Prime Minister and a 50% lower capacity than usual, EXIT Festival has now rescheduled its next edition to 2021. The festival had begun announcing a line-up for its 2020 edition. "During the past few weeks, there has been the development of the epidemic with an increase of new daily cases in several municipalities in Serbia that were put under strict restrictions," organisers said, explaining their decision to reschedule to next year.
July 6
• Music venues are amongst the businesses eligible for funds from the UK government’s newly announced £1.57 billion pandemic support package for the arts and culture sector. For the full story, click here.
July 2
• UK Music has launched a campaign called Let The Music Play, calling upon the government to do more to support the UK’s live music sector amid the pandemic. The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Radiohead, FKA twigs, Foals, and Dizzee Rascal are amongst the artists who’ve put their name to an open letter to the UK government.
June 30
• In Perth, a number of clubs and bars have begun reopening with West Australia having moved into phase four of its coronavirus restrictions plan. Under phase four, businesses are no longer required to obtain the contact details of customers and live music events are allowed, save for large-scale festivals. Despite the easing, the ABC reports that the government is still warning people to maintain physical distancing with a two-square-metre rule — which requires venues to provide at least two square metres of floor space per person — still in place.
• Prague club Ankali is reopening this weekend with an all-local line-up. "Hopefully this won’t be only a temporary relief and we will make sure all safety measures will be in place," the venue, which has been closed since March, said in a Facebook post.
• In New York, the clubs Nowadays and Elsewhere are opening up their outdoor spaces in line with local guidelines. Nowadays’ outdoor space will open up from July 1 and is currently taking advance reservations. Find details of its reopening plans here. Elsewhere has already reopened its rooftop, operating a capacity of 50 people on a first-come, first-serve basis.
• In a blow to the hopes that clubs may be able to start reopening without a vaccine for COVID-19, 300 attendees of a Zurich nightclub have been told to quarantine for 10 days after one clubber tested positive for coronavirus. Five people they attended with subsequently tested positive. Find more details here.
June 26
• A five-step roadmap for the UK’s entertainment and music industry has been set out by Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden. Though there is no timeline given for when changes may be possible, the plan sets out the stages at which the government hopes to get the industry back up and running. More information can be found here.
June 23
• An immediate cash injection of £50m is needed to prevent mass closures of grassroots music venues in the UK this July, August and September, according to an open letter shared by the Music Venue Trust. The body is also calling for the government to introduce a sector-specific one-off cut in VAT on ticket sales for the next three years for venues and promoters. For more on this story, head here.
June 22
• Leaked guidance from the government has suggested that nightclubs could reopen later this year with strict hygiene measures and temperature checks upon entry. For the full story, click here.
June 18
• Japan’s Labyrinth festival will no longer take place this October. "With a heavy heart, we paused preparations for the event around two months ago when it became obvious that it would be impossible to build The Labyrinth this year," promoter Mindgames said in a statement confirming that plans for this year’s event have now been shelved altogether.
• Germany’s government has agreed an extension of the ban on large events from August 31 until at least the end of October. The only exceptions will be for events that can ensure adequate contact tracing, and meet strict hygiene and social distancing standards.
June 10
• Having been postponed to October from its original April dates, Coachella will now no longer take place in 2020. It’s the first time in 20 years that the California festival has been cancelled. As the Los Angeles Times reports, Riverside County public health officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser said that the festival would be unable to go ahead at its Empire Polo Grounds home until 2021 at the earliest.
June 9
• The 2020 edition of Chicago’s Lollapalooza festival has been called off. The decision was announced today by Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. The line-up for the festival hadn’t yet announced. There are plans to host a live-stream event from July 30 to August 2 in its place.
• Albania’s Kala festival will no longer take place in 2020. The event had been rescheduled to September from its original date in June, but the decision has now been made to focus plans on next year.
May 25
• London’s Southbank Centre has warned that it faces a risk of closure until at least April 2021 if the government does not provide further support to the arts and culture organisation, and others like it. The team behind the organisation has put forward a number of proposals for how the government can provide better support to the UK’s culture sector. For the full story, head here.
May 23
• Serbia’s EXIT Festival may take place this August after the country’s Prime Minister appeared to urge organisers to press forward with putting the event on. Organisers have acknowledged that the usual capacity will have to be reduced alongside putting in place other precautionary measures. For the full story, head here.
May 20
• Italy, which had one of the strictest lockdowns in the world until measures started to be eased earlier this month, is to allow some live music events to take place, starting from June 15. Events, which must be seated, will go ahead under strict social distancing measures. For the full story, click here.
• Field Day has rescheduled its 2020 event. The one-day festival will now take place on July 10, 2021, with much of this year’s intended line-up carried over to the new date.
• Portugal festival NOS Alive will no longer take place in 2020, with the next event now scheduled for July 7-10, 2021. The postponement comes after the Portuguese government yesterday approved a law banning large-scale live events throughout the country until September 30.
• End Of The Road has postponed its 2020 edition to 2021. Organisers have confirmed that this year’s headliners – Pixies, King Krule and Big Thief – will play next year’s event, along with Bright Eyes, Little Simz and Aldous Harding, who were all also due to play this year. The festival will now take place from September 2-5, 2021.
May 19
• Utrecht’s Le Guess Who? festival has postponed its 2020 edition and will now take place from November 11-14, 2021. For the full story, head here.
May 18
• A new study of 130 respondents carried out by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has found that night time business owners expect to be able to operate from 40-43% of their businesses’ capacity once the lockdown has been lifted. If this is the case, 63.8% of respondents believe that their businesses will not be financially viable without additional support. For more on the study, click here.
May 14
• Green Man is the latest UK festival to postpone its next edition to 2021. Organisers describe postponing the festival as a "very hard decision" that was made "after many tense weeks analysing the situation." Read the full story here.
• Helsinki’s Flow Festival has been postponed to 2021. "Even in times as strange as these, the sense of community and meaningful culture do not lose their importance, and we do look forward to seeing music, food and art lovers at Flow Festival again next year," the festival’s artistic director Tuomas Kallio said in a statement shared by Flow. The next edition will now take place from August 13-15, 2021.
May 13
• 92% of the UK’s independent festivals are "at risk" according to research carried out by the Asssociation of Independent Festivals. The organisation polled its members and found that the UK’s festival sector could be facing potential refunds of up to £800m in total this summer. Read more on this story here.
• The 2020 editions of Reading & Leeds have been cancelled. Liam Gallagher, Stormzy and Rage Against The Machine had been set to headline the twin festivals which organisers say will return in 2021.
May 11
• After re-opening with social distancing measures in place just two weeks ago, Seoul’s nightlife establishments have been forced to close again following a spike in new COVID-19 infections. Mayor Park Won-soon said the order would remain in effect until further notice. To read more on this story, click here.
• The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has expressed further concern for the future of its member businesses, which include nightclubs, bars, pubs and restaurants, after last night’s update on lockdown and social distancing measures in the UK by Boris Johnson. "Following the Prime Minister’s announcement tonight of the government’s planned measures for social and economic re-engagement," a statement released last night said, "we have been left again with uncertainty and concern over the details and the exact timeline of when we will be able to open our businesses." Read more on this story here.
• Barcelona’s Primavera Sound festival has been postponed for a second time. Having originally been due to take place later this month, organisers later announced plans to reschedule the event to late August. That plan has now been abandoned and the festival will instead celebrate its 20th anniversary from June 2-6, 2021. Find the organisers’ full statement here.
May 8
• Sónar Barcelona has been postponed to 2021. It will take place on the new dates of June 17-19, 2021. Organisers say they will try to retain as much of this year’s line-up as possible for next year’s edition. You can read the festival’s full statement here.
May 7
• For the first time in its 54-year history, Notting Hill Carnival has been cancelled. "This has not been an easy decision to make, but the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic and the way in which it has unfolded means that this is the only safe options," a statement shared by the annual event’s organisers says.
• A raft of further UK festival cancellations have come through over the last week, with Wireless, Boomtown and Houghton all calling off their 2020 editions, with intentions to return in 2021.
• Oslo club Jaeger has reopened as of May 6. The team behind the club said that they would be observing the latest COVID-19 guidelines for Oslo and Norway. You can see details of those guidelines here.
April 30
• Italy’s Terraforma festival has postponed its 2020 edition and will now take place from July 2-4, 2021.
• With its original April date having been postponed, Record Store Day is to expand to three days in 2020 with the focus shifting away from in-store events and gatherings. Read more on this story here.
April 23
• The Berlin Senate has launched a number of initiatives to get emergency funding to freelancers and the self-employed, as well as small and medium-sized businesses, in the cultural sector. For the full story, click here.
• Finland’s ban on events with a capacity of 500 or more has been extended to July 31.
• Amsterdam festival Dekmantel has been postponed to 2021. The line-up for this year’s edition will be carried over to next year, taking place on the new date of August 4-8, 2021. The postponement comes in the wake of the Dutch government’s decision to extend a ban on large events until August 31. Read the festival’s full statement here.
• Spotify has launched a new in-app artist fundraising feature to allow artists to fundraise for themselves, their crew or a chosen verified charity during the pandemic. Find more information on this here.
• London bar and gig venue The Lexington has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help see it through the crisis. "Between topping up furloughed wages in full and paying our rent we are spending over £25k each month for the luxury of having our doors closed," the team behind the venue says. You can find out more here.
April 22
• This year’s Unsound festival will take place online with the focus of the line-up shifting entirely to the discourse programme for one year only. For more information, click here.
• Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar has announced that the government will not look at approving permits on events with a capacity of 5,000 people or more until after August 31 at least.
April 21
• The Dutch government has extended its ban on events until September 1. This covers festivals, concerts, sporting events and other mass gatherings.
• Germany’s WHOLE | United Queer Festival will now no longer take place in 2020 following the extended ban on large-scale events in the country until late August. Announcing the cancellation, organisers revealed that they need €100,000 in order to keep the festival afloat and ensure that they can deliver an event next year. They are asking ticket buyers to consider donating their ticket if they can, and will also launch a crowdfunding campaign later this week. Find more information here.
• Lyon festival Nuits Sonores has been postponed for a second time. The festival, which had originally been due to take place next month, was last month rescheduled to a late July date, but will no longer take place then following the French government’s ban on large-scale events until mid-July at least. The team behind the festival will next month confirm a new 2020 date or postpone the event until 2021.
April 15
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel has extended the ban on major events and large gatherings, including festivals and concerts, in the country until August 31.
• Belgium’s Dour festival, which had been due to take place in July, has been postponed to 2021. The decision follows on from the Belgian government’s announcement that all large gatherings would be banned until August 31.
• Nevada’s Burning Man has cancelled its 2020 edition, which had been due to run from August 30 until September 7. An online edition of the event will take place instead.
April 6
• Denmark’s Roskilde festival, which was due to present its 50th edition this June, has been postponed to 2021. This is a result of Danish authorities’ decision to ban large gatherings until August 31.
• This year’s Meltdown Festival at London’s Southbank Centre, which was due to be curated by Grace Jones, has been postponed to June 2021. The full line-up has been retained for next year.
• The inaugural edition of En Masse, the Wales festival set to be curated by Timedance label boss Batu, will now take place in June 2021.
April 3
• Dekmantel has postponed its sister festival Lente Kabinet from its original late May date. The festival, renamed Zomer Kabinet, will now take place on September 5, downsizing from a two-day event to one day. Much of the original line-up will still play the rearranged event.
• London festival Junction 2 has been postponed until June 2021.
April 2
• Iceland’s Secret Solstice festival, scheduled to take place in late June, has been postponed to 2021.
• Albania’s Kala Festival has postponed its 2020 edition from its original mid-June date to September 9-16.
• London’s Barbican has extended its period of closure until June 30.
March 27
• Barcelona’s Primavera Sound has postponed its 2020 edition, with the festival now set to take place from August 26-30. Organisers say that they hope to deliver the festival at its later date with as few line-up changes as possible.
• Manchester’s Parklife, Belfast’s AVA Festival and Wales festival Gottwood have confirmed that they will no longer take in place in 2020.
• East London festival All Points East, which was due to host Massive Attack, Kraftwerk and more at Victoria Park in May, has been cancelled.
March 24
• Jarvis Cocker has delayed the release of his first album with his new JARV IS… project as a result of the pandemic. Other artists who’ve delayed previously announced upcoming releases as a result of COVID-19 include Lady Gaga and Kelly Lee Owens. For more on this story, click here.
• The Netherlands’ government has banned gatherings of more than three people. The order on such gatherings will remain in place until June 1.
March 23
• LA-based booking agency Paradigm has been forced to lay off more than 100 members of staff from its 700-strong workforce. CEO Sam Gores reportedly informed staff of the decision on Friday (March 20) and is said to have intended for the layoffs to be "temporary," hoping that some who’ve been let go may be able to re-apply for their positions when Paradigm recovers from the impacts of the pandemic.
• Birmingham’s Supersonic has cancelled its 2020 edition, which was set to take place from July 17-19. "There is so much uncertainty around how this situation is unfolding – it makes it nearly impossible to plan and produce a festival in July," organisers said. For more on this story, click here.
• Lyon festival Nuits Sonores has postponed its 2020 edition. Originally set to take place from May 19-24, the festival will now run from July 22-26.
• Shanghai club Elevator reopened last weekend having closed its doors for two months when COVID-19 began to spread across China. A post shared via the club’s social media points to new sanitation guidelines including temperature checks for all staff and guests and a promise that the venue will be given a deep disinfection daily.
• The Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has announced the shutdown of all clubs, bars, live music venues, pubs, restaurants and other social spaces around the country.
March 20
• Welsh festival Freerotation has announced that it will not go ahead in 2020. Organisers from the festival, which was scheduled to take place from July 10-12, said that it was "too risky to go ahead with [the event] under the current circumstances," citing uncertainty around booking flights for its artists and other potential complications.
• In yet another blow for the music industry, Amazon has announced that it has no plans to restock its inventory of vinyl, CDs and music merchandise for the time being, choosing instead to focus on the household essentials and medical supplies that the company says have been hugely in-demand in recent weeks. Read more on this story here.
• After suggesting that people "avoid" non-essential gatherings in clubs, bars, pubs, gig venues and other social spaces, the UK government has now ordered a total shutdown of these businesses. Speaking at a live press conference, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was joined by Chancellor Rishi Sunak who announced that the state will cover up to 80% (up to £2,500 per month) of wages for those workers who are paid on a PAYE basis. It’s not yet known if the government plans to introduce provisions to support self-employed workers beyond the minimal Universal Credit provisions that they are entitled to.
• Movement Detroit has postponed this year’s edition of the festival to September 11-13. Ticketholders can request refunds, attend the postponed dates or save their tickets for next year’s edition which will see the festival return to its usual late May weekend.
• Bandcamp is today waiving its share of sales made via the platform. In light of this, a number of tQ writers have shared a bunch of their recent favourites that you can purchase today to directly support independent artists who’ve been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Check out their recommendations here.
March 19
• Sheffield’s Hope Works and London’s Village Underground are the latest two UK venues to announce that they will close until further notice.
• Armenia’s Urvakan Festival has been postponed as a result of the Armenian government’s decision to declare a state of emergency in the country. The festival aims to keep the line-up it had booked in for this year’s edition, which was due to take place from May 5-9, when it returns. Organisers hope to confirm new dates for the event later in 2020.
• Austria’s Donaufestival, which was set to take place in the city of Graz across two weekends from April 24 – May 2, has been cancelled. "We tried to delay it for as long as possible, but the seriousness of the situation leaves us with no other choice," the festival’s organisers said in a statement.
March 18
• Mute has launched a page on its website to help fans of the artists on its roster keep tabs on tour postponements and cancellations. Lee Ranaldo & Raül Refree, Goldfrapp and Alessandro Cortini are amongst the acts who’ve been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic so far.
• Chicago club smartbar has closed until further notice, along with its associated venues. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched for the venues’ staff.
• The 2020 edition of Malmö’s Intonal festival, which was set to take place from April 23-26, has been cancelled. "Our goal is to move as much as possible of the booked content to this fall," the Swedish festival’s statement says. "Whether it will be in festival form or as scattered appearances, we do not know at this time."
• Glastonbury 2020 has been cancelled. Emily and Michael Eavis’ statement announcing the decision says that although they hoped the situation in the UK would have improved by the end of June, when the festival was supposed to take place, it was not viable to spend the next three months with thousands of crew on the farm, helping to build the festival. Head here to find out more.
• The Australian government has placed further restrictions on ‘non-essential’ public gatherings reducing the approved limit from 500+ people to 100+.
March 17
• With a number of musicians losing a vital source of income in gigging and DJing in the coming months, Bandcamp is one of the best and only direct places that you can support them by buying their music. Recognising this, Bandcamp has decided to waive its revenue share on sales this Friday (March 20) from midnight until midnight PT. Find more information here.
• London’s Southbank Centre has closed the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Hayward Gallery and Purcell Room on-site, resulting in a number of event cancellations. Read the full statement here.
• London’s Cafe OTO is another venue planning replacement live streams during the coronavirus downtime. The Dalston venue’s latest online fundraiser gig will take place tonight from an empty room with Daniel Blumberg going live at 8.30pm local time. The live stream will be accessible from the venue’s website, while you can support its Patron fund here as well as a further fundraiser initiative here.
• With numerous venues having been forced to close in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, plans for live streams have begun popping up in place of events. New York City’s Nowadays has launched Virtually Nowadays which will run live from 8pm-12am local time each night, featuring DJ sets, CDJ workshops and more. Find this week’s schedule here.
• Chancellor Rishi Sunak, joining Boris Johnson at today’s coronavirus briefing, has said the "government will stand behind business small and large." Clubs, pubs, theatres, bars and many shops will pay no business rates for the next 12 months, he added, finally addressing the hospitality and entertainment industries’ concerns over how they’ll get through the coming uncertain months. "For those venues which do have a policy that covers pandemics – the government action is sufficient to allow them to make claims," he said. For the smaller businesses in the same sector who don’t have such insurance, he says he will provide cash loans of £25,000 per business. It seems these will have to be paid back however and will begin to accrue interest after some time, leaving doubts over whether some businesses would apply for such loans.
• Promoter Broadwick Live has announced that London venue Printworks will temporarily close, postponing the rest of its events for this season. Its Manchester venue, Depot Mayfield, which hosts The Warehouse Project’s events, has also closed until further notice.
• Manchester’s Soup Kitchen is the latest UK venue to announce its temporary closure. "Due to unclear messages from those in power, we have had to make the most difficult decision in our history," the club’s statement says. "We are working hard to secure financial support for ourselves and staff, rescheduling events and all with a vision of reopening when it is safe to do so."
• The Music Venue Trust has joined the wave of voices calling on Boris Johnson to take legal action to temporarily close venues. "If you do not act to do so, your government will be responsible for the permanent closure and loss of hundreds of these vital and vibrant parts of our communities in every corner of the United Kingdom," an open letter shared on behalf of the organisation’s 661 members says. A suggestion has also been put forward to cancel the planned Festival of Britain in 2022 and reallocate the £120 million culture budget that has, according to the Music Venue Trust, been set aside for that event in order to fund arts spaces through this difficult time instead.
• Elsewhere today on tQ, Ed Gillett has put together a piece looking at the ways in which COVID-19 poses an existential threat to artists, festivals, promoters, and even this publication. He speaks to Mat Dryhurst, Sote, Baba Yaga’s Hut’s Anthony Chalmers and more to get their thoughts. You can read the piece here.
• London clubs XOYO, The Jazz Cafe and Phonox have closed their doors until further notice. "While we’re gutted to have to make this decision, the safety and wellbeing of our guests and staff is absolutely paramount," says XOYO’s statement on the matter.
• London’s Barbican has temporarily closed in line with yesterday’s government advice. "The safety of our staff and audiences is our most important consideration, so we’ve taken the decision to fully close the building during this period," a statement says. "The Barbican relies on box office income and donations to deliver our programme, pay staff and artists and to run our building. The current situation presents a very significant financial challenge to us, alongside the artists and organisations we work with, so, if you’re able, please consider making a donation to help support our future work.
• UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has offered further detail on the government’s recommendation against non-essential international travel. Speaking in the House of Commons, Raab said that UK citizens are now facing "widespread international border restrictions and lockdowns," and added that the speed and range of those measures are "unprecedented." As a result, the government advises "against non-essential travel globally for an initial period of 30 days and subject to ongoing review."
• As uncertainty continued around how Boris Johnson will protect the self-employed and those working within the hospitality industry in the coming months, the Scottish government has promised that £320 million will be set aside to support businesses. Scottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes announced the plans which include a £50 million hardship fund that will be made available to people who lose their jobs as a result of a downturn caused by the coronavirus.
March 16
• Michael Kill, chief executive of the UK’s Night Time Industries Association, has spoken further on how Boris Johnson’s latest advice has left a number of businesses in limbo. "The industry feel like we’ve been hung out to dry," he told The Guardian. "We’re happy to take into account public safety but we also have to consider the survival of businesses. It will have a devastating impact on an industry worth billions of pounds to the economy. It’s taken years of growth and entrepreneurial spirit to get to this point, and now what’s happening is the government has turned its back on us."
• Boris Johnson’s advice that people in the UK avoid clubs, bars, live music venues and other such spaces, while ruling out forcing those spaces to close for now, has been met with anger by some figures from the world of music. "The prime minister’s latest advice on mass gatherings has resulted in huge uncertainty and confusion over what exactly it will mean for the music industry," said UK Music acting chief executive Tom Kiehl. "The government must spell out whether there will be a formal ban, when that might come into effect, which venues and events will be impacted and how long the measures will remain in place. The virus is having a catastrophic impact on the UK music industry and will threaten many jobs and businesses right across our sector."
• London club fabric has closed temporarily. "Based on the latest advice given by the government earlier on this afternoon, we’ve decided that pausing our club schedule is essential," a statement shared on social media says. "While we’re saddened by the whole situation, we believe that this is the right thing to do at this moment in time."
• London’s RE-TEXTURED festival, which had been due to take place across multiple venues from April 2-5, has been postponed to 2021.
• Boris Johnson has given a press conference outlining that the UK is approaching the "fast growth part of the upward curve" in the coronavirus outbreak, and that without "drastic action", cases could double every five to six days. People should start working from home if possible, and should avoid clubs, pubs, theatres and other such social venues if they can. For more on this story, click here.
• London’s ICA has closed to visitors and staff until further notice. Staff will work from home and continue to be paid while management continues to review the situation daily. "As a civic-minded public organisation, for us, the medical and scientific evidence leaves no doubt that the COVID-19 spread can be slowed down, lives saved if all larger gatherings are suspended," said ICA Director Stefan Kalmár in a statement. "By doing so, the ICA pre-empts what we hope will eventually be the decision for all cultural organisations in London and the UK in order to safeguard our staff, our visitors, and the artists with whom we work."
• Glasgow festival Counterflows has cancelled its 2020 edition. Refunds for the festival, which had been due to take place from April 2-5 and host the likes of Gabber Modus Operandi and Nyege Nyege Tapes’ MC Yallah & Debmaster, will be issued automatically to ticket holders, a post shared by the festival explains.
• London club The Cause is to shut this weekend, having not fully opened for events this past weekend either. Beyond next weekend, the club does not know how long it will need to remain closed, a statement shared on social media says. "Initially we thought we should put various measures in place and follow the Government recommendations in order to protect our business, staff, suppliers, industry and economy, but in all honesty, it just doesn’t feel right at the moment," the note adds.
• Record shops around the UK have begun taking measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. London’s Phonica announced today that it would be closed until further notice, while Rubadub in Glasgow is "operating on a strictly sales-based appointment only basis for the time being. Bristol’s Idle Hands is similarly taking steps to limit the number of people in the shop at any one time, in addition to introducing other measures to help protect people.
• NTS has decided to close its studios in London, Manchester and Los Angeles. The online radio station plans to continue broadcasting 24/7 during this period of temporary studio closure, taking in live shows from temporary home studios, in addition to "specialist mixes," a statement outlines.
• Clubs across Europe have decided to close until further notice following this past weekend. Amongst those clubs are Kyiv’s Closer, ://about blank in Berlin and London’s Egg. No further UK clubs have yet confirmed plans for temporary closure.
• Tempting Failure, the London Biennial of International Performance Art, has been postponed. Organisers issued a statement today in which they announced the postponement and their plans to follow measures to safeguard both their operation, and partners and members of their community: "We’re now planning to apply to Arts Council England to seek small interim funding to support a legacy project that bridges this year and the return of our main activities in 2021."
March 15
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended against all gatherings of 50 or more people over the next eight weeks in the US. The advice defines large events and mass gatherings as including "conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings, and other types of assemblies."
• New York City mayor Bill DeBlasio has confirmed plans to restrict distancing of people and opening hours of restaurants, in addition to closing nightclubs, starting this Tuesday (March 17). "The virus can spread rapidly through the close interactions New Yorkers have in restaurants, bars and places where we sit close together," he said on Twitter. "We have to break that cycle."
March 13
• Berlin mayor Michael Müller has announced that all clubs, bars and pubs will be closed until at least April 20, beginning this Tuesday (March 17). Restaurants will remain open with distance restrictions.
• A petition has been launched calling upon the UK government to do what it can to provide economic support to the events industry during the coronavirus pandemic.
• The UK government is temporarily abolishing business rates for thousands of shops, restaurants and music venues as part of emergency measures to deal with the economic fallout from the coronavirus, the Independent is reporting. The measure is part of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s £30bn stimulus package which was announced in parliament earlier this week.
• France has stepped up its restriction orders, banning events of 100 people or more. A number of clubs and other venues in the country have announced closures as a result.
• This year’s Record Store Day has been postponed from April 18 to June 20.
• The Hague’s Rewire festival has cancelled its 2020 edition. In a statement shared on the festival’s website, Rewire says: "Yesterday, the Dutch government announced new measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), which include a ban for all events exceeding 100 people until 31 March. In order to proceed safely and responsibly, we cannot wait for new developments but must act now. Our most important concern is the health and safety of our visitors, artists and all others involved. Therefore, we have made the decision to cancel the festival."
• London’s Corsica Studios is the first club in the city to begin calling off events. A party from John Talabot’s Barcelona-based Hivern Discs label, which was set to take place on March 14, has been postponed as, the club explains, "with a number of artists traveling from across Europe, we feel this is the responsible thing to do."
• The Australian government has banned all non-essential gatherings of 500 people or more, forcing a number of clubs and festivals to cancel events. Amongst those cancellations is the Inner Varnika festival.
March 12
• Belgium’s government has ordered the shutdown of all clubs and venues, in addition to many other spaces, across the country. The order, which comes into effect at midnight, will remain in place until April 3.
• Portugal’s government has ordered the shutdown of all clubs and venues, as well as other spaces, across the country. The order is in force until further evaluation on April 9.
• A lot of discussion has been had around the loss of income and precarious situation ahead for those who rely on the gig and club economy for income. UK organisation Help Musicians has shared some advice for musicians and DJs who might be affected by the coronavirus. It also operates a free to use helpline to support those who might be struggling to cope.
• A number of venues across the US have begun to close their doors in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Pittsburgh club Hot Mass has closed "until further notice," while San Francisco club 1015 Folsom is also "taking a pause." In New York, BASEMENT has closed "for the time being," while Bossa Nova Civic Club and Good Room are both remaining open for now, but at reduced capacity. This comes as New York governor Andrew Cuomo has decided to ban all events of 500 or more people.
• Glastonbury has shared a post, alongside a line-up announcement, on social media saying that it hopes to be able to press forward with this June’s 50th anniversary edition. "No one has a crystal ball to see exactly where we will all be 15 weeks from now, but we are keeping our fingers firmly crossed that it will be here at Worthy Farm for the greatest show on Earth," the post says. For more on this story, click here.
• New York governor Andrew Cuomo has banned all events with a capacity 500 or more people, which will force a number of clubs and venues across the state to shut.
• Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has advised that gatherings of more than 500 people should be cancelled from next week.
• Amsterdam club De School has cancelled all of its events until April 1. The venue’s cafe and restaurant will remain open during that period.
• With the German government having now banned all events with 500 people or more, Berlin clubs Tresor and OHM have joined Berghain in deciding to close their doors until at least April 20, while the 2020 edition of Mannheim event Time Warp, which was due to take place on April 4 and 5, has been called off.
• Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has banned gatherings of more than 100 people, until March 31 at least. The prime minister said he was introducing the measure because of the likelihood of "untraceable" cases of the virus in the Netherlands.
• Ireland’s Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has put in place an order to cancel all indoor events with a capacity of more than 100 people and outdoor events with a capacity of 500 or more. The order will come into effect from 6PM tonight and continue provisionally until March 29.
• Tbilisi club Bassiani has decided "to call off club nights for some period of time." A post on the venue’s social media adds: "Regardless of the exhaustive list of preventive measures we have already taken, we still cannot allow posing the potential threat to the health of our crowd, as solidarity, responsibility and care for people would always remain the main value."
• The Who are rescheduling their UK tour, which had been due to start on March 16 at the Manchester Arena and finish at Wembley SSE Arena on April 8. "The fans’ safety is paramount and given the developing coronavirus concerns, the band felt that they had no option but to postpone the shows as a precaution," says a statement. The band’s Roger Daltrey adds that the shows will “definitely happen and it may be the last time we do a tour of this type, so keep those tickets, as the shows will be fantastic."
• Japan’s Rainbow Disco Club festival has cancelled its 2020 edition. The event had been due to take place from April 17-19.
• Chelsea Wolfe has cancelled her acoustic European tour, which was set to start this week. She says, in a post shared on social media, that increasing travel restrictions and concerns around group gatherings have made it "unviable" to go ahead with the tour.
• Donald Trump has halted all flights to the US from Europe’s Schengen Area, which excludes the UK. "To keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days," he said in a televised address to the nation. The rule will go into effect at midnight on March 13.
• Pixies have postponed the remaining shows of their Australian tour, which were set to take place in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth. Rescheduled dates will be announced soon, a statement on the band’s social media says.
March 11
• Austria’s Snowbombing festival has been cancelled following discussions with the local authorities. It follows the Austrian government’s decision to place a ban on all outdoor events of 500 people and more and indoor events of 100 and more. The ban is in place until April 3 and is expected to be extended.
• The Berlin Club Commission, an organisation set up to protect the interests of the city’s clubs, has released a statement saying that a crisis meeting has been held with "almost 50 club operators and organisers." The commission has recommended that clubs reduce their capacity by 70% and is also lobbying banks and the Berlin Senate to help set up a rescue fund for venues that are badly hit by closures and loss of business. Read the full statement here.
• Knoxville, Tennessee festival Big Ears, which had been due to take place between March 26 and 29, has been cancelled. Refunds will be offered to all ticket holders "in the next day or two," a statement on the festival’s social media says.
• Metronomy have decided to postpone their upcoming run of European tour dates. In a post shared on social media, the band said "the developing restrictions put in place to try and stall/stop the spread of coronavirus have made our upcoming European tour impossible for now." They add that the advice offered by experts must be respected and ask fans to hold on to their tickets and await full postponement details.
• San Francisco mayor London Breed is prohibiting all events of 1000 people or more in the area, starting now.
• Berghain has cancelled events until April 20. "On occasion of the current health situation and in the best interest of our staff, artists and guests, all previously announced self-produced club events in Berghain, Panorama Bar and Säule are being discontinued as a precaution until April 20, 2020," reads a statement on the club’s website.
• The Spanish state of Catalonia has banned all indoor and outdoor events with 1000 people or more, starting from March 12. Events for fewer than 1000 people should reduce their capacity by one-third to avoid crowding, the authorities add. Two Barcelona venues, Razzmatazz and Sala Apolo, have decided to close for two weeks in response.
• Dark Mofo is the first large Australian festival to cancel its 2020 edition as a result of the coronavirus. Organisers of the Tasmanian festival expect heavy financial losses as a result of the cancellation, according to a post shared on the event’s social media.
March 10
• Coachella promoter Goldenvoice has officially announced that the festival will be postponed for this year, taking place on the new dates of October 9-11 and October 16-18.
• Berlin is the latest German state to ban mass cultural gatherings of 1000 people or more, putting into place an order to close many of the city’s theatres, operas and concert houses. For more on this story, click here.
• Caterina Barbieri has cancelled an upcoming run of five US tour dates which had been due to kick off on March 18. The move comes as a result of the Italian Prime Minister Guiseppe Conte’s decision to enforce a lockdown order across Italy, where Barbieri is based.
• SXSW’s parent company, SXSW LLC, has been forced to lay off around one-third of its year-round workforce as a result of the cancellation last week of the festival’s 2020 edition. The company expects to incur heavy financial losses as a result of the cancellation. For more on this story, click here.
March 9
• Miami’s Winter Music Conference, which had been due to take place from March 16-19, has been called off. Organisers say there are plans to reschedule.
• Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has put a lockdown order in place across the entirety of Italy, beginning on March 10. This will force the closure of nightclubs, venues and many other public spaces across the country.
• The French government has banned events for 1000 people or more across the whole country starting from March 8 and continuing until April 13.
• Korn’s line of branded surgical masks has sold out from its online merchandise store. The masks, which do not actually provide adequate protection against viruses, had been on sale since last year. For more on this story, click here.
This page is being regularly updated.
