UK Live Industry Gets Long-Demanded Government-Backed COVID Insurance

LONDON – For more than a year, the U.K. live music industry has been campaigning for a government-backed insurance scheme to help festival and concert promoters get back on their feet. On Thursday (Aug. 5), those calls were finally answered when Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak unveiled a 750 million pounds ($1 billion) insurance scheme covering the cost of festival and concert cancellations resulting from COVID-19.

The “Live Events Reinsurance Scheme” enables event organizers in the United Kingdom to purchase cover for government-enforced cancellations, alongside standard commercial events insurance.

Backed by Lloyd’s market insurers Arch, Beazley, Dale, Hiscox and Munich Re, the insurance be available for a 12-month term beginning sometime in September. (The Exchequer, when contacted by Billboard, was unable to say exactly when the scheme will begin.)

The government says it is one of the only insurance schemes in the world to cover such a wide array of live events and not put a cap on costs claimed per event.

Denis Desmond, chairman of Live Nation U.K. and Ireland, says the government-backed protection is a vital intervention that “offers certainty to artists, concert and festival promoters in the live entertainment market.”

“While the new scheme won’t cover all our risk, this intervention will help protect the industry that we all know and love,” says Phil Bowdery, chairman of the Concert Promoters Association.

The program follows the establishment of similar government-backed insurance schemes in a number of other European markets, including Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, and Denmark. They provide a much-needed safety net for promoters committing non-recoupable upfront costs for future events amid the uncertainty of a pandemic.

“As the economy reopens, I want to do everything I can to help events providers and small businesses plan with confidence right through to next year,” Sunak says in a statement.

In the event of cancellations resulting from coronavirus restrictions, the government will pay between 95% and 100% of costs accrued with insurers paying the remainder. (Promoters and event organizers will need to pay an agreed excess fee, as per standard insurance deals).

While live execs unanimously welcomed the news, some expressed anger that the government didn’t step in sooner to support the country’s struggling live sector in the way it did for the film and TV industries. A 500 million pounds “Film and TV Production Restart Scheme” has been in place since July 2020 and has provided insurance cover to more than 600 independent film and TV productions to date, says the HM Treasury.

“It is devastating that the timings of this scheme could not have been earlier,” says Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association. He points to the large number of U.K. festivals that have been forced to cancel over the past year — many citing the lack of insurance as a determining factor.

According to the Association of Independent Festivals, more than half of all U.K. festivals scheduled to take place in 2021 have been cancelled this year because of the pandemic. Big-name casualties include Glastonbury, BST Hyde Park, Download and Kendal Calling.

Paul Reed, CEO of the Association of Independent Festivals, says the introduction of COVID-19 cancellation insurance was a positive development for the industry. But he cautioned that it doesn’t cover events needing to reduce capacity or cancel due to social distancing restrictions being reintroduced.

Nevertheless, British execs are cautiously optimistic that the tide is now turning for the beleaguered live industry and that better times are ahead.

The U.K. lifted its last remaining COVID-19 restrictions on July 19, opening the door for full-capacity shows, nightclubs, and festivals to return. Latitude Festival, held in Suffolk July 22-25 and headlined by Bastille, Bombay Bicycle Club, Wolf Alice, and The Chemical Brothers, was the first major music event to take place since the end of lockdown. It was attended by around 40,000 people as part of the COVID-19 Events Research Program.

Tentpole events scheduled to take place later this summer include the 185,000-capacity dual-site Reading and Leeds festivals headlined by Liam Gallagher, Stormzy and Post Malone, and the 70,000-capacity Creamfields, which features David Guetta, deadmau5, Alesso and Martin Garrix.

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EXO Vocalist D.O. Releases Romantic Solo Album ‘Empathy’

After D.O. released his first-ever solo album Empathy to wide critical acclaim last month, the EXO member is proving that he is in a class all by himself.

Throughout his prolific nine-year career, D.O. (birth name: Do Kyung Soo) has been a lead vocalist of one of K-pop’s most decorated groups and has also proven adept in television, film and theater. D.O.’s breakout role in 2014’s Korean drama series That’s Okay, It’s Love led to him scoring award-winning performances in the blockbuster My Annoying Brother as well as 2018’s top-rated TV series 100 Days My Prince. His first solo single, “That’s Okay,” released in 2019, was solid proof of his potential as an all-around performer.

Over his beautifully arranged, eight-track album, D.O. flaunts his affinity for storytelling over a melodic mix of acoustic R&B and pop productions and lets the power of his delicate-yet-full-bodied vocals and emotive lyrics shine over stripped-back ballads like “My Love,” the confessional serenade “I’m Gonna Love You,” and the breezy folk-pop single “The Rose.”

D.O.’s vocals handle a range of tasks on Empathy, coming in as profoundly relaxing as they interweave with gentle guitar strums on the hypnotic “It’s Love,” while “I’m Fine” lets him effortlessly soar between his gorgeous falsetto and soulful low notes.

Bolstered by the success of EXO’s latest album, Don’t Fight the Feeling, which has become one of 2021’s biggest K-pop releases with more than 1.2 million copies sold and a music video earning 80 million views on YouTube since its release in early June, D.O. finally released his solo album, which lets him flourish as a star vocalist but also showcases his songwriting and language skills.

Notably, D.O. is credited with writing “Rose” and “I’m Fine” on the album while also offering a Spanish-language version of “It’s Love” as well as an English version of “Rose.”

To date, Empathy has sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide and topped the iTunes Top Albums chart in nearly 60 countries, while the music video for “Rose” has amassed more than 9 million views since its premiere. “I’m Gonna Love You” debuted at No. 90 on the K-Pop Hot 100, while “Rose” came in at No. 91. “Rose” also entered the World Digital Song Sales chart at No. 16, while the album peaked at No.14 on the World Albums chart. In addition to all the impressive numbers, D.O. seems to have found his musical identity as a solo musician, and Empathy is only the beginning of what is sure to be a fulfilling solo career.

–By Jessica Oak

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Hear Alessia Cara’s New Song ‘Feel You Now’ in ‘Blade Runner: Black Lotus’ Opening Sequence

On Thursday (Aug. 5), Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Alessia Cara previewed her new song “Feel You Now” via the title sequence for the animated TV series Blade Runner: Black Lotus.

Crunchyroll and Adult Swim will launch the series later this year, which follows a young woman named Elle who wakes up in Los Angeles 2032 with no memories but with all the willpower to seek revenge on the people who wronged her as well as find her own identity.

“This little light I found/ Take it in and breathe it out/ A little drum that’s beating loud/ In my chest I hear the sound,” Cara whispers over a mysterious, heart-thumping melody that suddenly morphs into a percussion-driven electro-pop beat. “I can feel you now/ I can feel you now/ I can feel, I can feel you now.”

Cara and producer Michael Hodges co-wrote “Feel You Now,” which soundtracks Blade Runner: Black Lotus’ opening title sequence. The song will be released this fall via ASG/10:22 PM/Def Jam Recordings.

“I am so thrilled to be part of this show in any way, but I’m especially thrilled to have been able to write this song for it,” Cara says in an official statement. “To think that I made something that will be consistently attached to a show as legendary and innovative as this one feels super fulfilling. I wrote it with Michael Hodges remotely over the course of the pandemic, which is why the lyrics to ‘feel you now’ feel so striking to us. It’s not only about Elle searching for an existential understanding of what it means to be human, but also the trials we’ve all been put through in the last year and how much we relied on human connection and feeling to get us through. Michael and I both felt like it struck the right nerve in us and we’re so glad the Blade Runner team was on the same wavelength.”

Adds Hodges: “The song felt like a breath of fresh air mixed with a little hope of feeling connected again to people. Although we understand Blade Runner at its deepest levels and the nostalgia it encompasses, Alessia and my collaborators on this (co-writers Kayla Morrison, Gerald Trottman & Ghian Wright) all felt like the message of this song really connected to our current state of mind and Elle’s as well. We all need connection.”

Listen to “Feel You Now” below.

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Rolling Stones’ Charlie Watts Exits 2021 U.S. Tour

Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts will likely miss the band’s upcoming U.S. tour to allow him to recover from an unspecified medical procedure.

A spokesperson for the musician said the procedure was “completely successful” but that Watts needs time to recuperate. The Stones are set to resume their No Filter tour with a stadium show on Sept. 26 in St. Louis.

“With rehearsals starting in a couple of weeks it’s very disappointing to say the least, but it’s also fair to say no one saw this coming,” a spokesperson for Watts said in a statement.

Watts, 80, said in a statement he did not want his recovery to further delay the tour, which is set to visit several U.S. cities including Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. “For once my timing has been a little off. I am working hard to get fully fit but I have today accepted on the advice of the experts that this will take a while,” Watts said.

Watts successfully underwent treatment for throat cancer in 2004. He will be replaced by understudy Steve Jordan, who has played with Keith Richards for years.

The Rolling Stones — No Filter Tour 2021 U.S. dates

Sept. 26 — St. Louis, MO @ The Dome at America’s Center
Sept. 30 — Charlotte, NC @ Bank Of America Stadium
Oct. 4 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Heinz Field
Oct. 9 — Nashville, TN @ Nissan Stadium
Oct. 13 — New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
Oct. 17 — Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium
Oct. 24 — Minneapolis, MN @ U.S. Bank Stadium
Oct. 29 — Tampa, FL @ Raymond James Stadium
Nov. 2 — Dallas, TX @ Cotton Bowl Stadium
Nov. 6 — Las Vegas, NV @ Allegiant Stadium
Nov. 11 — Atlanta, GA @ Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Nov. 15 — Detroit, MI @ Ford Field
Nov. 20 — Austin, TX @ Circuit of The Americas

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UK Artists Granted Visa-Free Touring in 19 EU Countries in Post-Brexit Agreements

LONDON – U.K. artists can once again tour large parts of Europe without the need of visas or work permits, after the British government secured agreements with 19 EU member states, including major live music markets Germany and France.

Under deals the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said on Wednesday (Aug. 4) that it had agreed to, U.K. musicians and performers will not need visas or work permits for “short-term tours.” The DCMS did not outline how long “short-term” would be, presumedly leaving it up to host nations to decide.

But the agreements will ease restrictions preventing the free movement of U.K. musicians across European borders which have been in place since the United Kingdom officially left the European Union on Jan. 31, 2020.

The coronavirus pandemic and accompanying shutdown of the live music industry have masked many of the problems created by Brexit for the live-music sector. And fears have lingered about extra customs checks and performers and crews requiring visa and work permits for when European touring does resume.

According to a survey conducted by the Musicians’ Union and Incorporated Society of Musicians in April and May, 77% of U.K. musicians expected their earnings in Europe to decrease when touring resumes due to additional Brexit-related red tape and touring costs.

In January, over 100 acts, including Elton John, Ed Sheeran and Radiohead, signed an open letter to the British government saying it had “shamefully failed” them with the EU trade deal that was finalized on Dec. 24 by not securing visa-free touring for U.K. musicians in Europe.

An online petition calling for a Europe-wide visa-free work permit for U.K. artists drew over 280,000 signatures, including those of Dua Lipa, Louis Tomlinson and the Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro, and led to a Parliament debate in February.

Prior to today’s announcement, France had already said it would not require permits or visas from U.K. acts, provided visitors don’t stay longer than 90 days.

Along with Germany and France, the countries that have confirmed free movement of British musicians across borders are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden.

The DCMS said it was “actively engaging” with the remaining eight EU Member States that do not currently allow visa and permit free touring — Spain, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Romania, Malta and Cyprus — and called on them to reciprocate the U.K.’s own regulations, which allow touring performers and support staff to visit for up to three months without a visa.

“We recognize challenges remain around touring, and we are continuing to work closely with the industry,” DCMS said in a statement.

The government department has yet to clarify what impact the agreements will have on the transportation of equipment and merchandise across EU borders, and whether carnets — essentially passports for goods, costing 360 euros ($490) a year — will still be required.

Also unresolved are post-Brexit “cabotage” rules that require haulers to return to their home base in the EU or the United Kingdom after making three stops in either market. The regulations could have a major financial impact on bigger tours that use multiple trucks — not just for British artists, but for all European treks that begin in the United Kingdom.

“It remains that the U.K.’s music industry is in a far less advantageous position now than it was pre-January,” says a spokesperson for the #LetTheMusicMove campaign, which was launched in June in response to Brexit-related touring issues.

The government’s statement that it has secured “visa-free” touring with 19 EU countries “is nothing more than we already knew,” the spokesperson says, and fails to provide answers around touring in almost a third of EU countries.

LetTheMusicMove is calling for a country-by-country breakdown of the exact requirements for touring performers and crew across all 27 EU member states.

Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, chief executive of umbrella organization UK Music, tweeted that the government’s progress report was “encouraging,” but said it was vital that more work is done to “remove the practical barriers currently impacting musicians who need to work across the EU.”

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