Live Nation ceases business operations in Russia

Sasha Urban editorIn a conversation on CNBC’s “TechCheck” on Monday, Live Nation Entertainment CEO and president Michael Rapino said he expects a record year for the company’s ticket sales, despite the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.“We don’t have a lot of shows in that area so that hasn’t really affected our business,” Rapino told CNBC’s Julia Boorstin. “Europe seems to be business as usual right now for the summer, so we haven’t seen any disruption in our core business around the world in terms of touring.”He continued, “We’re still tracking 30% plus up year over year, we’re seeing consumers buying tickets on sale this weekend.

Tom Grennan has cancelled his upcoming shows in Russia and Ukraine over the ongoing conflict in the region.Posting on Twitter, Grennan made the announcement with a statement, while sharing the hashtag #StandWithUkraine. He was due to play Moscow’s Izvestia Hall on July 4 and Kyiv’s Atlas Festival on July 6.He wrote: “In light of current events, I will be cancelling my shows in Russia and Ukraine which were due to take place in Summer 2022.“My thoughts are with the brave people of Ukraine, and all those who oppose this devastating violence and seek peace.”Grennan follows a number of artists who have cancelled shows in the region in recent weeks.

Franz Ferdinand have announced a North American tour following the release of their greatest hits compilation, ‘Hits To The Head’ – buy tickets here.The US leg runs from August to September with stops in Atlanta, New York, Washington DC, and Los Angeles and will mark the Scottish band’s first tour of the country since 2018. General on-sale for the tour kicks off Friday (March 18) at 10am local time.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAs Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine continues and more music companies have ceased doing business with the country, many in the songwriting, music-publishing and especially the performing-rights communities have looked to CISAC, the global confederation of authors societies such as ASCAP and PRS, to make a unilateral decision.However, on Monday, the organization announced that although it “deplores and condemns the war waged by the Russian government against the Ukrainian population,” it will leave such decisions to individual societies, although it continues to develop a relief fund for Ukraine, first announced on Wednesday.“While abhorring the actions of the Russian armed forces, CISAC is not empowered to impose sanctions on member societies based only on the actions of their government,” the statement says in part. “Russian authors, just as their counterparts elsewhere, cannot be blamed for the grotesque actions of their government.” “CISAC’s global network of authors societies deplores and condemns the war waged by the Russian government against the Ukrainian population,” the statement reads.

Ellise Shafer Two weeks after pausing the theatrical release of “Morbius” in Russia, Sony Pictures has announced that it is also halting all other business in the country following its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.This includes home entertainment releases, such as that of box office hit “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” and any television distribution deals. Crunchyroll has also suspended its anime streaming service in Russia.Below, read the full memo from chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra:“As we continue to see the devastating news and images coming out of Ukraine, I wanted to reach out with an update on how SPE is reacting to these events.

Sony Pictures is the latest company to pause its business operations in Russia in the wake of the Ukraine invasion. SPE’s Tony Vinciquerra informed staff of the decision in a memo Friday that was obtained by TheWrap, and the pause of business operations includes halting planned home entertainment releases of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and other future TV distribution deals.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterThe Walt Disney Company is taking steps to halt all business in Russia following the country’s “unprovoked invasion of Ukraine,” a spokesperson said Thursday.Disney announced last week it would not release new movies in Russia, but now the company is reviewing the rest of its operations there.“Given the unrelenting assault on Ukraine and the escalating humanitarian crisis, we are taking steps to pause all other businesses in Russia. This includes content and product licensing, Disney Cruise Line activities, National Geographic magazine and tours, local content productions and linear channels,” the Disney spokesperson said.

Disney is now pausing all of its business in Russia amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, calling Vladimir Putin’s actions an “unrelenting assault on Ukraine.” Disney’s pause of business includes any content and product licensing, Disney Cruise Line activities, National Geographic magazine and tours, local content productions and linear channels. The statement specifies that some business activities can be paused immediately while others will take time “given contractual complexities.” The news follows Disney’s previous plan to pause the theatrical release of its films in Russia, including this week’s “Turning Red” from Pixar.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterWarnerMedia is “pausing all new business in Russia” amid the country’s continued invasion of Ukraine, CEO Jason Kilar announced Wednesday.“I want to share with each of you a number of decisions we have made with regard to WarnerMedia’s business operations in Russia,” Kilar said in a memo to WarnerMedia staff obtained by Variety. “Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, WarnerMedia is pausing all new business in Russia.

Universal Music Group has become one of the latest media companies to suspend operations in Russia amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The music publishing giant on Tuesday said it was closing its offices in Russia, effective immediately. Meanwhile, major Western food and beverage companies Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Starbucks are also pulling out.

Variety reports.“We are adhering to international sanctions and, along with our employees and artists, have been working with groups from a range of countries… to support humanitarian relief efforts to bring urgent aid to refugees in the region.”According to Variety, a source has revealed that while the company’s staffers will continue to receive their salaries for an indeterminate amount of time, artists will likely see their recording activity frozen.Universal are the latest business to announce their withdrawal from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, with the attack drawing widespread condemnation around the globe.Earlier this month, Live Nation announced they would not be promoting shows in Russia or doing business with the country, saying in a statement they were joining “the world in condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine”.Spotify, meanwhile, shuttered its Moscow office in response to the invasion, and said it would restrict the discoverability of content owned and operated by Russian state-affiliated media. They stopped short of shutting off service to Russian users, saying they believe it’s “critically important to try to keep our service operational in Russia to allow for the global flow of information”.One company who has suspended their service in Russia is Netflix, who shut down streaming in the country last week.

Nick Cave has responded to criticism over his views on Palestine after cancelling forthcoming gigs in Russia and Ukraine.Earlier this week (March 1), Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds announced that they had cancelled their scheduled concerts in Russia and Ukraine this summer due to Vladimir Putin’s invasion, saying: “Ukraine, we stand with you.”In a post on his Red Hand Files website, Cave responded to a fan criticising him for cancelling these gigs, but refusing to do so with shows in Israel back in 2017, when he went ahead with shows and told local press that doing so would be a defiant statement against anyone “who tries to censor and silence musicians”.“At the end of the day, there’s maybe two reason why I’m here. One is that I love Israel and I love Israeli people, and two is to make a principled stand against anyone who tries to censor and silence musicians,” Cave said at the time.

Rammstein have spoken out in support of the Ukraine in light of the country’s ongoing conflict with Russia.It comes after Ukraine severed diplomatic ties with Russia and declared martial law after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an attack on the neighbouring nation last month (February 24).On Friday (March 4), the German band took to social media to post an image of Ukraine’s blue and yellow flag with the Rammstein logo in the middle, showing their support for those affected by the attacks.“The band Rammstein wishes to express its support for the nation of Ukraine as it resists the shocking attack perpetrated by the Russian government,” they wrote.

Iron Maiden have announced that their upcoming summer shows in Ukraine and Russia have been cancelled due to the ongoing conflict between the neighbouring countries.The band were set to perform at VDNG in Kyiv, Ukraine on May 29 before visiting VTB Arena in Moscow Russia on June 1 as part of their 2022 ‘Legacy Of The Beast’ world tour.Sharing a statement on social media, Iron Maiden said “the promoters have cancelled the two Iron Maiden shows” due to the “ongoing situation in Ukraine”.“We are very sorry to announce that due to the ongoing situation in Ukraine, the promoters have cancelled the two Iron Maiden shows scheduled for May 29th in Kyiv and June 1st in Moscow on the 2022 Legacy Of The Beast World Tour,” the band tweeted.The band added that ticket-holders would we informed by the respective promoters on refunds, and concluded by stating: “Our priority is, and will always be, the safety of our fans.”Ticket-holders for both shows will be informed by the respective promoters on refunds at the appropriate time. Our priority is, and will always be, the safety of our fans.— Iron Maiden (@IronMaiden) March 3, 2022Since the conflict started, the likes of Iggy Pop, Yungblud, Green Day, Franz Ferdinand and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds are among the acts who have scrapped dates due to the ongoing crisis.It comes after Ukraine severed diplomatic ties with Russia and declared martial law after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an attack on the neighbouring nation last Thursday (February 24).Ukraine, which has a population of 44million people, borders both Russia and the European Union.

Reading & Leeds.In a statement shared yesterday (March 2), Live Nation wrote that it’s joining “the world in condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and applauds all the musicians who are using their voices to promote peace”.“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,” it added.Live Nation joins the world in condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and applauds all the musicians who are using their voices to promote peace.

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis teamed up for a performance of ‘Ghosteen Speaks’ on The Late Late Show last night (March 2) – check it out below.The track was originally released as part of Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds’ 2019 album ‘Ghosteen’ and last night, Cave teamed up with Ellis for a soaring, slow-burning rendition of the track.The performance comes ahead of the release of the Andrew Dominik-directed documentary This Much I Know To Be True which will explore Cave and Ellis’ creative relationship and feature songs from their last two studio albums, ‘Ghosteen’ and last year’s ‘Carnage’.The film will be released in cinemas globally on May 11, with tickets going on sale on March 23 from here.Check out Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’ performance of ‘Ghosteen Speaks’ here.Last year, Cave shared the secrets of his friendship with long-time collaborator Warren Ellis in his latest entry for The Red Hand Files.After being asked by multiple fans about their friendship and songwriting, Cave shared his theory that there are three levels of friendship: essentially those defined by “a shared experience,” “someone who has your back,” and ones who can “bring the best out in you”.“None of these levels are mutually exclusive and sometimes you find someone who fulfils all of these categories. If you find a friend like that, hang on to him or her.

Concert promoter Live Nation and streaming service Spotify are the two latest entertainment companies pulling out of further business with Russia.

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis have announced a full global cinema release for their forthcoming film This Much I Know To Be True.The film will be released in cinemas globally on May 11, with tickets going on sale on March 23. They will be available here.The Andrew Dominik-directed feature is a companion piece to the 2016 music documentary One More Time With Feeling, and premiered at the Berlin Film Festival this month.This Much I Know To Be True will explore Cave and Ellis’ creative relationship and feature songs from their last two studio albums, 2019’s ‘Ghosteen’ (by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds) and last year’s ‘Carnage’ (by Cave and Ellis).It will feature the first ever performances of the albums, filmed in Spring 2021 ahead of their UK tour.