Leadership / 03.09.22

The Fog of War: Ukrainian and Russian Live Biz Call to 'Stop the Madness Immediately'

Access Staff

Pollstar (03/02/22) Gottfried, Gideon

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has galvanized the live music and events industry to condemn the siege. Live Nation announced a halt to its business with Russia, as did Pollstar parent OVG. Russia's live industry has also protested, with Talent Concert International (TCI) founder Ed Ratnikov saying, "Even local Russian artists are shocked by [Vladimir] Putin's ... absolutely insane actions." He verified that international touring activity has ceased in Russia, and that future concerts were endangered. "Me and my colleagues at TCI ... [are] demanding and thinking about ways to stop the madness immediately!" Ratnikov stated. The invasion is rippling across entertainment venues worldwide, with New York City's Carnegie Hall having removed Russian conductor Valery Gergiev and piano soloist Denis Matsuev from its program. Meanwhile, Britain's Royal Opera House canceled a summer season from the Bolshoi Ballet and Ireland's Helix theater canceled a performance of "Swan Lake" by the Royal Moscow Ballet, even though the company insisted that it is in "no way funded or sponsored by the Russian government." Ratnikov acknowledged that many such actions "are affecting normal people. We don't think this will help much to fight Putin. We're all hoping that his regime will end soon, we don't want to live in North Korea. We want to live our creative lives in peace with all the people in the world."

Read the full article from Pollstar. 

Tags: News , Leadership