Leadership / 08.09.23

The State of Play in Russia

Access Staff

Pollstar (08/01/23) Gottfried, Gideon

International touring in Russia remains in limbo since the Ukraine invasion, with the few exceptions including Joe Lynn Turner's Moscow performance in March, and Steven Seagal's blues band performing at the Guitars In Formation festival in May. "While fans do not necessarily support the war, foreign gigs, to a certain extent, legitimize Putin's criminal regime, and are definitely used for propaganda purposes — to show that life goes on in Russia, [and that the country] is in no way isolated," said independent promoter Semyon Galperin. "There are other implications of touring Russia, such as direct or indirect taxes paid to the Russian government. And the inability to say what you think is also a constraint. Saying something like 'Russia should stop bombing Kyiv' may be prosecuted with up to 15 years of imprisonment." Talent Concert International (TCI) CEO Ed Ratnikov said the sanctions against entertainment and sports on Russia are just as comprehensive as the political proscriptions, with no international artists currently allowed to play for Russian audiences. "TCI decided to stay in the market, but considering we cannot promote and sell any international artists we decided to create our own content," he explained. Ratnikov said Russia's live industry remains vital, with domestic artists seeing opportunities to expand their venues and shows. The U.S. government also advises against touring in Russia, for reasons including "the unpredictable consequences" of the Ukraine war, "the potential for harassment and the singling out of U.S. citizens for detention by Russian government security officials," and "the possibility of terrorism." Galperin commented that Russian artists who speak out against the war are also barred from touring, "so those who are touring are either pro-war — there are not many — or silent."

Read the full story from Pollstar.

Tags: Leadership , Russia