The Commercial Music Sector Lines Up Behind Required Vaccination Policies

While nonprofit performing arts orgs aren’t alone in sorting out vaccination policies, they are still one among many. But the commercial music industry is able to go about this from a corporate level where presenting groups like Live Nation and AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) are able to address this from a one-to-many perspective.

According to an article in the 8/19/21 edition of Variety by Chris Willman, those organizations aren’t discussing whether or not vaccine requirements policies should exist, rather, they are discussing the details about what types of verification are acceptable.

This is nothing but good news for the nonprofit performing arts sector.

While the article focuses expressly on the commercial end of things, you’ll see that those groups are dealing with precisely the same sets of issues: revenue, ethical, and political.

The article has a great quote from Tim Leiweke, CEO of the Oak View Group and co-founder of the Arena Alliance when the thorny issue of politics enters the conversation.

“But I’m hoping that the politicians stop making this a political issue and we get to some sense that this isn’t about a person’s individual right anymore,” Leiweke continues.” The reality is, it no longer becomes your individual right when you ultimately can walk into any place — a restaurant, an arena, a theater, a stadium — and infect others. Then that becomes we, not me.”

It was especially good to see the discussion begin to examine the potential outcome of what will happen to the minority of states actively legislating against vaccination requirements.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the outcome will likely be free market based in that performing artists will gravitate toward venues in states that support vaccination mandates.

In short, unless there are local or state laws preventing your organization or venue from enacting a vaccination policy, there’s no reason to wait if you haven’t done so already.