Live Nation Entertainment is planning to require all U.S. employees to be vaccinated against COVID, as well as allowing artists performing in its venues to require proof of vaccination or a negative covid test, according to a memo published by Variety. The note, signed by Live Nation Entertainment CEO Michael Rapino, comes as the industry is gathering momentum of reopening, but simultaneously emperiled by rising case numbers associated with the more virulent ‘delta’ variant.
The ability for artists to require proof of vaccination or a negative test is not particularly surprising – Live Nation Entertainment has been fairly open since events began returning to the U.S. that it would follow local authority regulations and performer preferences in terms of social distancing or vaccination requirements (after initial reports it would require vaccination passports itself began circulating last summer).
“We believe this is a great model, and we have already implemented this successfully at many major shows including Lollapalooza,” the memo reads. “We know people are eager to return to live events and we hope these measures encourage even more people to get vaccinated.”
Employees would be required to be vaccinated “to enter one of our events, venues or offices – with limited exceptions as may be required by law,” beginning on October 4.
The full memo, published by Variety, is included below:
All –
It has been great to see events make such a strong return across the U.S., with demand for concerts and festivals continuing to outpace our expectations.
LIVE NATION SHOWS
We are working to ensure we are reopening in the best way possible for staff, artists, crew, fans, and communities at large. Our teams have worked together to put new processes in place so that artists doing shows with Live Nation in the U.S. can require all attendees and staff to be fully vaccinated or show a negative test result for entry, where permitted by law. We believe this is a great model, and we have already implemented this successfully at many major shows including Lollapalooza. We know people are eager to return to live events and we hope these measures encourage even more people to get vaccinated. That is the number one thing anyone can do to take care of those around them and we are encouraging as many shows as possible to adopt this model.
EMPLOYEE VAX REQUIREMENT
In support of this model and to continue leading by example, we will be requiring that all employees in the U.S. be vaccinated to enter one of our events, venues or offices – with limited exceptions as may be required by law. This requirement will go into effect October 4, when our offices are set to reopen their doors for flex work, and to allow on-site staff a few weeks to get vaccinated if they haven’t already. HR will share more details on this soon. As a reminder we are providing an extra paid day off for every dose so you can schedule appointments easily. We’ve seen great vaccination enthusiasm among our staff so far, and we want to ensure we’re taking every step possible to keep you all safe.
Our business and our industry is about uniting people and vaccines are one of the greatest tools for making sure that everyone can continue to enjoy live music together. We’ve gone through a lot this past year and it’s remarkable to see how far we’ve come. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to your HR partner. And thank you for continuing to play a role in our continued success.
– Michael
