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Lady Gaga

Photo: Joe Scarnici/WireImage.com

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The Business Of Concert Cancellations

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Examining the trickle-down effect of concert cancellations, including insurance precautions and the impact on artists, promoters and crew members
Nick Krewen
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

When Lady Gaga was forced to cancel the remaining 22 dates of her Born This Way Ball tour in February due to a labral tear in her right hip, her fans weren't the only ones inconvenienced by the decision.

The trickle-down effect also directly impacted promoter Live Nation; Gaga's immediate management team; and her band members, dancing troupe, personal traveling entourage (wardrobe, makeup artits, chefs, trainers), and crew members, representing an estimated total of 130 personnel.

And that's not including the venue-by-venue cottage industry created by such a gigantic tour: food and merchandise vendors, security, ushers, box office and venue staff, and paramedics, among other professionals that ensure a concert runs smoothly.

Of course, at the top of the totem pole was Stefani Germanotta herself, whose sold-out tour was on track to gross more than $200 million, according to Billboard. A similar major cancellation arose during U2's 360 tour in 2010 when Bono had to undergo back surgery, which led to the postponement of 16 stadium concerts.

But high-profile artists such as Lady Gaga, U2 and others who have instigated postponements and cancellations due to an illness or injury — recent cancellations by Rihanna and Green Day come to mind — usually take out a form of specialty risk insurance to help soften the blow.

Robert Frost, founder and president of Nashville-based entertainment insurance firm Frost Specialty Inc., says performers often take out either cancellation or nonappearance insurance.

"If I was an artist, I'd carry cancellation/nonappearance [insurance] because I'd want to protect my income," says Frost, noting the maximum an artist can insure is 100 percent of their guarantee, the minimum fee they'll be paid by a promoter on a show or series-of-shows-basis.

"That would be very important to me personally to protect my income. But everybody has a different risk tolerance and everybody does things differently. But basically, cancellation/nonappearance is paying the artist if they can't perform."

Whether other individuals within an entertainer's immediate camp receive post-cancellation compensation through coverage is determined by the act's insurance policy.

"These policies can be designed to cover whatever you want to cover," says Frost, whose company primarily deals within the country and Christian music genres. "It gets complicated because the promoter will usually buy some coverage. The major artist will usually buy some coverage. Personal managers, business managers [and] booking agents are sometimes included under the coverage. It's truly designed to do whatever someone wants to cover.

"In my case, it's been different with every person: they have their own idea of what percentage they want to cover — if they'll cover the commissions, or not cover the commissions, so that the people [who] work with them will get paid. Sometimes the personal managers, the business managers and the booking agents pay part of the premium, so they're the agents that would be covered if something happens. It's just really all across the board."

Not as fortunate are the contract workers, who determine their compensation — if any — through the terms they negotiate when they get hired.

"You may get a month's pay with some cash per diems that you've lost. You may be compensated for the entire tour," suggests Rob Sonoda, who is the director of operations/technical services at Kitchener, Ontario-based venue Centre in the Square, and who toured as a crew member on tours for U2, Madonna and Paul McCartney in the early 2000s. "It's contract dependent."

Sonoda recalls situations in which he was temporarily let go due to a band-related illness, and more permanently when tours actually dissolved.

"In my instance, I picked up my last pay, my last set of per diems, they got me a flight and I went home," he recalls. "And they have my number to get in touch with me if this tour ever comes back. In a way that's like a first right of refusal: I have first rights to be the monitor guy, the backline guy or the production guy. And if the tour goes out, they'll call you. And nine times out of 10, they're pretty good about calling you."

He also says that a crew member doesn't get paid during any hiatuses that headliners work into their schedules.

"I remember U2 played Slane Castle in 2001, and then we weren't back for three weeks," he states. "They paid my flight home, and then I had to find work for those few weeks. Luckily, I picked up nine dates of a Madonna tour, then U2 flew me back to rejoin them on tour once it picked up again."

Frost says that though he's never seen pop acts protect their personnel due to the cyclical nature of touring, country acts operate differently.

"A lot of the country artists are really touring artists," Frost notes. "They have full-time employees they keep and have benefits like health insurance, short-term disability and group life insurance. That's unusual for a major pop or rock star, because they only tour every two or three years to support an album."

Frost says extended employees beyond the performer's inner circle would only be taken care of "if the artist had 100 percent coverage — if they were getting all their guarantees and they would keep everybody on."

But these policies don't come cheap.

"It's going to run anywhere — depending on the age, the health, the loss history, and everything else — up to 3 percent of the amount you insure," Frost explains.

"So if you've got $10 million coverage, that's $300,000."

(Nick Krewen is a Toronto-based journalist who has written for The Toronto Star, TV Guide, Billboard, Country Music and was a consultant for the National Film Board's music industry documentary Dream Machine.)

GRAMMYs

2010 GRAMMY Nominees CD

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2010 GRAMMY Nominees CD Announced

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Collection features hits from 52nd GRAMMY Awards nominated artists
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm
  • Pre-order the CD now »
  • (For a complete list of 52nd GRAMMY Award winners, please click here.)

The Recording Academy's GRAMMY Recordings has partnered with EMI Music to release the 2010 GRAMMY Nominees CD, the 16th edition of the best-selling series highlighting artists and songs nominated for the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards. The 20-song collection will be available Jan. 19 and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the CD will benefit the MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation, two charitable organizations established by The Recording Academy.

"The diverse mix of tracks contained in this fine collection offer some of the great songs and artists that make up this year's talented crop of nominees," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "We look forward to another successful chart-topping year and to providing further support to the important work that MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation continue to do year-round. And, we thank EMI Music for their collaboration on this exceptional album."

The disc contains many of the most widely recognized GRAMMY categories with the 20 tracks representing nominees for Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals, and Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals. The CD is made possible by a special arrangement with all of the major music distribution companies and rotates labels from year to year.

Artists featured on the collection are Adele, Beyoncé, the Black Eyed Peas, Colbie Caillat, Kelly Clarkson, Coldplay, Dave Matthews Band, Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood, the Fray, Green Day, Kings Of Leon, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Pink, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, U2, and Zac Brown Band.

"We're proud to be working with The Recording Academy to offer fans some of the year's most memorable music," said Ronn Werre, president of EMI Music Services and COO of EMI Music in North America. "This GRAMMY nominees CD features hit after hit from an eclectic group of talented artists. As well as delivering great value, it also supports the very worthy causes of MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation."

The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held Jan. 31 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, and will be broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 Surround Sound on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).
 

59th GRAMMYs
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2017 GRAMMYs: What happened and who won?

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From Adele and Chance The Rapper's big wins and Beyoncé's moving speech to Rihanna's red carpet midriff and Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars' electric performances, our infographic covers the top GRAMMY storylines
THE GRAMMYs
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am

(Interactive Instructions: Scroll over the graphic to reveal interactive media)

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/887855530431741954

GRAMMYs

U2, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb

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GRAMMY Rewind: 48th Annual GRAMMY Awards

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U2 scores Album and Song Of The Year honors and John Legend is Best New Artist against these nominees
Crystal Larsen
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

Music's Biggest Night, the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards, will air live from Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

 In the weeks leading up to the telecast, we will take a stroll down music memory lane with GRAMMY Rewind, highlighting the "big four" categories — Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best New Artist — from past awards shows. In the process, we'll examine the winners and the nominees who just missed taking home a GRAMMY, while also shining a light on the artists' careers and the eras in which the recordings were born.

 Join us as we take an abbreviated journey through the trajectory of pop music from the 1st Annual GRAMMY Awards in 1959 to last year's 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards.

48th Annual GRAMMY Awards
Feb. 8, 2006

Album Of The Year
Winner: U2, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
Mariah Carey, The Emancipation Of Mimi
Paul McCartney, Chaos And Creation In The Backyard
Gwen Stefani, Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
Kanye West, Late Registration

After trumping Michael Jackson's Bad for the Album Of The Year trophy in 1987, U2 cleared yet another hurdle by beating out one-fourth of the Beatles, 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year honoree Sir Paul McCartney [http://www.grammy.com/news/paul-mccartney-to-perform-at-2012-musicares-p.... How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, said to be the group's return to the big-anthem classics produced in the '80s, charted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and garnered seven additional GRAMMYs in 2004 and 2005, including Best Rock Song for "City Of Blinding Lights" and "Vertigo." Also making a comeback of sorts was Carey, whose 10th studio release, The Emancipation Of Mimi, won her three GRAMMY Awards, including Best R&B Song for the No. 1 hit "We Belong Together." In 1990 Carey won her first two GRAMMYs, including Best New Artist. For Chaos And Creation In The Backyard, produced by GRAMMY winner Nigel Godrich, McCartney returned to the one-man band style exhibited on his self-titled solo debut, playing nearly every instrument on the album from guitars and keyboards to bass and drums. Stefani earned a nomination for her solo debut effort, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. The album spawned four additional nods and featured her first No. 1 single as a solo artist, the infectious "Hollaback Girl." West's sophomore release, Late Registration, marked his second Album Of The Year nod (he also received recognition for production work on Carey's The Emancipation …). The album topped the Billboard 200 in 2005 and featured the No. 1 hit "Gold Digger."

U2 Win Album Of The Year

Record Of The Year
Winner: Green Day, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"
Mariah Carey, "We Belong Together"
Gorillaz Featuring De La Soul, "Feel Good Inc."
Gwen Stefani, "Hollaback Girl"
Kanye West, "Gold Digger"

Rock reigned supreme in the Record Of The Year category as Green Day won for their hit "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams." The track appears on American Idiot, which won the group a GRAMMY for Best Rock Album the year prior and gained them presence on Broadway when it was later made into a musical in 2009. Carey's "We Belong Together" skyrocketed to the top of several pop charts in 2005 and earned her two GRAMMY wins, including Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Adding variety to the field was virtual hip-hop group Gorillaz with the viral "Feel Good Inc." featuring De La Soul. The track earned them a GRAMMY for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals and a virtual duet with Madonna on the GRAMMY telecast. Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" scored a nomination with the help of GRAMMY-winning producers the Neptunes. West's "Gold Digger," which features Jamie Foxx sampling pieces from Ray Charles' "I Got A Woman," garnered the 14-time GRAMMY winner a win for Best Rap Solo Performance.

Green Day Win Record Of The Year

    

Song Of The Year
Winner: U2, "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own"
Mariah Carey, "We Belong Together"
John Legend, "Ordinary People"
Rascal Flatts, "Bless The Broken Road"
Bruce Springsteen, "Devils & Dust"

The second Song Of The Year win for U2, the emotional "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own," was written by Bono and U2, and also garnered the self-proclaimed best band in the world a GRAMMY for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal that year, beating out Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Franz Ferdinand, and the Killers. Carey's third nomination in the General Field was co-written with an all-star cast that included Johnta Austin, Babyface and Jermaine Dupri. Making his GRAMMY debut this year was Legend, who co-wrote "Ordinary People" with Black Eyed Pea will.i.am. The singer/pianist's debut studio album, Get Lifted, won a GRAMMY for Best R&B Vocal Album, a trophy that was replaced [link to: http://www.grammy.com/news/legend-gets-a-do-over] in 2010 by The Recording Academy after an incident involving Legend's nephew. One of the first country groups in recent memory to receive a Song Of The Year nomination was Rascal Flatts' "Bless The Broken Road," written by Bobby Boyd, Jeff Hanna and Marcus Hummon. The track, previously recorded by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, won for Best Country Song. The final entry, Springsteen's self-penned "Devils & Dust," which appears on the No. 1 album of the same name, earned the Boss five GRAMMY nominations this year, including a win for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance.

"Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" Wins Song Of The Year

Best New Artist
Winner: John Legend
Ciara
Fall Out Boy
Keane
Sugarland

Neo-soul artist Legend, who made two big debuts in 2005 with his first studio album and first appearance at the GRAMMY Awards, picked up Best New Artist honors. Get Lifted also broke the Top 5 on the Billboard 200. Texas-native Ciara, named the "First Lady of Crunk and B" by producer Lil Jon, scored a nod. She also took home a Best Short Form Music Video GRAMMY for "Lose Control." Pop/punk outfit Fall Out Boy received their only GRAMMY nomination to date. The group's 2005 album, From Under The Cork Tree, peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200. Piano-driven pop/rock group Keane added more variety to the diverse field, and picked up a second nomination the following year for "Is It Any Wonder?" The second country act to garner a nod in the General Field was the then-trio Sugarland, featuring Kristian Bush, Kristen Hall and Jennifer Nettles. The group won a GRAMMY two years later for Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal — minus Hall —for the tear-jerker "Stay."

Carrie Underwood Wins Best New Artist

Come back to GRAMMY.com tomorrow as we revisit the 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

Follow GRAMMY.com for our inside look at GRAMMY news, blogs, photos, videos, and of course nominees. Stay up to the minute with GRAMMY Live. Check out the GRAMMY legacy with GRAMMY Rewind. Keep track of this year's GRAMMY Week events, and explore this year's GRAMMY Fields. Or check out the collaborations at Re:Generation, presented by Hyundai Veloster. And join the conversation at Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

GRAMMYs
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GRAMMY Rewind: 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards

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Arcade Fire wins Album Of The Year and Lady Antebellum rises to superstardom
Crystal Larsen
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

Music's Biggest Night, the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards, will air live from Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. In our final installment, we look back to last year when Lady Antebellum rose to GRAMMY stardom.

53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards
Feb. 13, 2011

Album Of The Year
Winner: Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
Eminem, Recovery
Lady Antebellum, Need You Now
Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster
Katy Perry, Teenage Dream

In a surprise, indie rock reigned supreme with Arcade Fire picking up Album Of The Year honors for The Suburbs. The quartet closed out the GRAMMY telecast with a performance of "Month Of May." Eminem received his third career nod for Album Of The Year. Though short-handed here, Recovery won Best Rap Album honors. Lady Antebellum's Need You Now was one of country music's biggest hits in 2010. The album won Best Country Album honors. Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster would spawn three awards, including Best Pop Vocal Album. Gaga is nominated for Album Of The Year this year for Born This Way. While Perry would miss out on Album Of The Year, Teenage Dream would go on to spawn a record-tying five No. 1 singles, including "Firework," which is nominated for Record Of The Year this year.

Record Of The Year
Winner: Lady Antebellum, "Need You Now"
B.o.B & Bruno Mars, "Nothin' On You"
Eminem & Rihanna, "Love The Way You Lie"
Cee Lo Green, "Forget You"
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys, "Empire State Of Mind"

Lady Antebellum scored big with five wins at the 53rd GRAMMY Awards. "Need You Now" would also net awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group. B.o.B & Bruno Mars teamed for "Nothin' On You," featured on B.o.B's debut album, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures Of Bobby Ray. The song was produced by the Smeezingtons, the production trio consisting of Mars, Ari Levine and Philip Lawrence. GRAMMY winners Eminem and Rihanna teamed for the hip-hop ballad "Love The Way You Lie," which was accompanied by a video featuring actress Megan Fox. The smash reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200. "Forget You" is the expletive-free version of "F*** You," Green's hit that was also produced by the Smeezingtons. Green won two GRAMMYs previously as part of the duo Gnarls Barkley with Modest Mouse. Jay-Z & Alicia Keys teamed for "Empire State Of Mind," an contemporary ode to New York. The song netted wins for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Rap Song.

Song Of The Year
Winner: Lady Antebellum, "Need You Now"
Ray LaMontagne, "Beg, Steal Or Borrow"
Cee Lo Green, "Forget You"
Miranda Lambert, "The House That Built Me"
Eminem & Rihanna, "Love The Way You Lie"

Three of the five songs also garnered nods for Record Of The Year. "Need You Now" was written by Lady Antebellum members Hillary Scott, Charles Kelly and Dave Haywood with producer Josh Kear. The New Hampshire-born LaMontagne penned "Beg, Steal Or Borrow," a song from God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise, which won Best Contemporary Folk Album. "Forget You" was co-written by Green with the Smeezingtons and Christopher "Brody" Brown. Performed by Lambert, "The House That Built Me" was co-written by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin. The song earned Lambert Best Female Country Vocal Performance honors. "Love The Way You Lie" was co-written by Alex da Kid and Skylar Grey. Grey is nominated for three GRAMMYs this year, including two nods for “I Need A Doctor, a collaboration with Dr. Dre and Eminem.

Best New Artist
Winner: Esperanza Spalding
Justin Bieber
Drake
Florence & The Machine
Mumford & Sons

Arguably the year's biggest upset, jazz artist Spalding walked away with Best New Artist honors. Spalding co-hosted last year's Pre-Telecast Ceremony and is scheduled to present an award at this year's ceremony. Though Bieber lost out here, the teen heartthrob had a banner year in 2010. His sophomore album, My World 2.0, peaked at No. 1 and spawned the hits "Baby" and "Somebody To Love." Canadian hip-hop artist Drake teamed with Rihanna for a performance of "What's My Name?" on the GRAMMY telecast. The song is nominated this year for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, one of Drake's four total nominations. Florence & The Machine is the brainchild of London-born Florence Welch. The indie collective won the Critic's Choice Award at the 2009 BRIT Awards. Mumford & Sons performed on the 53rd GRAMMY telecast with the legendary Bob Dylan. The British folk rockers are up for four awards this year, including Record and Song Of The Year for "The Cave."

The 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place live on Sunday, Feb. 12 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in high definition and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio worldwide via Westwood One/Dial Global, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube.

Follow GRAMMY.com for our inside look at GRAMMY news, blogs, photos, videos, and of course nominees. Stay up to the minute with GRAMMY Live. Check out the GRAMMY legacy with GRAMMY Rewind. Keep track of this year's GRAMMY Week events, and explore this year's GRAMMY Fields. Or check out the collaborations at Re:Generation, presented by Hyundai Veloster. And join the conversation at Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

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