Over 600 artists sign open letter urging Live Nation to drop Israel subsidiary
More than 600 artists and music workers have signed a new open letter calling on Live Nation to drop its Israel-based company.
Musicians For Palestine has published a new statement focused on the live event giant Live Nation Entertainment and its Israel subsidiary, as well as Live Nation venues and festivals, in accordance with a recent call by the BDS movement cofounders Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).
The Musicians For Palestine letter has been signed by Brian Eno, Massive Attack, Josey Rebelle, Dan Snaith (aka Caribou), Nicolás Jaar, Grove, Kara-Lis Coverdale, Mia Koden, Midland, Colin Self, Hiro Kone, Julia Govor, Lauren Flax, Mars89, object blue, Saoirse, Shanti Celeste, Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite and more.
“We cannot stay silent while Live Nation Israel glorifies the genocidal Israeli military that has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza”, the letter reads. “We echo long-standing Palestinian calls for accountability over its years of artwashing of Israeli apartheid and now genocide.”
It continues: “We call on Live Nation Entertainment to uphold all the authoritative demands of Palestinians, by dropping Live Nation Israel, adopting policies to ensure its programming and partnerships are not complicit in oppression anywhere, and respecting the guidelines of Palestinian civil society. Live Nation’s venues and festivals: please echo and adhere to these demands.”
The 9th December PACBI statement directly addresses Live National Entertainment, urging it to drop Live National Israel and adopt ethical programming company-wide, and Live Nation-owned and -operated events and venues to pressure the parent company and its complicit investors. “To artists, we ask you to pressure Live Nation’s festivals and venues to meet the above demands”, PACBI wrote. “And to fans, festival-goers, and audience members, we urge you to amplify and support our campaign’s demands. We stand with workers at Live Nation’s venues and festivals, and hope you can find meaningful ways to raise our demands internally.”
In September, the Association of Independent Festivals called on Live Nation and Ticketmaster to break up its market dominance. That same week, the FTC filed a lawsuit over the joined companies’ alleged illegal ticket resale, separate from the previous summer’s United States Department of Justice lawsuit to break up the alleged monopoly.
Hundreds of artists and music workers have previously come together in solidarity with Palestine for open letters in 2023 and 2021.
Earlier this month, Together For Palestine released the charity Christmas single ‘Lullaby’, with Brian Eno, Nai Barghouti, Neneh Cherry and more.
Read the letter and see the list of signatories here, and find the Musicians For Palestine Instagram statement below. Musicians and people who work in music can add their signature here.
