The coronavirus (COVID-19) has already widely disrupted Hollywood, and now it has turned its sites on the music industry.
The next coronavirus casualty is rumoured to be Coachella, which currently has the likes of Rage Against The Machine, Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, Calvin Harris and Lana Del Ray set to play.
Local residents of Riverside County in California (which hosts the festival each year) are currently petitioning to cancel the festival, in fears that it might bring the COVID-19 virus with it.
“The low desert’s population is densely seniors, which are at significantly higher risk of developing complications from COVID-19,” said the founder of the Change.org petition, which has now received 15,000 signatures.
Coachella is currently scheduled for next month, from April 10 – April 17.
The cancellation would result in quite a bit of money not exchanging hands – according to the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership group the festival brings almost US$700 million to the California metro area.
The cancellation or postponement of the event follows the cancellation of the South by Southwest event, in Austin.
“Everybody’s watching Coachella,” said one music executive. “If Coachella goes down, it’s going to be a domino effect.”
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