And then coronavirus hit Italy. Same story- music venues had to cancel shows, musicians had to cancel their flights, and fans were left with nothing to do this weekend. Thats the first part. The next part of these business decisions, is re-scheduling. Most venues are already booked with lots of great artists for months to come, so how do they squeeze in an artist? And the artists are already booked in other cities and countries- how do they squeeze this trip back in? Its a lot of conversations between the music clubs, the booking agents, artist managers, travel agencies and insurance companies.
Of course, things will get re-booked. But it takes a lot of industry work to make it happen.
But there are some musicians like Snarky Puppy’s Bob Reynolds whose international travel didn’t get cancelled, and they’re noticing quite a difference on planes, in airports and around cities. Luckily, the music lovers are still coming out to support them!