Stories Worth the Read: COMBO Board Member and owner of the website FemMusic Alex Teitz sent us the following articles this week that are pertinent to musicians, especially those in Colorado. Take a few minutes to read them to keep up on the latest “Colorado Music Industry News.” http://www.femmusic.com
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Coronavirus In Colorado: Gov. Polis Closes Bars Again For In-Person Service
DENVER (CBS4) – Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced on Tuesday bars will be closed for in-person service in order to fight coronavirus in the state. Bars may sell take-out alcohol, and those which serve food and function as restaurants can continue to do so if patrons remain 6 feet apart, they are seated with their own party and do not mingle with other patrons.
Bars and nightclubs were allowed to reopen with limitations two weeks ago.
“We are expiring a slight uptick the last two weeks,” he said. He said there are 32,717 cases.
The announcement goes into effect in the 48 hours.
Polis noted the surges neighboring states are experiencing. He said he does not want Colorado to “become a mecca” for people visiting bars. “We don’t want to stand out,” he said.
Read the rest here:
https://denver.cbslocal.com/2020/06/30/polis-colorado-bars-coronavirus/
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State allows DougCo to increase event capacity, even as statewide COVID-19 infections rise
By Michael Karlik, Colorado Politics | Douglas County will be allowed to have indoor gatherings up to a maximum of 175 people and outdoor gatherings of up to 250 people under a variance from Colorado’s “safer-at-home” guidance that the state’s health department approved on Friday.
“This variance approval is granted based on the facts and circumstances today as you have described them in your request,” wrote Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “Additionally, CDPHE reserves the right to modify or rescind this variance approval as circumstances warrant.”
Hunsaker Ryan noted that her sign-off on Douglas County’s proposal lasts until Wednesday, when she said the amended Public Health Order 20-28 expires. That directive, issued on June 18, limits outdoor venues to 175 people and indoors to 100. The variance applies to events, pools and “life rites.”
She denied the parts of the county’s request for recreational league sports and tournaments, limiting capacity to “50 players at any given time.” Receptions, movie theaters, libraries and performances must follow the capacity variance granted. Even with the variance, events must not exceed 50% of the posted occupancy limit.
“Our goal in the pursuit of these variances was to help our citizens return to a more familiar lifestyle, while also allowing additional sectors of our business community to reopen,” said Board of County Commissioners Chair Roger Partridge. “We are especially grateful to the citizens of Douglas County for adhering to the behaviors that led to the favorable public health data that supported this outcome.”
Read the rest here:
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/coronavirus/state-allows-dougco-to-increase-event-capacity-even-as-statewide-covid-19-infections-rise/
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Red Rocks Reopens: Fitness Classes, New Website, Few Concerts
By Kyle Harris, Westword | Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre has quietly reopened to visitors after being closed during the COVID-19 shutdown. On June 30, Denver Arts & Venues announced the venue’s summer 2020 “retuning,” complete with a spiffy new website and pandemic-friendly fitness classes.
All this comes as COVID-19 rates rise in Colorado and hit record highs nationwide. And it also comes with few concerts.
Visit the revamped Red Rocks website, however, and you might still be wowed by the fresh online content. There are band interviews with Greensky Bluegrass and STS9, and videos of path-side performances from the likes of AJR, Big Wild and Caroline Rose called the Trail Mix series. There are even archival concerts from Vampire Weekend, Soccer Mommy and Thundercat.
But it’s also stunning to see how many of the summer concerts have now been canceled. Every July show has been scrapped or postponed; same with August, except for the August 11 Wilco and Sleater-Kinney concert that’s still on the schedule (but it’s likely to be pushed back or canceled, too).
Read the whole article here:
https://www.westword.com/music/red-rocks-returns-with-new-website-fitness-classes-few-concerts-11735792
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Live Nation Backtracks After Threatening to Dramatically Reduce Artist Payouts
By Dylan Smith, Digital Music News | Less than one week after unveiling a controversial memo featuring revamped artist-compensation specifics for the 2021 concert season, Live Nation has walked back some of the proposed terms.
Charles Attal, founder and co-president of Live Nation subsidiary C3 Presents, detailed the move away from the contentious payout policy changes in a recent interview.
Describing the memo mainly as a starting point for 2021 performance guidelines, Attal told Pollstar that the most poorly received element — requiring artists to pay twice their agreed upon fee when they cancel a show — has been nixed from all new Live Nation contracts.
And in defending the 20 percent reduction in artist guarantees, Attal shed light upon Live Nation performer contract clauses that increase compensation when festivals perform well financially. . . .
Read the rest here:
https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2020/06/24/live-nation-backtracks-on-artist-payouts/
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Maris the Great Is Killing It
By John Bear, Westword | Maris the Great held court at a picnic table in the back yard of a small house in north Denver on a Saturday afternoon in June. His six-inch-high pink mohawk was perfect, and the Corona he sipped was meant to protect his graying flesh from further decay.
“Alcohol preserves the undead,” Maris proclaimed in a low growl. Later, he’d have a hard seltzer as he plotted an appearance at the metal-themed Brutal Poodle on South Broadway.
It was a special occasion. Maris, known throughout Denver’s music scene for “killing” bands as part of his bizarre, decidedly not-safe-for-work performance art, returned from the grave this year after retiring in 2015. His latest victims were a two-man band, In the Whale, and the killing was to take place in bandmember Nathaniel Valdez’s back yard.
Read the rest of the article here:
https://www.westword.com/music/maris-the-great-keeps-killing-denver-bands-11723051