The first issue is a lawsuit filed on December 28, 2011, by Juice Entertainment, LLC. in federal court claiming Live Nation Entertainment used unfair business tactics that led to the fair terminating its agreement to have Juice book concerts in 2011, at the Meadowlands complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The lawsuit claims that Juice Entertainment lost more than $75,000 as a result and alleges Live Nation interfered by telling State Fair Entertainment Management, that Juice was broke and lacked the experience to book concerts for the fair. (Reinartz, 2011)
I have been following Live Nation news and events for the past year, as I am interested in the company. As for this lawsuit, Juice Entertainment just may have a valid claim to Live Nation pushing them out of the way, after all Live Nation is a powerful corporation taking on most of the world in concert and music promotion. As for unfair business practices, Live Nation would have a tough time getting where they are at today by practicing unfair business practices.
The next legal liability I want to talk about is a horrible event that happened over the summer. The Sugarland stage collapse in Indiana where 7 people died. Forty-four survivors and family members of the deceased, along with producers, stage riggers, and others associated with the show of August 13, 2011, filed a lawsuit on November 22, 2011. According to plaintiff’s attorney, Sugarland’s contract gave the performers final say on whether the show should be cancelled due to weather. The complaint claims that the band and other entities are said to have owed a duty to provide a safe concert environment, using reasonable care in the direction, set-up and supervision of the show. (Schillaci, 2011) Another article on the Hollywood Reporter said that the tour manager stopped the band from going onto the stage just minutes before it collapsed. (Powers, 2011)
This is a tragedy that could have been prevented. I agree that it is the duty of the band and its entity. There are some disasters that cannot be prevented, but I agree that it is up to the tour manager to keep up with what is going on with the weather when you play at outside venues. The weather report said that 60 mile an hour winds were expected just one half hour before the concert began.
There were 2 other concerts where stages collapsed last year but fortunately they were not as tragic as Sugarland. One of these concerts was a Flaming Lips concert in Oklahoma, August 8, 2011. The other was a Cheap Trick concert in Ottawa, Canada. Neither resulted in lawsuits that I am aware of. Another thing that venues and performers may want to look at is the age and strength of staging and concert equipment.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/massive-flaming-lips-set-piece-220439
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/stage-collapses-cheap-trick-concert-212425
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