TICKETING: “Why you can’t get a refund for a postponed show from Ticketmaster” by CNBC’s Sarah Whitten – “There’s a reason you can’t get a refund from Ticketmaster for a postponed concert — the online ticket seller doesn’t have your money. The venue does. “I think there’s a lot of misperception about Ticketmaster,” Joe Berchtold, president of Live Nation, the company that owns Ticketmaster, said … “Ticketmaster doesn’t sell these tickets and sit on a mountain of cash. Ticketmaster sells tickets and gives the cash over to the venues where the events are held.” … Berchtold explained that in order for Ticketmaster to issue refunds it needs to work with the event venues, but those are closed due to the coronavirus outbreak.” http://bway.ly/quz5qo
SHUTDOWN: “Survey Shows Audiences’ Reluctance to Return to the Theatre” by American Theatre – “One major takeaway: Most theatregoers will not immediately be ready to return to theatres even when they reopen. The survey found that around half (49 percent) of those [Washington, D.C., area theatregoers] questioned say they will likely wait a few months before returning. Only 25 percent think they would attend right away.” http://bway.ly/9to1e0
FINANCIAL AID: “Actors Fund Raises $14 Million For Coronavirus Relief Efforts; Has Received 10,000-Plus Requests For Assistance” by Deadline’s David Robb – “It noted that the $14 million it has raised to help those in the industry who have been left jobless is still 30% short of the more than $20 million needed in the short-term to support its COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund. … As of Monday, it had provided nearly $4 million to 3,282 individuals in need. The emergency fund currently is screening and processing more than 200 assistance requests a day, and is providing an average of $250,000 in assistance every day. To put this in perspective, the Fund normally manages about 60-70 per week.” http://bway.ly/ash2ea
STREAMING:
“New Streaming Platform To Challenge BroadwayHD” by Forbes’ Marc Hershberg – “The ambitious new platform named Broadway on Demand is expected to launch in the United States next month. In addition to offering recordings of over 100 shows from around the world, Broadway on Demand will feature a library of video lessons from leading theatre instructors, and allow users to watch some live performances.” http://bway.ly/6w5ti6
“Signature Theatre Launches SigSpace, Online Programming Featuring Bill Irwin, Anna Deavere Smith & More” by BroadwayWorld – “Signature Theatre today announced a new program, SigSpace, which will bring artistically-anchored programming to the unique Signature Theatre lobby space, with the generous support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Signature Theatre will launch SigSpace digitally on Friday, April 17 … SigSpace programming will launch online featuring Signature playwrights including Bill Irwin and Anna Deavere Smith, Signature artists Saheem Ali and Kuhoo Verma, and more.” http://bway.ly/x11alt
