Coachella The
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival uses radius clauses which, as of 2012, could prevent acts from performing in
Los Angeles, the
Inland Empire, or
San Diego for up to three months before and after the festival. The festival has allowed some of its acts to make appearances in the region prior to the festival, but only at events and venues operated by festival parent company
Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG)—such as
Jay-Z at
Staples Center in 2010. That year also marked the first time Coachella had ever sold out in advance. In 2018, the organizers of the
Portland, Oregon Soul'd Out Music Festival filed an
antitrust lawsuit against AEG, alleging that Coachella had enforced radius clauses much stricter than previously reported. In its original complaint, the organizers stated that the restrictions had extended to the entirety of
California, as well as
Arizona,
Nevada,
Oregon, and
Washington. In an amended complaint, the organizers identified that Coachella performers are forbidden from: • During a period that starts on the December 15 prior to Coachella and ends on the following May 1. • Playing any festival in North America • Playing any "hard ticket" concerts in Southern California • Publicizing any tour stops in California, Arizona, Oregon, or Washington until after the Coachella lineup is announced. • Publicizing any performances at competing festivals in California, its bordering states, and Washington, or a headlining concert in Southern California, until May 8. • Publicizing any performances at competing festivals in the remainder of the United States (except for the
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival,
South by Southwest, and
Ultra Music Festival) until after the Coachella lineup is announced. With respect to Nevada, they can publicize appearances at Las Vegas casinos, or tour stops in other parts of Nevada, but cannot publicize Las Vegas festival appearances.
Other events In April 2010, it was reported that
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan had launched an antitrust investigation into the
Lollapalooza festival's use of radius clauses. The investigation was closed in 2012 with no action taken. In June 2014, the
Toronto festival
NXNE announced that it would drop a 45-day radius clause it had implemented for its 2014 edition, following protests by fans and artists (including a
Change.org petition with over 3000 signatures), with a particular emphasis on its effects on emerging artists. NXNE 2014 marked the first time that it had been held just weeks after
Canadian Music Week (CMW)—which had moved to May from its traditional March date; the clause had been implemented primarily to prevent NXNE acts from performing at CMW. In 2017,
South By Southwest (SXSW) was the subject of criticism for several controversial clauses in its performance contracts, including one warning that international performers entering the United States under the
Visa Waiver Program to perform at SXSW would face threats of deportation and passport revocation if they performed outside of their "official" events (a large number of parties unaffiliated with SXSW are held in
Austin alongside the official festival). Managing director Roland Swenson stated that this clause was based on U.S. immigration law; performing in the country requires a
work visa, but SXSW performers have typically qualified under the Visa Waiver Program because it classifies itself as an "industry showcase". Those who do perform under this clause are legally forbidden from performing any shows beyond the specific showcase they have been granted permission for. Some critics initially interpreted this statement as being a traditional radius clause. == References ==