Live Nation and Spotify cease business in Russia following Ukraine invasion

Concert promoter Live Nation has announced it will no longer conduct any business in Russia amid their ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

In a statement to NPR, a representative said: “Live Nation joins the world in strongly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We will not promote shows in Russia, and we will not do business with Russia. We’re in the process of reviewing our vendors so we can cease work with any and all Russian-based suppliers.”

Live Nation joins the world in condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and applauds all the musicians who are using their voices to promote peace. pic.twitter.com/Kgp0TQHxNw

— Live Nation (@LiveNation) March 2, 2022

Live Nation's decision follows a marked number of musicians that have cancelled their Russian tour dates, including Green Day, Iggy Pop, Irish post-rock outfit God Is An Astronaut and Glasgow formed rockers Franz Ferdinand.

"The only reason for this is the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian state," Franz Ferdinand wrote. "We love Russia. This great country has inspired our band through its art and literature and since we first played there 17 years ago, we have built a rich and deep relationship with our Russian fans."

"Since Thursday morning, we have spoken to many of our friends in Russia via social media and have encountered unanimous opposition to this violence and solidarity with our Ukrainian friends. We know you see the madness of your country’s leadership. We know you do not want war. We do not want war."

Spotify has also decided to close its Moscow location indefinitely.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the unprovoked attack on Ukraine,” a Spotify spokesperson said in a statement. “Our first priority over the past week has been the safety of our employees."

Along with closing their offices, the streaming platform will provide "individual support" to its personnel in the region as well as their community of Ukrainian employees.

As a further hindrance, Spotify has restricted the discoverability of content owned and operated by Russian state-affiliated media and removed all RT and Sputnik content from the platform in the European Union and other markets.

Despite this, Spotify will not disable streaming within Russia.

A representative said: “We think it’s critically important to try to keep our service operational in Russia to allow for the global flow of information."