As socially distancing measure ease up and countries around the world reopen, the music industry will have to adapt to new regulations surrounding live events. These new health regulations are for the safety of all attendees, and include a multitude of precautions.
Recently, Gerd Janson played a socially distanced open-air party in Germany. Countries throughout Europe has been slowly reopening. This was one of the first dance party to be thrown after the shutdown. The 2000 outdoor capacity venue could only hold 200 people due to health regulations. Attendees were socially distanced by 1.5 metres in assigned chalk circles. Face masks were also required and sold at the event for attendees who didn’t have any readily available. Additionally, plexiglass was set up around the venue to protect DJs and staff.
However, as a result of reduced capacity, each ticket was €70 in order to cover costs. The hefty ticket fee covered €21 worth of food and drinks. Surprisingly, the tickets sold out within 15 mins after going on sale online.
Additionally, DJs also charged lower performance fees. WDR, a German broadcasting organization reported that Janson had cut his fees by 80%. The focus of the event wasn’t to make money, but to cover costs and ‘send a sign of life.’
Janson states, “Whatever your take on all of this is, part of it is how to deal with it, and how to make things possible again that were taken as a given. Taking all this into account, it went really well: a bittersweet mixture of nostalgia and hope. I had fun and I hope the dancers, too. It felt like a reinsurance that it can go on in some way, shape or form until things can get back to normal.”