One of the owners of AEG, Philip Anschutz, has donated $134,000 to the GOP last year alone. AEG currently produces New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival as well as all Winter Circle Productions events (including Buku Music and Arts Festival). People who work and attend these events should be advised that someone who profits from them is using those funds to support groups that promote anti LGBQT discrimination, climate change denial, and other initiatives harmful to society. He has also donated more than $200,000 to anti marijuana efforts in Colorado.
All members of the entertainment industry need to seek art made from ethical funding. Fests like Kerville, Greyfox, Purple Hatters Ball, etc. exist. It is possible to both have a good time and not support corruption. Redbull Music Academy provides programs for musicians but that does not make red bull any healthier and even though they provide music in the name of promotion they still poison people with the chemicals in their energy drinks.
There are other companies like Give a Beat that actually try to help kids affected by mass incarceration that Upbeat could partner with. But instead they work with AEG through WCP which is interesting that they are funded by the people repressing their families. Finding these things not worth doing anything about only shows privilege and lack of ambition to do anything to help others when it doesn't affect the self.
There are plenty of local shows to attend that do not hurt anyone. Try shows actually thrown by local promoters, musicians, and venues themselves. It is called supporting friends and local art rather than corrupt commercialization. Look into the DIY indie labels and management.
Saying there is not anything ethical so just keep throwing money to horrible funds in the name of partying does not make everything unethical, it is just ignoring ethics to remain unethical. Shit like that is how Live Nation and Ticketmaster got away with collaborating with scalpers.
Keep funding in communities not funneled through income disparity.
How can people support organizations that profit off of corruption for their own benefit when it is not the only way to make a career or be entertained? Art is supposed to be about humanity not vanity.
Supporting these organizations despite what they do just means people do not mind funding anti LGBQT initiatives, anti immigration, anti marijuana, pro gun policies as long as the company saves face by doing other charities and bribes the crowd with celebrities and a light show even when they are in a city that has community oriented audiovisual experiences to support its infrastructure rather than tear it down in the name of profits.
Supporting income disparity while saying there is nothing anyone can do about it is just people digging their own grave. There is something that can be done, but society is comfortable continuing as things are rather than as they could be.
If someone does not think ethics exist in business while using that as an excuse to support unethical practices rather than act for change maybe that person is just unethical.
Arguing the music industry was built this way so no need to change anything is admitting systemic white patriarchal privileged supremacy is acceptable as long as people are distracted by something else.
If someone gives a fuck about people, they do not fund dehumanizing others in the name of a party (which would be music, career, dancing, lights, art, whatever reason anyone wants to write it off for because if someone would put their own desires above not financially backing corruption they have no reason to pretend like passively accepting the negative results of the funding is not a fucked up thing to do).
People can support and see artists at events where the profits do not take away from other people's quality of living. Funny how people who WCP don't even value enough to pay for their work wanna pretend like that company is not more focused on profits than supporting local art right now. They will pay for big name acts, but when do they support locals with guarantees more than 50 bucks? When do they pay their street team?
Free entry to shows and not paying locals does not help with the rent, continues to contribute to income disparity, and is bull shit because the budget they spend on out of town they could spend directly on this city yet a certain type of people do not care how much local artists make or what is happening with the money just as long as a big name pops up that has big money behind it.
The people have the power to change how the industry is run. The consumers can control where they spend their money. The companies can control how they spend their money. The workers can control either what work they choose to do or who they choose to work for.
People be like, "Oh someone has a problem with people in the music industry giving their funds to organizations that dehumanize others? How negative!" If anyone has to rely on selling out others to partake in music then not only are they not one to speak about negative actions, but they also care more about looking like they are involved in the music industry as it is than actually getting involved to create accessible art for everyone.
Photo of JGBCB 12/1/18
Sources:
13. AEG Owner Pulls Financial Support for Some Anti-LGBTQ Groups, But Still Donated $770,000 in 2016
25. Coachella Owner Phil Anschutz Has Longstanding Ties to Trump’s Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch
27. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch has close ties to conservative megadonor activist Philip Anschutz