Santogold says performing live is now ‘unsustainable,’ cancels US tour
Santigold is canceling her US tour, saying that she “will not continue to sacrifice myself for an industry that has become unsustainable for, and uninterested in, the welfare of the artists it is built upon.”
The tour was to be in support of her new album “Spirituals.”
“As a touring musician, I don’t think anyone anticipated the new reality that awaited us,” the singer and songwriter wrote in a letter to fans. “After sitting idle (not being able to do shows) for the past couple years, many of us like everyone else, earning no or little income during that time, every musician that could, rushed back out immediately when it was deemed safe to do shows. “
But like many musicians skyrocketing costs, an oversaturated market, and lingering COVID concerns have made re-entry a much more difficult undertaking.
“We were met with the height of inflation – gas, tour buses, hotels, and flight costs skyrocketed – many of our tried-and-true venues unavailable due to a flooded market of artists trying to book shows in the same cities, and positive test results constantly halting schedules with devastating financial consequences..” she continued. “All of that on top of the already-tapped mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional resources of just having made it through the past few years. Some of us are finding ourselves simply unable to make it work.”
She also promised more details soon: ” I’m actually going to elaborate on it more later because I think it’s important for people to know the truth of what it’s like out here for artists, and I don’t believe enough of us are talking about it publicly.”
“the person who writes the songs, is as important to me as the songs”
While her canceled tour is at the heart of the announcement, Santigold’s condemnation of the music industry is much broader:
“I want you to understand that I am proud to be canceling this tour when it means that I am proclaiming that I, the person who writes the songs, is as important to me as the songs. I will not continue to sacrifice myself for an industry that has become unsustainable for, and uninterested in, the welfare of the artists it is built upon”.
And as a thank you to fans, in addition to refunds, she’s giving all ticketholders free access to a special VIP club with access to early releases and announcements and options to purchase special merch and other exclusive experiences that she ” will create just for this group.”
Bruce Houghton is Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank and serves as a Senior Advisor to Bandsintown which acquired both publications in 2019. He is the Founder and President of the Skyline Artists Agency and a professor for the Berklee College Of Music.
