Electronic dance music (EDM) promoter Insomniac has furloughed 90 employees or about half of its workforce, Billboard confirms Tuesday, May 5.
Insomniac founder and chief executive Pasquale Rotella told Billboard that, like other companies in the music industry affected by the coronavirus pandemic, the promotion of the event company was also forced to furlough some of its employees. At the same time, they can't produce any shows. Billboard also confirmed that furloughed employees would retain their health benefits, although there has been no mention of other benefits for the affected staff of the promoter of the event.
'It is our full intention to bring those team members back on board once events are allowed to occur again,' Rotella said.
In his recent posts on Instagram and Twitter, Pasquale Rotella announced refunds for Insomniac's canceled shows and assured that they are working to verify orders and process refunds "as quickly as possible. The Insomniac founder also expressed his gratitude for patrons who would rather hold on to their tickets and attend the rescheduled EDM events, telling them that "your support means everything."
Rotella shared an update for the refund process for Beyond Wonderland SoCal 2020 and EDC Las Vegas, two of Insomniac-hosted events, and among the largest dance music festivals in the world.
He also added that the promotion company had to "reschedule hundreds of club shows, concerts, raves and festivals across the country and around the world." Pasquale Rotella added that having limited staff working remotely has negatively affected the verification and refund processes while expressing appreciation for the fans' "patience and continued support."
The 45-year-old veteran promoter also plugged their online live-streamed music events, "Insomniac REWIND" and their "Rave-a-thon" series available on YouTube and Twitch. Rotella expressed love in "seeing you all turn up every week for the live broadcasts," noting Insomniac's efforts to keep their fans entertained and the community connected in the middle of the quarantine.
Refunds are Coming! I know many of you who are unable to attend our rescheduled event dates have been asking about the status of refunds. I want to assure you that our team is working tirelessly to verify all orders and process your ... https://t.co/MkKDoB9ykH pic.twitter.com/rzyfsLmJ0V — Pasquale Rotella (@PasqualeRotella) May 6, 2020
Moving Wonderland and Electric Daisy Due to Corona
Beyond Wonderland, the EDM festival whose signature "Alice in Wonderland" set designs have been steadily attractive fans and partygoers, was originally scheduled for March 20 to 21 at the NOS Event Center in San Bernardino, California. It was moved tentatively to June 19 to 20.
While the actual and physical Beyond Wonderland was postponed, Insomniac decided to go ahead and push through with its virtual counterpart. Wonderland's virtual "Rave-a-thon" started from March 20 evening to March 21, midnight. The live-streamed concert featured sets from
household names in the international EDM scene, including DJ Audien, 4B, Wax Motif, Party Favor, Kill The Noise, and more.
On the other hand, Insomniac's flagship event, the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Las Vegas, was moved to October 2-4 from its original May 15-17 schedule. The venue remains at the Las Vegas motor speedway.
The three-day electronic music festival boasts a staggering lineup of 250 performers across ten different stages, with each stage catering to a specific vibe or subgenre of house and electronic music. EDC offers a mainstream electronic/ hip-hop stage with the "cosmicMEADOW" stage, an neon and LED-lit area for upcoming stars in the "circuitGROUNDS," a bassrush focused stage with "bassPOD," and more.
To keep fans engaged in the middle of shelter-in-place orders, Insomniac also uploads new content on its YouTube channel aside from its regular virtual concerts. The EDM promoted has released new episodes of their hit web series "Golf Cart Confessions," which contained backstage interviews with fans and artists.
