Turkish promoter to survive Winehouse blow, says rival

Turkish promoter to survive Winehouse blow, says rival

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

TUBA PARLAK

ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

The cancellation of Amy Winehouse’s Istanbul show may cost its promoter Pozitif between at least 50,000 and 100,000 liras, the company’s competitors tell the Hürriyet Daily News. There are risks in handling the troubled singer’s show, they say, but express their faith in Pozitif’s strength to survive the blow

The cancellation of British singer Amy Winehouse’s Monday concert in Istanbul could cost its promoter, Pozitif, tens of thousands of euros due to a lack of insurance coverage, according to a number of sector representatives.

A spokesperson from the organizing company said Tuesday that they had been unable to find an insurance company to work with because Winehouse’s concerts were classified in the “high-risk” category. Businessmen from the entertainment sector also said the company’s losses could total between 50,000 and 100,000 Turkish Liras.

Although Winehouse returned the payment she had received for the Istanbul show, the company will still bear a loss on the venue booking, technical equipment rentals and various peripheral arrangements, the spokesperson told the Hürriyet Daily News by email Monday. She added that she could not yet provide the press with figures concerning the company’s loss.

Winehouse canceled her concert in Istanbul, as well as another performance set for Wednesday in Athens, after being booed on stage during a Saturday appearance in Belgrade in which she appeared to be severely intoxicated. The Serbian date was the singer-songwriter’s first scheduled concert in a 12-stop European summer tour.

Speaking to the Daily News on condition of anonymity by telephone Monday, a businessman in the sector who promotes international concerts in Istanbul said local insurance companies’ policies did not cover cancellation issues; therefore, the organizing companies had to work with EU-based insurance companies.

“And there are a lot of determinants here in calculating the premium you are supposed to pay when buying the policy. But the most important of all is the risk factor. Amy Winehouse is infamous for last-minute cancellations or her scandalous stage performances. Therefore, the premium that the company asks must be very high,” he said.

On Tuesday, he said the company’s minimum loss was 50,000 to 60,000 liras.

The general manager of another company in the international music events promotion business told the Daily News on condition of anonymity on Tuesday that he believed Pozitif’s loss would total a minimum loss of 100,000 liras.

‘Blow to Pozitif won’t be negative in the long run’

“However, the company is a very well-established actor in the sector; they will survive the blow. Plus, the Winehouse show is not their only show for the summer. Moreover, because the company has well-rooted relations with suppliers in this sector, it will not be pushed into making obligatory payments stemming from the cancellation, like reimbursements or compensation,” he said.

Pozitif is also the promoter of Istanbul-based music festivals Rock’n Coke, Efes Pilsen One Love and the Miller Festival and has also organized a number of concerts and music events over the past 20 years.

If either Winehouse or her agency – or both – wants to make a stage appearance in Istanbul in the future, they will not contact another promoter, he said. “If this show is going to happen, it is going to happen through Pozitif.”

Pozitif’s spokesperson also expressed the company’s belief in the Winehouse show. “We have not lost all of our confidence in her. We absolutely want to make that show happen, either in the next months, or the next year. We are still in,” she said.

via Turkish promoter to survive Winehouse blow, says rival – Hurriyet Daily News.