The music industry is done whispering. More than 600 musicians and music workers have signed an open letter urging Live Nation Entertainment to stop staging concerts in Israel and to sever all ties with Live Nation Israel. The message is blunt: performing there equals artwashing apartheid and genocide.
This is not a fringe petition. Among the signatories are Massive Attack, Brian Eno, and Thurston Moore, alongside producers, DJs, label heads, managers, radio programmers, and concert promoters. Different scenes. Same line in the sand.
“We Refuse to Stay Silent”
The letter, released as part of the Musicians for Palestine initiative, doesn’t mince words. It accuses Israel of operating under an apartheid system and continuing what it calls a genocidal campaign against Palestinians, particularly in Gaza.
“As musicians, writers, producers, technicians, and workers, we refuse to stay silent,” the statement reads, calling for concrete action rather than symbolic gestures. According to the signatories, solidarity only means something when it confronts complicity. Including in music.
That’s the key shift here. This isn’t just about statements or benefit shows. It’s about infrastructure. Who profits. Who books the shows. Who keeps the lights on.
Live Nation in the Spotlight
Live Nation Entertainment, the world’s largest concert promoter, is directly named. The artists accuse Live Nation Israel of celebrating the Israeli military and ignoring the humanitarian toll in Gaza, where more than 70,000 Palestinians are cited as having been killed.
The letter also dismisses the US-mediated ceasefire as “corrupt” and incapable of delivering accountability or justice, arguing that military actions and blockades continue regardless.
In response, the artists call on Live Nation to follow the guidelines of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. That means ending relationships with Live Nation Israel, ensuring programming does not enable oppression, and respecting Palestinian civil society standards.
Venues and festivals under the Live Nation umbrella are also addressed directly. No outsourcing responsibility. No plausible deniability.
What makes this moment land harder is the range of voices involved. Signatories span generations and genres, from Angel Deradoorian to Dan Snaith of Caribou, from Nicolas Jaar to L’Rain. It’s not one scene trying to speak for everyone. It’s a coalition saying enough.
The letter also calls out the music industry itself for a long-standing moral failure. According to the signatories, parts of the business have repeatedly avoided taking a stand for Palestinian liberation. That silence, they argue, is no longer acceptable.
Music has always been political, even when it pretends not to be. What’s happening now is a refusal to let culture be used as soft focus over violence. No more playing neutral. No more “just doing the show.”
The final call is clear. Music should not be a tool for erasing suffering.
This is about life, dignity, and ending impunity. And this time, the artists are saying it together.
FAQ
What are artists asking Live Nation to do?
They want Live Nation to stop organizing concerts in Israel and cut all ties with Live Nation Israel.
Who signed the open letter?
Over 600 people from the music world, including Massive Attack, Brian Eno, Thurston Moore, and many independent artists and industry workers.
Why is this being called artwashing?
Because cultural events are seen as masking or normalizing alleged human rights abuses.