Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music group, has canceled its expensive post-Grammy Awards gala this year – with the reasons reportedly ranging from everything from economic woes to fears of fights between rival rappers.
The Los Angeles Times and several other papers reported Tuesday that the company pulled the plug on the gala New York event scheduled for right after the Grammys on Feb. 23 because of concerns that violence might erupt between rival rappers.
But a source close to the company said, “It was canceled for a variety of reasons and a lot of it has to do with the economy and the music market. It just didn’t seem appropriate to throw a party like this when everybody’s cutting back and when you’re having layoffs throughout the industry.”.
Universal Music, a unit of Vivendi Universal, declined comment. The party, scheduled for Feb. 23, was expected to cost between $300,000 and $500,000.
The Los Angeles Times said company executives were responding in part to fears that a feud between Brooklyn rapper 50 Cent and hip-hop entrepreneur Irv Gotti, chief of the Murder Inc. label, could spill over into a violent altercation that might endanger party-goers. Reuters/Variety
