Music Festival Artists and Backstage Substance Abuse Control.

The culture of performance artists and substance abuse have always been prevalent in the music industry and remain commonplace within many music festival environments. What can organisers do to limit harm and reduce the legal liability of substance abuse among artists in the festival’s secure backstage zone.

Most music festivals operate a zero-tolerance policy towards narcotics possession and use on a festival site. These policies are widely advertised prior to live event dates and are reinforced on site with reminders, amnesty bins and strict searches at entrances. These measures work reasonably well with serious incidents much reduced in recent years among festival-goers. However, as many artists still commonly face substance abuse issues controlling what occurs backstage can be challenging for organisers. What measures can they implement to reduce harm and ensure that performances continue as scheduled.

Artists, Musicians and Substance Abuse.
The relationship between performance artists, musicians and substance abuse has a long history that dates back more than 70 years. Contributing factors are the high-pressure environments associated with touring schedules, travel fatigue, performance expectations and the normalisation in the industry of drug and alcohol abuse. Many artists cite use of various substances to help them manage anxiety, pain or sleep issues and typically include alcohol, stimulants (cocaine, amphetamines), cannabis, prescription meds (opioids) and party drugs (MDMA/ecstasy). Use of any of these substances can impact music festivals where late arrivals, shortened sets and poor performances are not unusual. There are also implications for the health and wellbeing of artists who may experience medical emergencies. In addition, organisers may face liability and legal issues if certain substances are knowingly being consumed backstage.

Artist Riders and Contracts.
One tool that organisers can use to combat artist’s substance abuse on a festival site is to include relevant clauses in contracts and riders. Zero-tolerance policies are included as standard, but organisers can add specific liability clauses making artists responsible for their entire entourage’s behaviour. Other clauses can include the right of organisers to terminate or remove backstage access to artists without financial compensation for example. More recently this has developed into the Professional Capability Clause which relates to an artist's ability to perform, or their incapacity creates a safety hazard. Many organisers are moving away from open bars in backstage zones and replacing them with wellness hospitality to promote a healthier atmosphere for performance artists.

Enforcement.
Some festival organisers employ dedicated artist liaison security personnel who are responsible for preventing any liability issues in the backstage zone and green rooms. These security individuals are usually trained to recognise overdose symptoms and know how to manage high pressure environments where interpersonal dynamics need to be controlled. Organisers can implement a strict accreditation process to limit access to the backstage zone where entrance security is carefully managed to prevent narcotics from entering the zone. Artist liaison managers regularly communicate with every artist's; management team who may highlight certain risks making enforcement easier. Festival staff are now employing a welfare first approach rather than direct confrontation if any issues are encountered backstage.

Legal Liability.
The legal liability of festival organisers will always be under scrutiny if there are any injuries or fatalities as a direct result of substance abuse in the backstage zone of a music festival. Many jurisdictions around the world have a variety of social host laws which will mean an event organiser can be held liable if it can be proven that they ‘turned a blind eye’ to narcotics distribution and use in the backstage and green room areas. Organisers can insist that artists disclose any high-risk health conditions prior to their performances to reduce their exposure. Some organisers provide a drug checking service in backstage areas, but these must operate under the strict supervision of local health authorities. Organisers can also consider appointing a drug liaison officer to act as a bridge between the police and on-site medical teams. All these measures can help to reduce the organiser’s legal liability should any issues arise.

Welfare Provision.
Having dedicated medical personnel available in the backstage zone can help to ensure the safety of everyone there. Aside from drug toxicity testing the availability of Naloxone or Narcan (nasal sprays) can help to ensure that staff are fully prepared should someone display symptoms of an overdose. Amnesty bins are a common sight at festival entrance gates, but these should also be available at entrances to backstage zones too and help provide a visual and legal shield for organisers. Festival staff working in the backstage zone either in hospitality or artist liaison should employ a ‘welfare first’ model where support is preferred over strong enforcement. This extends to prompt medical response and staff trained to handle drug induced psychosis or panic attacks using deescalation rather than physical restraint for example.

For festival organisers planning their next event using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics including a dedicated artist management module. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, site planning, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Image by MART PRODUCTION via Pexels

<< Back to articles