HOLLYWOOD (CNM) -- The going rate for a headline act on December 31, 1999, is said to exceed $5 million. But agents say the real negotiations this year have been over a new section in performance contracts known informally as "the Y2K rider."
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| Rehearsal for a millennium concert |
The clauses typically guarantee payment if the show is disrupted by power failures. Some go further, requiring backup generators, a satellite phone and, in one case reported by a concert promoter, "a helicopter, fueled, and a pilot who knows the way to Montana."
"Everyone wants to be paid in the new millennium," said one agent. "Several want to be paid in the old one, just to be safe."
Ticket prices for some shows have reached $2,000. Many smaller venues report that their millennium events are not yet sold out, as many people have decided to stay home.
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