Miami's Winter Music Conference Canceled Over Coronavirus

The annual Winter Music Conference in Miami is the latest event to be canceled over coronavirus concerns. Organizers of the event announced the news on Monday, following Florida Governor Ron Desantis’ state of emergency declaration that day. The conference was originally scheduled for March 16th through 19th.

“Due to the Florida Governor’s Declaration of a public health emergency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Interim Guidance for COVID-19, the 35th edition of Winter Music Conference, originally scheduled for March 16-19, 2020, will be rescheduled,” organizers announced in a statement. “After spending the past 10 months preparing for the event with our team, panelists and event partners, we are profoundly disappointed, however, there is nothing more important than the health, safety and physical well-being of our attendees and employees.”

WMC, held since 1985, hosts a combination of concerts, parties, seminars and industry events every year. For the past decade, WMC has been part of a larger music event, Miami Music Week, drawing an estimated 10,000 attendees and 3,500 music professionals from over 70 countries during its busiest year. The Ultra Music Festival, which was canceled last week due to coronavirus, originated from Miami Music Week.

Scheduled speakers for this year’s WMC included YouTube’s Global Head of Music Lyor Cohen and Ultra Music founder Patrick Moxey. Panelists were instructed on Friday to “put a pause on travel plans,” in an email sent out by WMC director David Ireland.

“I want to personally thank you for supporting the rebuilding of this brand, which has been so important to so many of us throughout our careers,” he wrote. “Without you, there would be no WMC, and we truly appreciate your time and efforts.”

Other music festivals and events canceled due to coronavirus include Austin’s South by Southwest and Slipknot’s heavy metal festival Knotfest Japan, as well as a slew of planned artist tours in Asia.