Beastie Boys, Ozzy Osbourne, and Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have canceled their scheduled appearances at this year’s South By Southwest festival in Austin due to the ongoing threat of coronavirus. All of the aforementioned artists were scheduled to participate in the film portion of the festival; Beastie Boys were slated to discuss their upcoming Spike Jonze-directed documentary Beastie Boys Story, Osbourne was scheduled to promote his own doc Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne, and Reznor and Ross were meant to helm a keynote speech on HBO’s Watchmen series, for which they penned the score.
Beastie Boys and Reznor and Ross are pulling out of SXSW by default. WarnerMedia, the company that owns HBO and therefore its Watchmen series, withdrew from the festival. Apple, which is releasing Beastie Boys Story, has also pulled out of SXSW. Both companies have cited the threat of coronavirus as the impetus for cancellation.
Osbourne is withdrawing from SXSW independently. Outside of the coronavirus threat, Osbourne has faced recent health problems following his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease. Last month, Osbourne canceled his 2020 tour behind his recent studio album Ordinary Man. Osbourne cited health issues upon the cancellation, and stated that he would soon undergo treatment.
Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon Studios, TikTok, Mashable, and Intel have also pulled out of the festival due to concerns over public health. Additionally, indie artist Sad13 has canceled her scheduled appearance at SXSW. According to Deadline, SXSW claims to be “working closely with local, state, and federal agencies to plan for a safe event,” and has no plans to cancel or postpone the festival.
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