Ableton cancels 2021 Loop summit out of COVID-19 fears
“It is increasingly clear that we cannot guarantee the level of health and safety that our event demands.”
Image: Ableton
Ableton has announced that its annual Loop summit won’t be returning in 2021 due to ongoing fears and uncertainty over COVID-19.
This year’s in-person edition of the international music-making summit was originally planned for 24 April but, due to the coronavirus, was postponed to April 2021. An at-home virtual event took its place for 2020.
Unconvinced that the pandemic will have de-escalated by the following spring, Ableton issued a statement on its website on 18 August, announcing the cancellation of Loop 2021 and offering refunds to ticket purchasers.
Ableton’s statement in full below:
“We have taken the difficult decision to cancel the Loop Summit in 2021.
It is increasingly clear that we cannot guarantee the level of health and safety that our event demands. In addition to the welfare risk, the ongoing global pandemic has continued to cast unmanageable doubt over all aspects of our event planning.
Loop’s aim is to bring together an international forum of music makers. We take great pride in curating an event that represents the kind of diversity we want to see in our global music making community.
Uncertainty in future travel and event restrictions has made it impossible to confirm bookings, and to assure the quality of the event and diversity of voices to a degree that’s acceptable for us to move forward.
All ticket holders have received an email from us and will be refunded in full. If you hold a ticket, check your inbox and contact us if you need help (loop@ableton.com).
Whilst we’re saddened that a full Loop Summit cannot move ahead, our team is excited to redirect efforts towards Loop’s impact at a time when our community is in more need than ever.
We will refocus towards providing greater access to Loop, developing new ways of bringing music makers together online, exchanging ideas and inspiration in localised community settings, and exploring how we shape the future of music making to meet our new global reality.
We look forward to getting creative with you again soon.”
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to grow globally, event cancellations have begun seeping into the first half of 2021. Earlier this month, the NAMM Show 2021 was also cancelled. Instead, a virtual event, dubbed Believe In Music Week, was announced to take its place.
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