Clear Channel Shutting Down Local Concert Promotions? Well, Maybe.

Last week, entertainment behemoth Clear Channel appeared to pull out of the concert promotion business in several U.S. cities, laying off employees and shuttering its offices. “This all coincides with the splintering of Clear Channel, which plans to spin off its concert business into a separate company while keeping its radio and billboard divisions.” But the company says that the layoffs merely mark a shift in corporate philosophy, with Clear Channel intending to run its concert promotions from the home office in San Antonio. At the moment, in cities like Minneapolis, Seattle, and Nashville, it’s difficult to accurately assess whether Clear Channel is really gone, and what it means if they are.