Bira Taproom Faces Criticism for Canceling Indie Acts at the ‘Last Minute’

The New Delhi branch of Bira Taproom is under fire for allegedly canceling Komorebi and Curtain Blue’s performance scheduled for Friday night, July 12, at the “last minute”.

In an Instagram post addressing the cancellation, the 30-year-old “Ud Ke Chali” singer wrote, “After countless rehearsals and preparation with our respective bands, Bira not only canceled the event one day before it happened but also refused to pay Curtain Blue and I any cancelation fee, nor did they send across our advance fee as they had agreed to in our negotiations that have been ongoing for weeks.”

Komorebi also alleged that the cancellation occurred because Bira was “uncertain” if indie artists like them could attract a crowd.

Additionally, the post claimed that Bira tried to remedy the situation by asking the artists to reduce their fee to “half of the original quote, so as to make sure they don’t incur any losses”.

Rolling Stone India has contacted Bira Taproom for comment.

Komorebi and Curtain Blue claimed that the venue initially assured them of a large number of walk-ins but “completely changed their tone right at the end”. They alleged that the venue asked their management to “guarantee that people will show up” and warned that if the attendance was below a certain number, their entire deal would be “off the table.”

In response, Komorebi wrote, “We find this sort of behavior extremely unprofessional and disrespectful.

“Musicians need all the support they can get to make a living, to pay their rent, to be able to continue making the world a brighter place with their art,” she wrote, adding, “If we don’t stand up for ourselves in a hostile environment as such, and hold venues like this responsible, then things simply won’t change for us.”

Many comments on the post echoed similar experiences. Artist Subhoshish Das wrote, “We’ve faced similar stuff. The one in Bangalore hasn’t paid our fee yet. We’d done the show on May 24. They promised to clear the payment on the day of the event and we still haven’t got anything. I’ve heard this happen to other artists too.”

Singer Sejal Morris added, “Recently did a show ar Bira Tap Room Saket for which we ended up selling almost 100 tickets priced at Rs 499 each and they charged everybody an additional 500 for cover at the venue without any prior heads up or explanation for the same.”

Other supporters also called out Bira Taproom for their “highly unprofessional behavior.”

This story is still developing