Red Bull Music Academy and Red Bull Radio will close on 31 October.
Consultation firm Yadastar, who manages the creative sides of the two projects, will no longer be associated with the energy drink. In a statement to RA, Red Bull said, “After 20 years of supporting artists worldwide with its music program in a rapidly changing world, Red Bull will maintain its purpose of providing a global platform to promote creativity – but it is changing the means of delivery.”
“Red Bull will be moving away from a strongly centralised approach, will gradually phase out the existing structure and will implement a new setup which empowers existing Red Bull country teams and utilises local expertise. Red Bull will continue to explore new ways to support promising and cutting-edge artists wherever they may be.”
Yadastar has also posted a statement online, saying, “For the last two decades, Red Bull have given Yadastar the opportunity to build a worldwide culture program with them. You might commonly know the fruits of this relationship under the umbrella name of Red Bull Music Academy.”
“Now, Yadastar and Red Bull have mutually agreed to part ways at the end of October 2019,” it adds. “We have had the privilege to work with some of the brightest and most talented people in the world. So, we want to use this opportunity to thank all of the people who have made this journey possible.” Read the full statement below.
— Yadastar (@yadastar) April 3, 2019
Red Bull Music and Red Bull Music Festival, which has no affiliation with Yadastar, will still continue to run. Founded by Torsten Schmidt and Many Ameri in 1988, RBMA has, over the past few decades, hosted a wide-ranging programme of workshops, talks, lectures and radio shows alongside an online publication. Artists supported by RBMA include Nina Kraviz, Objekt, Octo Octa, Iggy Pop, Courtesy, Flying Lotus and more.
(via RA)