SXSW Contract Clause Leading Bands to Cancel Appearances

It's South By Southwest time in Austin but, some bands are backing out.

According to KVUE.com, a contract clause says all performers must be legally able to enter and work in the United States. No surprise there, work visas and such have been necessary for years but, it's not about red-flagging those who can't legally work here.

Stopping an illegal performer is one thing, notifying authorities is another and that's the issue here. Entertainment lawyer Brian Goldstein told KVUE that:

"What's typical is, whether it's an opera company or an orchestra, to put something in the contract that says you're responsible for making sure you get your visa and you're legally authorized to perform and if we discover that you're not authorized we have the right to cancel the show with no damages. If they find out they have an illegal, they get rid of them. It's very rare, especially in the arts, that you say 'and we're going to rat you out.'"

About 50 bands have allegedly cancelled their performances.