Why would a leading artist want to perform 10km from occupied territory?

Following this week’s announcement that A-list musician Elvis Costello was cancelling his tour of Israel due to that country’s occupation of Palestine, looks like things are soon to get even more interesting:

In reaction [to the Costello decision], a music industry insider confirmed that the winds could be shifting. The music executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity in light of his ongoing business ties with artists, said that in recent months he had approached more than 15 performing artists with proposals to give concerts in Israel. None had agreed. The contracts offered high levels of compensation. He called them “extreme, big numbers that could match any other gig.”

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