Spotify has joined the stock of companies that are instituting a mandatory work from home policy to prevent further transmission of the coronavirus (COVID-19). On March 10, founder and CEO of the streaming platform, Daniel Ek, announced that he had established a two-week work from home period for all Spotify employees. “We all have an obligation to delay the spread of the virus and thus the expected pressure on our healthcare system,” Ek said.
Spotify is following in the footsteps of fellow entertainment entities that have temporarily adopted remote workflows in the wake of COVID-19. The week of March 2, Sony Pictures Entertainment closed their offices in London, Paris, and Poland as a safety precaution. The company has not announced a reopening date for the three European branches.
Several other companies have either imposed personal and professional travel restrictions and/or are encouraging employees to work from home without the formal establishment of a mandate that requires staff to remain out of the office. CNN reported that Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are among them. However, this is not a comprehensive list and more brands will expectantly support remote work as COVID-19 evolves.
In the meantime, Live Nation has paused all tours and festival organizers have announced cancelations or postponements. Goldenvoice recently re-slotted the 2020 Coachella Music & Arts Festival for October, as other dance-centric events such as Ultra Music Festival and Time Warp called off their respective iterations to prevent disease spread.