Taiwan's star-studded Golden Melody Awards (GMAs) ceremony has been rescheduled from June to October amid travel restrictions and safety concerns arising from the COVID-19 outbreak. The announcement of this year's nominees will also be pushed back to mid-July, with the host venue to be unveiled at a later date. Due to similar concerns, the accompanying Golden Melody Festival has been cancelled.
Organized by the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development, the annual red-carpet affair was originally scheduled to be held at the Taipei Arena, a venue with a capacity of over 10,000 people, surpassing the Central Epidemic Command Center's (CECC) advice of limiting indoor events to 100 attendees.
The rescheduling was also based on a careful assessment using the six indicators of the Guidelines for Large-Scale Public Gatherings issued by CECC on March 5. In addition, with invited performers, award presenters, and international nominees unable to attend the event as travel bans have been introduced worldwide to halt the pandemic, the ceremony organizers are currently unable to deliver what was promised to be a dynamic music experience.
The exact date, host venue, and how the event will proceed will be determined later based on the latest developments of the global coronavirus crisis and in accordance with CECC-issued directives.
As for the Golden Melody Festival, a pivotal networking platform offering international forums, pitch events, and concerts featuring artists from home and abroad, it has been canceled due to travel restrictions that the invitees face and the high risks of viral transmission and cluster infection posed by the global event.
The annual festival attracted approximately 400 exhibitors and thousands of participants in 2019. Furthermore, two concerts from the 2019 edition — the Showcase (金曲售票演唱會) and GMA Heat (金曲星聲代) — drew over 4,000 people as well.
Established in 1990, Taiwan's largest pop music awards show is now in its 31st year.