Promoters of Controversial Chainsmokers Concert Fined $20,000

The promoters behind a Chainsmokers concert in the Hamptons in New York this summer — which drew criticism for seeming to violate social distancing and other Covid-19 guidelines — have been fined $20,000.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the fines for In the Know Experiences and Invisible Noise on Twitter Wednesday, October 14th: “Following an investigation into the Chainsmokers concert in the Hamptons this summer, the promoters will be fined $20,000 for violating public health law.” Cuomo added that the town of Southampton, where the event took place, “cannot approve permits for group gatherings without state approval.”

NEW: Following an investigation into the Chainsmokers concert in the Hamptons this summer, the promoters will be fined $20,000 for violating public health law.

Further, the Town of Southampton cannot approve permits for group gatherings without State approval.

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) October 14, 2020

A representative for In the Know Experiences declined Rolling Stone’s request for comment. A contact for Invisible Noise was not readily available.

The Safe and Sound charity fundraiser took place in July and was billed as a drive-in concert where guests would be allowed to sit outside their cars in designated areas that were at least six feet apart. While In the Know and Invisible Noise were adamant that they followed all proper Covid-19 safety protocols, photos and videos from the event went viral on social media in part because seemed to show packed crowds with few people wearing masks.

The clips garnered the attention of Cuomo and the New York Department of Health, which launched an investigation into the concert. In an op-ed for Rolling Stone at the time, Department of Health Commissioner Howard A. Zucker, wrote: “I became angry when I learned of the actions of the Southampton concert promoters and the flagrant disregard for the public’s health during a pandemic. But I was heartened by the fact that most of the people who read or heard the story have felt the same way.”