Civilnet
By Elen Muradyan
The Armenian government has quietly redirected $6 million in taxpayer funds to sponsor an upcoming concert of American pop star Jennifer Lopez in Yerevan, according to an investigation by Radio Free Europe’s Mkrtich Karapetyan published on Friday.
The money, initially allocated for a canceled 2023 concert by American rapper Snoop Dogg, is now being used to cover the costs of Lopez’s August 3 performance. Despite months of public promotion, there was no mention that the concert was being organized or funded by the Armenian government or the company Doping Space, originally responsible for managing Snoop Dogg’s performance.
The government decision, passed on Thursday, did not explicitly name Lopez or the concert date. It vaguely stated that the funds were to be used “during 2025,” leaving open questions about timing and transparency. Only after inquiries from Radio Free Europe’s Armenian Service did the country’s Culture Ministry confirm that the government decree referred to the upcoming Lopez concert at the Republican Stadium, part of her “Up All Night” world tour.
The concert’s budget, published in government documents, has sparked further controversy due to its extravagant spending. Lopez is set to receive over $2.5 million for her performance, while more than $185,000 will be spent on hotel accommodations for her and her entourage. Lopez herself will stay at the luxury Dvin Hotel for a cost of nearly $10,000, and an additional $37,000 was allocated for catering exclusively for Lopez over the course of two days. The plan also includes spending around $25,000 on her producer and staff, and several thousand dollars more for coordinators, technical directors, and operational managers.
These expenses mirror, almost identically, the 2023 budget approved for Snoop Dogg’s concert. Despite that concert never taking place due to the Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh and subsequent humanitarian crisis that happened several days prior to the scheduled performance, the $6 million allocated to Doping Space was never returned to the state budget.
For months, RFE attempted to get answers from the Ministry regarding what legal or financial steps had been taken to recover the funds. While officials at times said they had contacted Doping Space or attempted to renegotiate the contract, they did not provide a consistent explanation. No lawsuit was filed, despite the government having grounds to pursue legal action based on its agreement with the company.
In February 2024, Doping Space reportedly proposed organizing an alternative event “within 2025.” That vague offer now appears to have materialized in the form of the Lopez concert. However, the event’s advertising materials have not included any acknowledgment of government sponsorship, nor has Doping Space publicly claimed responsibility for organizing it.
This lack of transparency contradicts the original terms set in the 2023 government decision, which required state-funded concerts to indicate government involvement in all publicity campaigns, both domestic and international. The absence of such disclosure, combined with the extravagant spending and repeated lack of clarity from officials, has drawn sharp criticism from journalists and civil society groups.
Despite the ticket prices ranging from 25,000 to 180,000 Armenian drams (approximately $65 to $470), the concert’s financial model and public benefit remain unclear, as do the number of tickets sold and how much of the event’s cost Armenia expects to recoup through ticket sales.
As preparations for the concert continue, so do questions about public accountability, procurement procedures, and the government’s quiet approach to sponsoring high-cost celebrity performances using state funds.
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