First it was the NFL, then the NBA, now the New York City Opera musicians are having their turn at a lockout.

The company has canceled rehearsals for its first show of the season after talks broke down between management and the American Federation of Musicians Saturday night, reported The Associated Press.

In a statement released Sunday, the company said it had no choice but to lock out the union members because they had rejected the company's economic offer and had threatened to strike when performances began.

Company spokeswoman Risa Keller claims that the company has no intention of hiring replacement workers and is unsure as to whether or not the season will start next month.

The contract proposed by the company could cut the performers' pay from $40,000 per performance to just $5,000, according to The Associated Press.

The opera company has been in economic trouble for a while now. It recently had to cut its budget from $31 million to $13 million. Unable to pay for rent at Lincoln Center, the company announced last year that it would move out of its longtime home. Instead, the opera will move to venues around the city, including the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Guggenheim Museum and El Museo del Barrio.

New York New York Management