Musicians, club owners say bipartisan bill must be passed to save music venues
Musicians and club owners are saying a bipartisan bill stuck in Congress is their only hope for relief that will let independent music venues survive the coronavirus pandemic.
Nearly 3,000 venues have banded together to form the National Independent Venue Association, or NIVA. Members say that independent venues generate hundreds of thousands of related jobs, and 90 percent won’t last 6 months without federal assistance.
So the group — along with 600 artists from Lady Gaga to Billy Joel — is calling for Congress to pass the Save Our Stages Act. That would provide a six-month grant to independent venues while the pandemic keeps their doors closed.
“It’s really rough – there is no timeline on when we could reopen,” said Tyler Myers executive director of the venue Knockdown Center in New York City. “Our industry was the first to close – and will be the last to reopen.”
Josh Antenucci, who runs Center Stage in Atlanta, said the PPP loan he received earlier in the year helped him stay afloat, but it has run out and he has few options.
“There is no sustainable pivot for music like ours. You can’t do live music to go,” Antenucci said, adding smaller venues are a crucial resource for young musicians. “This is where young artists grow up, this is where the young talent hones their skills.”
James Murphy, lead singer of the Grammy-winning band LCD Soundsystem, said he owes his career to independent venues and their loss would be devastating to the country.
“This is a kind of like natural ecosystem that can’t be built,” Murphy said. “It’s like a coral reef of venues. It’s like a natural national asset that if it goes away, it doesn’t come back.”