Here's how you can help music venues that are financially struggling
Last month, more than 800 music venues banded together forming the National Independent Venue Association and now they’re asking for help from the public.
The organization is getting people who want to help their favorite music venues to join in. They’re requesting people to send their local government representative a letter encouraging a bailout plan for financial assistance while venues remain closed.
Read More: Elon Musk explains exactly how to pronounce his and Grimes’ baby’s name
On April 22, it was reported that over 800 venues were joining together to collectively request a financial bailout. Some of those include the Troubadour in Los Angeles, World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, and the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York and others.
The Troubadour owners also recently opened up about how they’re struggling right now.
The venue’s operators spoke to the Los Angeles Times and they’re saying they “can’t foresee being able to ride this out.”
The venue had to open a GoFundMe page to support themselves. The GoFundMe is aiming on supporting 20 hourly employees with all except for three facing layoffs.
“It looks tacky,” general manager Christine Karayan tells LA Times of the GoFundMe, “but it’s a reality at this point. It’s not a joke. If we’re going to survive this thing — and that’s a big if — we’re going to need all the help we can get, from any direction we can get it. … We know there’s going to be a huge fatality rate as far as how many venues will not be able to open again when/if this thing ever ends. We’re just looking to survive, like everybody else.”
“Our passionate and fiercely independent operators are not ones to ask for handouts,” Dayna Frank, NIVA Board President and owner of First Avenue in Minneapolis, says in a statement to Rolling Stone. “But because of our unprecedented, tenuous position, for the first time in history, there is legitimate fear for our collective existence.”
They issued a letter detailing their requests based on struggles facing live music venues in particular. As previously reported, it’s looking like the next time a concert is likely to happen won’t be until late 2021.
Read More: Iconic venue the Troubadour says it needs help surviving gig cancelations
Independent Venues across the country are banding together to bring our fight for survival to Washington for targeted funding to help save our industry. We are calling on all independent venues to join us in our fight. Membership is free. Click here https://t.co/JjoVyCo5hH pic.twitter.com/fiL1NE3O0z
— National Independent Venue Association (@nivassoc) April 17, 2020
“Our businesses were among the first to close as COVID-19 spread across the country and, unfortunately, are also likely to be among the last to reopen,” the letter reads. “Recently, leaders in both California and New York expressed skepticism about the return of concerts and live events until at least 2021, which means that in order to protect lives, our employees and artists may remain without jobs and we may be without revenue for an entire year or more.”
You can read more about the letter here or check out the entire thing below.
Read More: Halsey is postponing her ‘Manic’ North American tour until 2021
Now, the organization is enlisting the help of the public.
They’re calling on people to head to http://nivassoc.org/take-action to find their representative and send a letter supporting their initiative.
The #SaveOurStages movement is important for anyone who wants to see live music when the world begins to reopen.
Their request is made even easier as they’re providing a pre-written template that you can add your own thoughts to. You can head here to send a letter to your local representative.
.@nivassoc is working hard to secure financial support for independent venues and promoters across the US. Now we’re passing the mic to you – Just head to https://t.co/ZyyypjWVAC to find your rep, copy/paste our message and hit send to help #SaveOurStages! #SOS #NIVA pic.twitter.com/cdJ9UGF38r
— National Independent Venue Association (@nivassoc) May 5, 2020
Are you planning to send your government rep a letter urging them to provide financial assistance for music venues? Let us know in the comments below.
