Thanks to COVID-19, many of the USA’s most iconic music venues have been in danger of shutting down permanently. Unlike many other countries, the USA hasn’t really extended any sort of help towards the arts and especially not towards your favorite local venues, who have had to get creative to survive at all. In fact, many have been shut down already.
However, there’s a $15 billion lifeline coming in the form of the new $900 billion stimulus bill, a bipartisan effort that boosts the Save Our Stages movement. The money will also be a huge boon to bars and restaurants, who have had to deal with constant shutdowns and limited capacity seating.
As Forbes notes, the movement “was introduced in July to the Senate by Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and to the House by Reps. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Roger Williams (R-TX) to establish grants to help finance venue employees and the largely gig economy of workers in businesses communities across America.”
The grant will certainly help those who had their jobs and income ripped out from underneath them with very little warning earlier this year, and while many independent venues across the USA (and Canada, too) have gone under, the $15 billion grant may just save your favorite local music venue. Like Tampa’s Crowbar, who have continued to put the safety of people above anything else. Considering this is an iconic venue that’s hosted bands like Underoath and more in their infancy, it appears venues like this may be able to have that safety net after all. The music industry has already lost $30 billion this year, but now they have a fighting chance – provided it passes through the Senate and the POTUS.
https://www.facebook.com/crowbarlive/posts/10158858284883703
