A new bill in the Senate hopes to provide much-needed relief to independent live music venues in the US.
On Wednesday, senators John Cornyn and Amy Klobuchar submitted The Save Our Stages Act. It is a $10bn (£7.8bn) Small Business Administration grant programme for independent venues affected by the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent venue closures. The bill would provide six months of financial support to support eligible venues.
The Save Our Stages Act aims to help an economic sector that has been hit in most US states since lockdown measures were introduced mid-March.
The act would narrowly define independent live venue operators, promoters and talent representatives in order to prevent large, international corporations from receiving federal grant funding.
In a statement to Billboard, Cornyn said, “Texas is home to a number of historic and world-class small entertainment venues, many of which remain shuttered after being the first businesses to close.”
The senator for Texas continued, “The culture around Texas dance halls and live music has shaped generations, and this legislation would give them the resources to reopen their doors and continue educating and inspiring Texans beyond the coronavirus pandemic.”
Klobuchar added, “Minnesota’s concert halls, theatres, and places of entertainment, like First Avenue in Minneapolis, where Prince famously performed, have inspired generations with the best of local music, art, and education.”
The act has been endorsed by both the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and the National Independent Talent Organisation (NITO).
Adam Hartke, NIVA’s Advocacy Committee and president of Hartke Presents, said in a statement, “While existing government assistance programs have helped other industries, they weren’t tailored to meet the needs of small businesses like ours that have zero revenue, enormous overhead and no visibility into when we can fully re-open.
“The Save Our Stages Act will provide the assistance we need to get through the shutdown until we can reopen safely and once again become the economic generators for our communities that we’ve always been.”
The act would permit recipients to use grants for costs incurred during the pandemic as well as for rent, utilities, mortgage obligations, acquiring PPE, paying contractors, regular maintenance, administrative costs, taxes, operating leases and more.
