A proposed bill in the Senate is geared toward keeping the music alive at independent live music venues impacted by the coronavirus.
The Save Our Stages Act, proposed by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., would provide Small Business Administration grants to independent live music venue operators affected by COVID-19 lockdown orders.
The bill, introduced Wednesday, would allocate $10 billion to fund grants to eligible venues in an amount totaling either 45% of operation costs from last year or $12 million, whichever is less. The grants would provide six months of financial aid to help venues stay open, pay employees, pay rent and purchase personal protective equipment.
“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,” Klobuchar said in a news release announcing the bill. “This legislation would help ensure that small entertainment venues can continue to operate, and serve our communities for generations to come.”
The act would narrowly define independent live venue operators, promoters and talent representatives in order to block any large, international corporations from receiving the grant money.
“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,” Cornyn said in a statement. “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.”
The act has been endorsed by both the National Independent Venue Association and the National Independent Talent Organization.
“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 reopen,” Adam Hartke, co-chair of NIVA’s Advocacy Committee and president of Hartke Presents, said in a statement to the Independent. “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.”
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