Forbes: “Save Our Stages: Stimulus Deal’s $15 Billion Grant Could Give Indie Venues ‘A Fighting Chance’”

Save Our Stages: Stimulus Deal’s $15 Billion Grant Could Give Indie Venues ‘A Fighting Chance’
Forbes
By Cathy Applefeld Olson
December 20, 2020

After nine excruciating months, the vast ecosystem of workers who keep the lights on at the country’s independent concert venues are hopeful they can at last breathe a collective sigh of relief.

The long-awaited second stimulus package, which still needs to be passed, designates $900 billion of direct payments and jobless aid to Americans crushed by the continuing scourge of Covid-19. It also incorporates the Save Our Stages Act and with it the establishment of a $15 billion SPA grant program for indie establishments.

Save Our Stages 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 these business and cultural communities.

“I’m especially pleased this this bill will provide money for bars and restaurants, and $15 billion in SPA grants for theater operators and small venue operators through the Save Our Stages Act,” Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), a vocal supporter of the legislation, said Sunday night on the Congress floor.

“These venues are so important to my state and so many other states across the country. They are the lifeblood of our communities. They were the first to close and will be the last to open. This bill gives them a fighting chance.”

The news is music to the ears of the National Independent Venue Association, which formed at the onset of the pandemic shutdown and now represents more than 3,000 independent venues and promoters in all 50 states and Washington, DC. NIVA's mission is to preserve and nurture the ecosystem of independent live venues, promoters and festivals throughout the country.

“We’re thrilled that Congress has heard the call of shuttered independent venues across the country and provided us a crucial lifeline by including the Save Our Stages Act in the COVID-19 Relief Bill,” said Dayna Frank, owner & CEO of First Avenue Productions and Board president of NIVA.

“We’re also incredibly grateful that this bill provides Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which will help the millions of people who lost their jobs through no fault of their own during this economic crisis. We urge swift passage of this legislation, which will assist those in the greatest need and ensure the music lives on for generations to come.” 

The road to the inclusion of the Save Our Stages Act in the stimulus deal has been stained with the shuttering of hundreds of indie venues across the U.S. as legislation stalled amid partisan power plays. In recent weeks, the bill—which initially sought $10 billion in relief—increasingly had been gaining bipartisan support, which bolstered the hopes of the music community.

Since the spring, NIVA has undertaken numerous measures to connect employees of the country’s disparate indie halls and present a collective voice to the nation’s lawmakers. Just last week Adam Hartke, co-chair of NIVA’s Advocacy Committee and owner of WAVE and The Cotillion in Wichita, Kansas, testified in front of the Senate Committee on Commerce.

In October NIVA staged the virtual #SOSFest, which ran on YouTube and included performances in iconic clubs around the country by acts including Foo Fighters, Miley Cyrus, Dave Matthews, the Roots and the Lumineers. The three-day fest raised more than $1.8 million.

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