One year ago today (March 11), many felt the severity of COVID-19 when the NBA suspended its 2019-2020 season. With arenas hosting these games subsequently shutting down, smaller spaces like indie music venues took a major hit as well, due to the shelving of tours and festivals.
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As COVID relief began to trickle in, the Save Our Stages Act, awarding “live venues, independent movie theaters, and cultural institutions” $15B in grants, finally passed in December of 2020. However, independent music venues have yet to see a dime of that funding. It’s being reported that the Small Business Administration (SBA) has yet to begin accepting applications, which could mean that funds won’t reach venues before May.
Board member of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), Audrey Fix-Schaefer stated that independent venues are in “desperate” need of assistance because many are relying on the government funding to cover their rent. It’s being assumed by those lobbying for the funding that there’s no “sense of urgency” coming from the SBA. Andrea Roebker, SBA Regional Communications Director, explained, “The SBA is building the program from the ground up, and that is a long process in government.” The SBA was able to release loans from the Paycheck Protection Program not long after the CARES Act passed last March, but the venue funding program is a “different animal,” citing that this is the SBA’s first time creating “a grant process focused on for-profit entities.” Unfortunately, “those that lost 90% of revenue in 2020 will get priority,” as reported by Billboard.
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Since the pandemic started, almost 100 independent music venues nationwide have shut down permanently and the number is beginning to widen. The NIVA simply desires “expediency and priority for those that need money most.” Rep. Roger Williams of Texas stated, “one of the biggest problems is once they announce the rules, it’s going to come in phases. If you’re in that last phase, it could be deep into this stuff before you get your money. That’s why these delays are killer for this industry.”
With the vaccine being rolled out and major cities starting to reopen, we’re hoping that the industry, especially in terms of live events, can gain a sense of normalcy soon, but ultimately, it’s too soon to know.
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