(AP) — The New Orleans funk band Galactic bought the decades-old music club Tipitina's late in 2018 and appeared to be making a success of the venerable live music venue.
Then came the shutdowns forced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Tipitina's is one of hundreds of such venues whose business model of packing people together for live music doesn't work these days.
And owners of such iconic clubs in cities as diverse as New Orleans, Los Angeles, Nashville and New York say the nation is on the verge of losing businesses that nurture musical talent and preserve local cultures.