Tell Congress to pass this before they finish voting next Friday, August 7th!
There are two pieces of proposed legislation getting a big push from independent live music venues and promoters. But one of these could help MANY more businesses beyond the live event industry.
Why are the live music venues making so much noise about this? They, unfortunately, were some of the very first businesses to be completely shut down in March, and at this point, most have no opening date in sight. Without help, iconic venues, where big name musicians and other performers got their start, may be gone forever. Communities across the country would lose not only the artistic enrichment these theaters and other venues bring to their residents, but also the revenues they generate. A Chicago study found that for every $1.00 spent at an independent live venue, the local economy received $12.00 in revenue spent at neighboring hotels, restaurants, and retail. We could lose places like the The Canyon Club (5 locations in L.A. and Ventura counties), The Comedy Club, Roxy, The Viper Room, Troubador, Whisky A Go Go, and so many more...across the entire country.
The first piece of legislation is the Save Our Stages Act - A bill to establish a grant program for small live venue operators and talent representatives. It is narrowly written to help this specific group.
But the BIG item is the second piece of legislation - the RESTART Act, which was originally sponsored from both sides of the aisle and currently has 44 bi-partisan co-sponsors.
The RESTART Act would actually benefit MORE than just live music venues. It creates a forgivable loan program targeting the businesses hardest hit by shutdowns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The RESTART Act would provide up to six months of operating expenses, allow funds to be spent on a much broader list of expenses than PPP loans, and carries no requirement to spend a minimum portion on payroll or other expense categories. The RESTART Act targets all businesses who have suffered a revenue loss of not less than 25% during an 8-week period in 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.
Go now to SaveOurStages to quickly trigger a message of support to your representatives in Congress. They're only in session through next Friday. The clock is ticking!
To view the text of these bills:
The RESTART Act is Senate Bill 3814 and H.R. 7481 And a 2-page summary of the bill can be found on Senator Michael F. Bennet's (who sponsored the bill) website
Save Our Stages Act is Senate Bill 4258 Text of the bill can be found here