Germany gives €50 billion to artists, USA allows grants and loans

The German federal government has allowed aid package for the country’s creative and cultural sectors with €50 billion in grants and loans, Artnet reports. Culture minister Monika Grütter said “the creative courage of creative people can help to overcome the crisis... Artists are not only indispensable, but also vital, especially now”. In the US, songwriters, along with other “gig economy” workers in the music industry ranging from producers to roadies, will be eligible for grants and loans under the $2 trillion (that's a 1 with 12 zeros following) stimulus bill passed by the US Senate in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Variety reports. The coronavirus stimulus bill gives the music industry a fighting chance, Rolling Stone comments. On a smaller scale financially, but highly symbolic, really nice, and really good in a marketing sense, Taylor Swift has helped out two of her fans who are out of jobs due to corona-shutdown with $3,000 each, and Ariana Grande has been using mobile payment app Venmo to send between $500 and $1,000 to more than 20 fans who have voiced concerns about their financial wellbeing, Elle reports.