2,000 venues from the US fighting for funds to survive

About 2,000 live music venues and promoters from the USA have banded together to form the National Independent Venues Association, and for more than two months the association has been lobbying Capitol Hill for another round of COVID-19 financial relief, Pitchfork reports. Measures advocated by the group include tax credits, continued unemployment insurance benefits, and payroll assistance. Music-lovers and musicians support the initiative - more than 500,000 emails have been sent through the Save Our Stages website, and more than 600 artists - including Lady Gaga, André 3000, Kacey Musgraves, Bon Iver, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Alabama Shakes, and Patti Smith - have publicly championed NIVA’s plea for federal rescue under the #SaveOurStages hashtag. According to a recent survey, almost 90 percent of independent venues will have to close permanently within months if they can’t secure federal funding.