Leadership / 09.02.20

U.S. Music Venues Lit Up Red on Sept. 1 to Demand Passage of the Restart Act

Access Staff

Billboard (08/28/20) Mims, Taylor

Music venues across the U.S. lit up their establishments in red on the night of Sept. 1 to demand congressional passage of the Restart Act, which would provide aid for millions of Americans who have lost income from the COVID-19 pandemic. Guided by the #WeMakeEvents coalition, the #RedAlertRESTART campaign aims to raise awareness of live music's imperilment if Congress fails to support venues that have been closed since mid-March in order to slow the spread of the virus. "The entire live events industry is on the brink of collapse," warned WeMakeEvents North America Director Brad Nelms. "Without financial relief, many businesses stand to permanently close, and families risk bankruptcy and homelessness. We want to take this opportunity to show the world the scale of what it takes to make live entertainment events happen and demonstrate how much this crisis has affected our community." The Restart Act offers up to 90% forgiveness for loans to companies that have high revenue loss, without punishing industries that depend on part-time employees. The measure also includes grants to eligible recipients in an amount equal to 45% of gross revenue from 2019, with a cap of $12 million. More than 1,500 locations across North America were expected to participate in the #RedAlertRESTART event.

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Tags: News , Venues , Leadership , COVID-19 , Coronavirus