Leadership / 02.17.21

How Music Venues Convinced Congress to Save Live Entertainment

Access Staff

Bloomberg CityLab (02/12/21) Greenwald, Rebecca

As venue owners continue to wait for the Small Business Administration to issue the regulations needed to distribute funds, the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) has shifted to ensuring the legislation is implemented, as well as raising funds to help the most vulnerable businesses stave off closure. These fundraising efforts include a new public service announcement featuring Dolly Parton. NIVA also will need to coordinate the reopening of a critical mass of venues at roughly the same time as these venues, talent buyers and artists need each other to plan regional and national tours. NIVA also has broader lobbying ambitions down the road that include helping to increase the diversity of venue workforces. As background, the $15 billion Save Our Stages Act was signed into law on Dec. 27 as part of Congress' COVID-19 relief package, with NIVA playing a key role. NIVA started with Reverend Moose, a New York-based music marketer and producer of industry events, and Hal Real of Philadelphia’s World Café Live. Moose launched an informal weekly Zoom town hall on March 6, 2020. At the urging of Dayna Frank, owner of Minneapolis-based music venue First Avenue, NIVA brought on Casey Christine Higgins, a lobbyist with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, in April, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) became an early champion for NIVA.

Read the full story from Bloomberg CityLab. 

Tags: News , Venues , COVID-19 , Coronavirus