WKRN.com (05/04/20) Cotton, CB

Tennessee Rep. Jim Cooper and 27 other lawmakers sent a letter to White House congressional leadership requesting the inclusion of the music and live event industry in the draft of the next stimulus bill. "Many musicians, for example, are called independent contractors, and often time the law doesn't know how to help those people," said Cooper. Nashville-based singer-songwriter Sasha McVeigh noted that many people either do not qualify for unemployment, have filing issues preventing them from receiving their money, or are not eligible for grants. She is livestreaming performances in the hope of getting donations, and has set up a resource page to help answer persistent questions from fellow artists on securing financial aid. Cooper said once the pandemic restrictions are eased, the recovery of music and live event revenue will take time, and "we need to make sure that the creators don't go under." McVeigh welcomes Cooper's support. "You look at what people are doing during this quarantine, what are they doing to pass the time ... they're watching livestreams, they're listening to music, they're watching movies — everything is creative," she said. "How can you devalue something that is actually getting people through this pandemic?"

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