Here’s How COVID-19 Is Killing Venues – #SaveOurStages Explained

The live music industry has been one of the hardest hit by COVID-19 – a mass-shuttering of virtually every venue in the US, and with still no date for reopening, many of them may remain closed permanently. Here we look at what you can do to take action and give independent venues a fighting chance.

Guest post by James Shotwell of Haulix

Visit https://www.nivassoc.org/take-action and do your part today. It takes less than a minute and costs nothing.

COVID-19 brought the live music industry to its knees. Almost overnight, virtually every venue in the United States had to close their doors and layoff their staff. Many venues remain closed today, and there is no clear timeline for them to reopen.

While all venues are suffering right now, independent venues are worse off than the rest. These concert halls are essentially local small businesses, but only many shops and companies, they have not received any financial aide from the federal government. Not one cent of any federal stimulus or bailout money has been given to live music businesses, and that needs to change. 

As of June 2020, over 90% of all independent venues in the United States are in jeopardy of closing before October. Such a loss would upend the entire music ecosystem, not to mention leaving thousands without a job. NIVA, the National Independent Venue Association, is trying to save these establishments from going under, but they need our help.

In this episode of Music Biz News, host James Shotwell explains the #SaveOurStages movement and what viewers can do to take action. Please do your part. 

Music Biz is brought to you by Haulix, the music industry’s leading promotional distribution platform. Join Haulix today and gain instant access to the same promotional tools trusted by Bruce Springsteen, Jason Isbell, Slipknot, and thousands more. Visit http://haulix.com/signup for more information.

James Shotwell is the Director of Customer Engagement at Haulix and host of the company’s podcast, Inside Music. He is also a public speaker known for promoting careers in the entertainment industry, as well as an entertainment journalist with over a decade of experience. His bylines include Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Substream Magazine, Nu Sound, and Under The Gun Review, among other popular outlets.