Local Music Venues at Risk

Local artist Kat Wright performing at Higher Ground. Higher Ground has canceled or postponed all concerts before June 15, per Vermont’s extended stay-at-home orders. Photo by Matt Bogosian, courtesy Higher Ground.

Many members of the artistic community are struggling right now. Like many others, their livelihoods have been limited, or put on hold entirely. While some industrious musicians may use this time to start that album they’ve been telling others about, others, especially live performers, remain idle. 

Locations like Higher Ground, Nectar’s, The Flynn, and The Monkey House are shuttered, and not only do the musicians who use them wait nervously for the pandemic to run its course, so to do these venues, their employees, and their owners.

According to the National Independent Venue Association, 90% of independent clubs don’t think they can survive a shutdown of more than six months without federal aid. These small venues are expecting to collectively lose over $9 billion in ticket revenue, not including food and drink sales, according to Pollstar.

Music venues are likely to be one of the last businesses to reopen, and the outlook following the pandemic remains bleak. Crowds are unlikely to return to their normal volume due to continued government restrictions on crowd sizes and the general public erring on the side of caution.

The National Independent Venue Association has begun their #saveourstages campaign. NIVA represents 1,300 venues across the country, and wish to modify current small business loan programs, and other economic relief measures for small businesses. NIVA hopes to generate awareness on social media in order to spread the word about at-risk music venues, and by also directing citizens to contact their legislators. They’ve already done most of the work at www.saveourstages.com. 

Currently, NIVA is urging legislators and their constituents to support the Cornyn/Carper letter. This bill has been put before congress and would clarify that expenses paid with forgiven PPP loan are tax-deductible. The deadline for this bill is Thursday, May 21.

NIVA has provided a pre-written letter for you to use, as well as multiple social media captions. If you use social media, NIVA urges you to use #saveourstages, link to saveourstages.com, and tag @nivassoc.

If you are a performing artist or band, NIVA has further opportunities for you as well. From live streams to press requests. If you’re interested in helping out, whether you’re a musician, comedian, or other live performer, email info@nivassoc.org to discuss possibilities.

Text by Luke Vidic.