Will President Trump "Save Our Stages?"

Webster Hall, which has hosted live entertainment on and off since 1886,
paused its 134-year legacy in March 2020 due to COVID-related governmental restrictions

Late on December 21, the United States Congress passed a $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill, which allocates $15 billion in funding to "venues, independent movie theaters, and cultural institutions." The stimulus bill awaits President Donald Trump's signature, which then permits venue owners to apply for financial relief.

In a video statement the following night, President Trump suggested that he would not sign the coronavirus relief bill unless amendments were made to the overall bill. Specifically, he asked that the direct stimulus payment to Americans be increased from $600 to $2000. The president's requested amendments do not seem to jeopardize the Save Our Stages portion of the bill.

"Send me a suitable bill, or else the next administration will have to deliver a COVID relief package," said the president in the video, "and maybe that administration will be me and we will get it done. Thank you very much."

The president did not threaten a veto explicitly. The 5,593-page stimulus bill passed with overwhelming margins in both houses of Congress, assuring veto-proof majorities. The deadline for President's Trump's signature is December 28.

Irving Plaza began presenting rock concerts in 1978. It closed for renovations in 2019,
but was unable to reopen in 2020 due to COVID-related governmental restrictions.

The Save Our Stages Act portion of the bill will provide financial assistance to independent venues and promoters by providing a grant equal to 45% of gross revenue from 2019, with a cap of $10 million per entity. This grant funding is intended to help recipients stay alive until a post-COVID reopening. The recipients can use the funds towards payroll and benefits, rent and mortgage, utilities, insurance, personal protective equipment (PPE), and other ordinary and necessary business expenses.

The Save Our Stages Act was sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in the Senate, Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX) in the House of Representatives. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) championed the bill. The bill had 230 bipartisan congressional cosponsors.

“We secured the Save Our Stages Act for indie music venues, Broadway, comedy clubs, indie movie theaters, and more,” Schumer posted on Twitter on December 20. “These are people’s jobs and livelihoods, and they need this help now. I won’t stop fighting for them.”

The Gramercy Theatre has presented live music since 2007.
It closed along with all other live music venues in March 2020.

The passage of the Save Our Stages Act largely succeeded through the efforts of a grassroots movement with no lobbying experience. Calling itself the National Independent Venue Association, NIVA formed at the onset of the COVID-19 shutdown and now represents more than 3,000 independent venues and promoters in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

The NIVA campaign alerted politicians and the public, including live entertainment workers and fans, that venues having no revenue and facing enormous overhead due to the COVID shutdown could potentially lead to the venues shutting permanently. Entertainment workers and fans sent 2.1 million emails to their elected officials expressing their support for the Save Our Stages Act. More than 1,200 artists signed letters to Congress, amplified the message on their social media accounts, and donated proceeds from live streams and merchandise sales. All 535 congressional representatives heard from their constituents through NIVA's organizing efforts at SaveOurStages.com.

NIVA hopes to work with the federal government's Small Business Administration to ensure that the emergency relief is dispersed as Congress intended, that the instructions and process to apply for grants ensures that only those organizations that fit the description in the law are funded, that there is a keen eye to protect against fraud, and that the process is implemented accurately and as expediently as possible.

Erica Mancini performed indoors for an audience seated outdoors
at the Anyway Café on December 22.

Miss Maybell & the Jazz Age Artistes performed indoors for an audience
seated outdoors on December 23. The lead vocalist stepped out onto the sidewalk briefly
a couple of times but remained socially distant from the public.

The New York Independent Venue Association (NYIVA) is NIVA's local affiliate. NYIVA is petitioning New York State and Governor Andrew Cuomo in particular for additional funding through the CARES Act. The local group states that more than $1 billion of the $5 billion issued to New York state via the CARES Act in March has not been spent and must be spent by December 31. NYIVA's letter writing campaign implores the state government to earmark 1.5% ($75 million) of the budget to save New York’s music and comedy clubs. The organization claims that without this funding, "65% of all comedy and independent venues in New York cannot sustain their businesses until February and will permanently shutter, even with the eviction moratoriums in place."

Chris Campion and his band performed outside the Corner Bistro on December 22
to an audience seated in a semi-enclosure on the street

The Underground Harmony performed outside Caravan of Dreams on December 23
to an audience seated in a semi-enclosure on the street

Indeed, nearly all of New York's established venues, from the giant Madison Square Garden to the pint-sized Bitter End, have been closed since mid-March, and no re-opening date is in sight. A select few of the venerable music clubs, including City Winery and the Blue Note, reopened in October when 25% indoor capacity was allowed, but closed again six weeks later when indoor dining ended in early December. A few small venues, including Marshall Stack, Rue-B, and the Anyway Café, have remained open since June by having musicians play indoors for an audience seated outdoors. Despite snow and cold weather, several musicians have continued performing in parks and other public spaces. The Save Our Stages Act and the CARES act has the potential to sustain the live music industry so that it can resume from where it was a year ago.

Only a handful of New York venues still host live music, so Leo Coltrane (above) and
David Russell (below) performed in a snowy Tompkins Square Park on December 21

“The passing of Save Our Stages will have an immensely positive impact on the industry and has shown the commitment Senator Schumer and colleagues have for our nation’s venues and our national culture fabric," stated NYIVA Co-Chair Justin Kantor, who is also the founder of the popular nightspot le Poisson Rouge, which has been closed for the past 10 months. "It is still important that Governor Cuomo takes this into consideration as well. New York venues still need extra support from the state to help with the tremendous financial burden placed on our cherished performance spaces."

Find more information on the local campaign at www.nyiva.org.