A handful of musicians, including rocker Dave Grohl, reached out to give a ‘huge, heartfelt thank you’ to President Trump and the rest of the bipartisan members for signing the $900 billion COVID relief bill and fighting for small business owners.
Government-mandated shutdowns and a ban on large crowds have slammed the music industry and venue owners nationwide. Theater and live-performance venues were some of the first industries to shut down at the beginning of the pandemic. Critics, such as Chris’ Jazz Cafe owner Mark DeNinno, slammed left-leaning government officials for some of the guidelines regarding the shutdowns.
“The ability to open up at 25% capacity for a venue, it doesn’t work. you are putting in a production that has a fixed cost, and that production needs to have sold out shows to pay for it,” DeNinno explained.
The newly signed bill includes Section 324: Grants For Shuttered Venues Operators, the first-ever national grant dedicated to indie music venues. Based on the Save Our Stages Act, the program includes $15 billion in grants for independent movie theaters, cultural institutions, and live venues for music or stage performances. It will also include some live event theater and movie theater chains, though larger companies will look elsewhere for COVID-19 financial support.
Musician Grohl emphasized the importance of America’s smaller, independent venues for the next generation of young musicians and the voices of tomorrow. He talked about this year’s lack of live music leaving us for a longing of community and guaranteed that this is one step closer to live shows again.
“A huge, heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported the Save Our Stages Act. The preservation of America’s smaller, independent venues is not only crucial to the millions of concert-goers whose lives are bettered by experiencing their favorite artists in the flesh, but to the future of music itself, as it gives the next generation of young musicians a place to cut their teeth, hone their craft and grow into the voices of tomorrow,” Grohl tweeted out.
Others have also praised President Trump for signing the COVID-19 relief bill and taking a giant weight off everyone’s shoulders in the music/venue industry. It’s been a struggle to make ends meet for venue owners. If you aren’t packing a club of people, then you don’t have the money to pay the bands playing.
President Trump has also been fighting for $2000 stimulus checks, instead of the proposed $600 in the bill. This will also give industries the boost they need to bring the spirit of music back into their communities after the radical left suppressed them for so long.
