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In some positive Covid-19 entertainment news, the Save Our Stages Act was passed in the USA as a part of the Covid-19 relief bill. The #SaveOurStages campaign was presented by the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) who gained support in the form of 2.1 million emails sent to elected officials in order to include independent venues and promoters in the most recent relief bill.
The official Save Our Stages website explains that there are still questions about how the act will be administered practically. They outline:
“NIVA has assembled the Implementation Task Force and is working with the Small Business Administration as they promulgate regulations – we are working hard to make sure that NIVA members receive the help they need via this program. We seek to ensure the emergency relief is dispersed as Congress intended, that the instructions and process to apply for grants ensure that the process is implemented accurately, fairly and as expediently as possible.
Since it could take many weeks, even months for the funding to flow, the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund, with The Giving Back Fund as its 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor, continues to raise money to assist the venues at greatest risk of permanently going under as we wait for the grants to be issued. Anyone wishing to donate can do so here.”
With a major following among the public and artists alike, NIVA even partnered with YouTube for a 3-day virtual music festival benefit that raised awareness for the fund, and received rave reviews. You can catch up and rewatch the 35 artists who performed at the #SaveOurStages festival here.
In a similar vein, other companies have got involved with the fundraising side, such as the partnership between Brompton Bikes and Crew Nation, who have made fourteen bikes designed by some of the biggest names in music in order to raise money “for those who work behind the scenes to make live music happen”.
The artists involved in designing the bikes are: Foo Fighters, Radiohead, Phoebe Bridgers, LCD Soundsystem, Khruangbin, Nathan East, Dinosaur Jr, Oh Wonder, Underworld, Sub Pop, Enrique Iglesias, Rise Against and Neko Case.
Each custom bike design will be offered at a live auction starting May 28 running to June 12 2021. You can view all of the bikes, read about their concept and creation, and take part in the auction here.
Crew Nation is a charitable fund, created to help the touring, venue and festival crews who depend on shows to make a living by providing monetary grants to those facing hardship during the pandemic and beyond. Crew Nation is powered by Music Forward Foundation, a charitable 501c3 organization, that is administering and managing the fund.
So far, the fund has raised $18 million, helping 15,000 live music crew members across 48 countries who were impacted by the rescheduled or cancelled shows due to the pandemic.
With concerts and festivals still largely on pause, there are hundreds of thousands of crew members who still need help. The fund hopes to double its impact and raise at least $30 million so that it can continue providing support for these independent workers who are the backbone of the live music industry.
To find out more about ways to get involved, donate, buy merchandise or apply for relief, head to the website.
Links:
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Michelle is a musician and composer from the UK. She has performed across the UK and Europe and is passionate about arts education and opportunities for women and girls.
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