Dave Grohl, Ozzy Osbourne, Trent Reznor, Robert Plant and many more are among 600 artists who have written an open letter to Congress urging them to help save more than 1,000 independent music venues in the United States facing permanent closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) posted the letter on Thursday (June 18th). Other signatories on the list included Billie Eilish, Coldplay, Shinedown, Neil Young, Billy Joel, Lady Gaga, Beartooth, Alter Bridge, Halestorm, Ministry, Motionless In White, Alice Cooper, David Crosby, the Lumineers and scores of others.
An excerpt from the letter said, “We are asking you to support NIVA's request for assistance so these beloved venues can reopen when it's safe and welcome us and our fans back in. The collapse of this crucial element in the music industry's ecosystem would be devastating.”
The letter continued, “Independent venues give artists their start, often as the first stage most of us have played on. These venues were the first to close and will be the last to reopen . . . if the shutdown lasts six months and there's no federal assistance, they will never reopen again.”
Foos drummer Taylor Hawkins told us a while back that small shows are some of his favorites: “I really enjoy it. I love playing in clubs and I love doing stuff like that. I really do and I always will. And I don't know if it's because it kind of takes me back to my, you know, my youth, kind of, you know, being in my teens and playing in people's garages and it's the same exact s*** I did when I was 16, you know.”
Earlier in the month, NIVA conducted a survey which found that nearly all of independent music venues may be forced to close their doors for good due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Republican-controlled Senate has shown no appetite for further federal assistance of any kind, despite the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.