Several weeks back, dosage MAGAZINE and I mentioned how the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and its pending Save Our Stages Act (SOS) plan running through the House and the Senate – Senators Amy Klobuchar (a Democrat) and John Cornyn (a Republican) request for $10 billion in relief for independent venues – was hooking up with YouTube Music with the goal of helping to preserve independent live music venues across the U.S. crippled by the C-19 pandemic.
That’s right. While restaurants are allowed to open to 50%, and stores pretty much in (mostly) full bloom (have you witnessed any regulations on the amount of people at an ACME? I haven’t…), live venues during the horror of C-19 have not been offered the same dignity.
“I understand the city’s desire to say more businesses are re-opening, something that everyone wants to happen, but, opening performance spaces for audiences of 25 patrons maximum, regardless of venue size, is not economically feasible – it would bankrupt us,” said Hal Real, WCL’s CEO and NIVA co-founder back in August. “From a public health perspective, until there is a widely distributed and effective vaccine or a reliable instant test, it is not safe for our staff, artists, or guests to open places like ours that are all about bringing the community together for shared live music experiences.”
Any movement or partnership, especially with an industry giant such as YouTube, helps. I guess. The announcement read, “Together, YouTube and NIVA will work on unique programming that will help bring live performances back into music venues safely. In addition, YouTube will help raise awareness and funding for the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund.”
Yadda Yadda Yadda. What does it mean without the money?
This weekend, YouTube and many indie music greats – and not so indie, but still great – put their money where their mouths are with the Save Our Stages Festival, supporting independent venues: #SOSFEST, a three-day virtual music festival of all original content takes place Friday, October 16 through Sunday, October 18. All funds raised will support the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund. Maybe the rewards will be more spiritual than financial, but any help is, you know, helpful.
You will be able to see it HERE come Friday. And you can watch a trailer for the #SOSFEST here:
And you can watch a trailer for the #SOSFEST HERE.
World Café Live in Philly is but one of the 25 venues featured in the festival as a location shoot, after hours of venue prep, video installation, and COVID-19 health and safety training. During #SOSFEST, WCL will present rapper/writer Cautious Clay, just one of the artists involved in the virtual fest which includes Portugal the Man, YG, Foo Fighters, Miley Cyrus, Dave Matthews, Phoebe Bridgers, the Lumineers, Leon Bridges, Brittany Howard, Reba McEntire, Little Big Town and Philadelphia’s own, The Roots.
“As a co-founding Board member of NIVA, I am thrilled to be so actively engaged in raising emergency funding to help independent venues across the country survive while waiting for Congress to act on the pending Save Our Stages Act as part of the next relief package,” writes Real. “Please help spread the word and join us in our battle to #Save Our Stages.”
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