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Bringing Live Events Back From The Brink Of Death

A pedestrian walks past Lincoln Hall as the band Beach Bunny prepares for a live show inside of the venue on in Chicago, Illinois.
A pedestrian walks past Lincoln Hall as the band Beach Bunny prepares for a live show inside of the venue on in Chicago, Illinois.

The live events industry is struggling to stay afloat financially during COVID-19, and we are months away from a potential vaccine.

And independent live entertainment venues across the country are looking to Congress for relief.

According to the National Independent Venue Association, an advocacy group for independent venues, 90 percent of independent venues will be permanently closed by September if they don’t get funding from Congress before their August Recess.

The association calls for the passing of the Save our Stages Act, a bipartisan bill co-authored by Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Republican Sen. John Cornyn.

What support is available for independent venues? And for artists — who suddenly have much more limitations on how to display their work?

Copyright 2020 WAMU 88.5

Kaity Kline, Héctor Alejandro Arzate