The National Independent Venue Associaton has dubbed Wednesday, July 29 as “Day of Action” in an effort to support the Save Our Stages Act.
Support from the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) Colorado comes as an encouragement to affiliated independent venues, music fans and supporters of independent businesses to write to Congress asking for their support in the Save Our Stages Act. Senator John Cornyn and Senator Amy Klobuchar introduced the bi-partisan bill which impacts independent venues nation-wide.
“For years independent music venues have been the cornerstones of our music communities, and sometimes even our entire cities,” said Geoff Brent, Owner of The Black Sheep located in Colorado Springs. “The SOS and RESTART acts will offer much needed long term relief to these independent venues, keeping our heads above water, keeping our staff employed, and making sure we are there for our communities once it is safe again for us to hold events,” said Geoff.
Current members of NIVA Colorado make up over 2,800 employees with a total of 2.7 million tickets sold annually. Closures of NIVA venues and surrounding businesses in Colorado have led to a total economic loss of over 62 million dollars per month. Nevertheless, over one million emails have been sent to all 538 members of Congress informing them that constituents are striving to keep independent venues alive.
“Our members told us months ago that if the shutdown lasted six months or longer and there wasn’t federal relief to hold them over, 90% of them would fold permanently,” said Dayna Frank, president of NIVA and CEO First Avenue Productions in Minneapolis. “With no revenue and immense overhead, four months in, it’s already happening,” said Dayna.
For more information regarding the Save Our Stages Act, or to contact senators and representatives via email, visit: SaveOurStages.com
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