Can Music Venues Survive the Pandemic?
I love live music. I love live music so much that I was at a show virtually every weekend of high school. I love live music so much that I have my favorite music venue tattooed on my right ribs, the venue name replaced with the word “home.” But as of today, I have not been to a concert since January 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Every weekend, I see a Snachat memory depicting a lively moshpit pop up, not knowing the next time I will be in one. While businesses begin to open up due to vaccine rollout, music venues might not be among the businesses reaping the rewards of reopening as many might not have the chance.
In 2020, it was predicted that 90% of independent music venues were vulnerable to closure due to lack of financial support from government initiatives. Despite months of advocating by organizations like the National Independent Venue Association, little has changed. On April 8th, the Small Business Administration opened a $16 billion initiative titled the “Shuttered Venue Operators Grant” to provide relief to struggling entertainment venues. However, the portal was shut down mere hours later due to “technical glitches.” Considering the relief was already three months late from initial promises, this delay led to virtual chaos as venues tried to secure funds. Luckily, the program is currently up and running and will continue allocating grants up to $10 million for venues.
But the question remains of whether this aid is simply too little, too late. Many small venue owners have not been able to pay rent for a year. Analysts say that during the pandemic, music venues nationally have lost a total of $33 billion. Once music venues can safely and legally reopen, it might be too late for those venues that have already been shut down due to unpaid rent. Furthermore, efficiency is of the essence and considering that upwards of 40,000 applications are expected to flood an already backed up and apparently weak system, there is significant reason for concern.
The closure of venues has posed an issue for small artists as well. Touring is expensive. Even with 25% capacity shows—a very realistic future—bands would not make enough money from reduced ticket sales to afford touring. In 2020, 27.4% of performing artists reported unemployment. Though more recent data is currently unavailable, there is reason to believe the issue has only worsened since then with sheer uncertainty in the future.
The cultural repercussions of this mass closure could be devastating. If small music venues are forced to close, they will likely be bought up by corporations, leading to a homogenization of music. In other words, cisgender, white, privileged men would dominate even moreso than is already the case. Diversity and artist development would be lost amidst this process. Thus, fans and artists alike would lose the aspect of individuality encouraged and welcomed by independent venues. Small venues are breeding grounds for artistic growth and community building. Such processes would be halted by the mass closure of independent venues on a national scale.
Such venues—and fans alike—are not going down without a fight. Alternative ways to monetize music have become prominent, including live streaming, fundraising, and outdoor events. While these efforts are nowhere near enough support to save small venues on a mass scale, they indicate the true significance of saving small venues amid a corporate market.
Thus arises the question of how to support small venues to avoid this end. Many music venues have started fundraisers or GoFundMes to directly generate financial support. If you have the financial means, this is a great way to help small venues stay in business. Other venues have been operating livestreams, selling merch, and hosting distanced outdoor events to help fundraise. Any participation makes a difference. Once it is safe to do so, go to shows. If you want to support small artists to lessen the blow of small venues potentially closing, buy their merch and music on Bandcamp. Spotify only pays artists $0.01 per stream which is simply not enough to live on.
I am hopeful that my favorite venues will survive with the outpouring of community support I have seen. I think there is reason for hope, because pessimism gets us nowhere in this situation. Keep supporting independent venues. Keep supporting small artists. And cross your fingers.