According to reporting by Variety, the bipartisan Save
Our Stages Act (S. 4258) is a piece of legislation that is co-authored by Senators
Amy Klobuchar (Democrat) and John Cornyn (Republican) and is set to unleash $10
billion in funding to support artists and live-music venues currently
struggling to make ends meet. Variety stated that, according to the National
Independent Venues Association (NIVA), 90 percent of independent music venues
are expected to shut down without federal assistance.
The Save Our Stages Act is designed to do just what its name
suggests: save the independent stages currently on the margins between solvency
and bankruptcy. Counted among the list of venues in danger is none other than
New Orleans icon Tipitina's, which has hosted generations of talented
musicians. Tipitina's is just one of many businesses in trouble across the
country. Among those affected are the Troubador in Los Angeles and the Bitter
End in New York, while icons such as Great Scott in Boston, Threadgill's in
Austin, the Eighteenth Street Lounge in Washington D.C., and Spaceland in L.A.
have already closed down.
The bill is poised to provide funding to these struggling
businesses, and it needs all the support it can get. Reach out to your legislators
and tell them that you care about this bill and want to support it. The existence
of many venues and the future of New Orleans music depend on it.