Our favorite music venues in town can breathe a huge sigh of relief today. The $2 million CARES Act was approved today to fund what keeps the music in Music City… the venues. The pandemic has hit so many businesses hard, and without local concerts, these venues cannot survive.
According to The Tennessean,
Without aid, all but one independent Nashville venue would permanently close in the next three months, Tennessee Lookout reported last week. The report outlined that 15% of venues would shutter within one month and 38% would face closure in six weeks, per the National Independent Venue Association.
The funding — Metro’s third CARES Act allocation via the COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee — benefits venues with an annual revenue of less than $5 million. Venue owners can apply to receive an emergency grant of up to $100,000 for two months of expenses including rent, utilities and insurance payments.
“The purpose of these grants is just to keep these doors open so when we emerge on the other side of COVID-19, this industry will still be alive,” said Council Member Courtney Johnston, who serves on the oversight committee.
This is great news for local venues! Thanks for all the memories at Nashville concerts over the years.
The Tennessean has all your info HERE.
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