Dave Grohl, Ozzy Osbourne, Robert Plant and More Urge Congress to Support Independent Music Venues

2020-06-29

Story by Charles Ken, photo by Ken Settle

The National Independent Venue Association has teamed up with a group of artist and musicians to ask Congress to help independent music venues through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

A long list of artists and musicians have signed an open letter to Congress in support of independent music venues, which have been dealing with show cancellations and postponements due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The letter — which was singed by Dave Grohl, Ozzy Osbourne and Robert Plant — petitions Congress for federal funding to assist such venues while they are restricted from having concerts amid quarantine.

According to the National Independent Venue Association, or NIVA,if the lockdown and coronavirus restrictions last six months, 90% of independent venues would permanently go out of business without federal assistance.

“We are asking you to support NIVA’s request for assistance so these beloved venues can reopen when it’s safe and welcome us and our fans back in,” states the letter, which was organized by NIVA. “The collapse of this crucial element in the music industry’s ecosystem would be devastating.”

Other musicians who have signed the letter include Billie Eilish, Coldplay, Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor, Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, Alice Cooper, Alabama Shakes’ Brittany Howard, Beck, Vampire Weekend, St. Vincent, the Black Keys’ Patrick Carney, the Lumineeers and more.

To view the entire letter and the full roster of artists who signed it, head to the National Independent Venue Association’s official website at NIVAssoc.org.

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Charles Ken

Meet the expert - Charles Ken is a graduate of Michigan State University where he studied writing and history. He's a longtime music buff and covers classic rock for Audio Ink Radio. Contact him at ken@audioinkradio.com.