{"id":805517,"date":"2020-03-20T14:54:58","date_gmt":"2020-03-20T20:54:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/?p=970602"},"modified":"2020-03-20T14:54:58","modified_gmt":"2020-03-20T20:54:58","slug":"struggling-amid-coronavirus-music-companies-ask-congress-for-aid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/music-news\/struggling-amid-coronavirus-music-companies-ask-congress-for-aid\/","title":{"rendered":"Struggling Amid Coronavirus, Music Companies Ask Congress for Aid"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Some of the largest companies and organizations across the music and entertainment industries have issued a letter to Congress<\/a> asking for financial relief in light of the economic impact of the ongoing coronavirus<\/a> pandemic. <\/span><\/p>\n

The letter, issued to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Friday, asks Congress for financial benefits similar to the recently passed HR 6201, which offers emergency paid sick leave and family medical leave, among others, that Trump signed into law on Wednesday. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to the letter, because of the entertainment industry\u2019s gig structure, many of its members who aren\u2019t working for one long-term employer won\u2019t receive benefits with existing legislation. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur home is on the road, on the studio lot or in the theater, in venues across the country that must close during the pandemic, in front of live audiences or with cast members who cannot gather,\u201d organizers wrote. \u201cFor now, those performances \u2013 and our jobs \u2013 have vanished, along with the costly and personally devastating investments we can never recover. Without help, we know that many in our community will find themselves homeless, hungry, and unable to tend to their medical needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThe economic pain cuts even deeper, touching not only performers and musicians, but also managers, producers, promoters, stagehands, drivers, and countless others who are feeling the immediate repercussions of this new reality,\u201d they added. \u201cThis unprecedented economic loss caused by canceled performances and production shutdowns is being played out in bars, nightclubs, theaters, stadiums, concert halls, studios, and festivals in every state, sidelining thousands of workers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the latest call from the music industry<\/a> for government intervention to help struggling industry members; the Music Artists Coalition <\/span>similarly sent a letter to President Trump and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin<\/span><\/a> for aid on Thursday, and the <\/span>Recording Academy sent one to Congress on Wednesday. <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Forty-three companies, including some of the most prominent in the music business such as the Azoff Company, Live Nation, The Recording Academy, Creative Artists Agency, and William Morris Endeavor, all signed the letter.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis fund and expanded unemployment insurance access and benefits would ensure that hundreds of thousands of families across the country can continue to pay rent, put food on the table, and care for their children during this public health emergency,\u201d organizers wrote. \u201cIn addition, we encourage you to be as inclusive as possible when crafting emergency paid leave, tax credits, and other programs \u2013 the unique nature of our industry means rules that require beneficiaries to have had a single, long-term employer will simply leave our entire workforce behind.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Read the full letter and see the entire list of signees below.<\/span><\/p>\n

March 20, 2020<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, Leader McCarthy, and Leader Schumer:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

As united representatives of the large and diverse American entertainment community, we offer our sincere gratitude for your immense efforts to address the COVID-19<\/a> pandemic and to provide much needed aid.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

We understand the sacrifices our country is making and appreciate our shared responsibility. We will make the necessary adjustments to our lives but, unfortunately, there is no option for many in the entertainment community to work from home. Our home is on the road, on the studio lot or in the theater, in venues across the country that must close during the pandemic, in front of live audiences or with cast members who cannot gather. For now, those performances \u2013 and our jobs \u2013 have vanished, along with the costly and personally devastating investments we can never recover. Without help, we know that many in our community will find themselves homeless, hungry, and unable to tend to their medical needs.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The economic pain cuts even deeper, touching not only performers and musicians, but also managers, producers, promoters, stagehands, drivers, and countless others who are feeling the immediate repercussions of this new reality. This unprecedented economic loss caused by canceled performances and production shutdowns is being played out in bars, nightclubs, theaters, stadiums, concert halls, studios, and festivals in every state, sidelining thousands of workers.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The entertainment community will do what it can to support its members, but this moment calls for the unmatched capabilities of Congress. As you navigate the difficult path to providing necessary aid to distinct sectors of our economy, we ask that you specifically address the unique nature of our work. Payroll tax holidays, paid leave, and other typical assistance may never reach many in the entertainment community; in fact, direct financial aid remains one hopeful \u2013 and perhaps best \u2013 solution to replacing lost income and offering some semblance of economic sustainability.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

We propose a similar benefit to the Emergency Paid Leave in Division C of HR 6201, along with emergency unemployment insurance access, available to those who cannot work due to a canceled performance or a production shut down. This fund and expanded unemployment insurance access and benefits would ensure that hundreds of thousands of families across the country can continue to pay rent, put food on the table, and care for their children during this public health emergency. In addition, we encourage you to be as inclusive as possible when crafting emergency paid leave, tax credits, and other programs \u2013 the unique nature of our industry means rules that require beneficiaries to have had a single, long-term employer will simply leave our entire workforce behind.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

We all look forward to the end of this crisis. Certainly, entertainment will help us get through it. But we must take care of the many people in the American entertainment community who will help us heal, rebuild, and bring us back together, in public and in spirit.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Thank you very much.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Sincerely,<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Actors\u2019 Equity<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Alliance for Recorded Music (ARM)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

American Federation of Musicians (AFM) <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Americana Music Association<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Artist Rights Alliance (ARA) <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

ASCAP<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The Azoff Company<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The Broadway League<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

California IATSE Council<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Christian Music Trade Association (CMTA)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Church Music Publishers Association (CMPA)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Country Music Association (CMA)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Gospel Music Association (GMA)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

CreativeFuture<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Creative Artists Agency (CAA)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Digital Media Association (DiMA)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Directors Guild of America (DGA)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Entertainment Union Coalition<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Full Stop Management<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Global Music Rights (GMR)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Gospel Music Association<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Independent Music Professionals United (IMPU) <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Live Nation<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Music Artists Coalition (MAC)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Music Business Association (MusicBiz)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Music Managers Forum \u2013 US<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

National Music Publishers\u2019 Association (NMPA)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Paradigm Talent Agency<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Recording Academy<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Screen Actors Guild \u2013 American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 SESAC<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Songwriters of North America (SONA) SoundExchange<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Southern Gospel Music Guild<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

United Talent Agency (UTA)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

William Morris Endeavor (WME) Writers\u2019 Guild of America, East<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Popular on Rolling Stone <\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

via:: Rolling Stone<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some of the largest companies and organizations across the music and entertainment industries have issued a letter to Congress asking for financial relief in light of the economic impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.  The letter, issued to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-805517","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-music-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-18 19:05:39","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=805517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805517\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=805517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=805517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=805517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}