John Jorgenson has joined together with hundreds of artists to sign an open letter to Congress requesting federal aid for independent music venues as they continue to struggle in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the near-complete erasure of live performance income.
Live entertainment has been among the hardest-hit industries during the coronavirus pandemic and with an uncertain outlook concerning conditions that would allow for operations to resume, many of our most hallowed venues are under threat of permanent closure.
The letter from artists joins the ongoing efforts of the National Independent Venue Association, a coalition of independent venues and promoters that’s been lobbying the federal government for financial assistance beginning in April of 2020.
The full letter to Congress and complete list of artists can be found below:
Artists’ Letter To Congress (in full)
June 18, 2020
We, the undersigned artists, respectfully submit this letter in support of NIVA’s request for federal assistance for independent music venues and promoters across the United States.
We will know America is “back” when our music venues are filled with fans enjoying concerts safely. The live music experience is inextricably tied to our nation’s cultural and economic fabric. In fact, 53% of Americans – that’s 172 million of us – attended a concert last year.
We urge you to remember we are the nation that gave the world jazz, country, rock & roll, bluegrass, hip hop, metal, blues, and R&B. Entertainment is America’s largest economic export, with songs written and produced by American artists sung in every place on the globe. All of these genres of music, and the artists behind them, were able to thrive because they had neighborhood independent venues to play in and hone their craft, build an audience, and grow into the entertainers that bring joy to millions.
Independent venues give artists their start, often as the first stage most of us have played on. These venues were the first to close and will be the last to reopen. With zero revenue and the overwhelming overhead of rent, mortgage, utilities, taxes and insurance, 90% of independent venues report that if the shutdown lasts six months and there’s no federal assistance, they will never reopen again.
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. The collapse of this crucial element in the music industry’s ecosystem would be devastating.
Independent venues are asking for an investment to secure their future, not a handout. One Chicago report found that every dollar small venues generate in ticket sales results in $12 of economic activity. If these independent venues close forever, cities and towns across America will not only lose their cultural and entertainment hearts, but they will lose the engine that would otherwise be a driver of economic renewal for all the businesses that surround them.
With respect and solidarity, we, as artists and as community members ourselves, urge you to pass federal legislation that will help #SaveOurStages
Artist Co-Signees – Full List
- Adam Conover
- Adam Lee Miller
- Adeline
- Adolescents
- Afterlife
- The Agonist
- Ahmed Gallab
- Aidan Alexander
- Alabama Shakes
- Alan Parsons
- Alex Greenwald
- Alex Hall
- Alex Mali
- Alexa Mansour
- Algebra Blessett
- Alice Cooper
- Alison Mosshart (The Kills)
- Alison Wonderland
- The Almost
- Alpha Wolf
- Alter Bridge
- Amanda Anne Platt
- The Amazing Kreskin
- Aminé
- The Amours
- Amy Schumer
- Ana Popović
- Andre Benjamin
- Andrea Ricci
- Andrew Kyne
- Andrew Laubacher
- Andrew Savage (Parquet Courts
- Andy Cabic
- Angela Johnson
- Angelica Garcia
- Anna St. Louis
- Annie Hart
- The Aquabats
- Armand Majidi
- ARTHUR
- Arthur Moon
- Ash Costello
- Ashlee Simpson
- August Burns Red
- Ayron Jones
- BAILEN
- The Ballroom Thieves
- Dack Janiels
- Damian Marley
- The Damned
- Dan Smith
- Dan Whitney (Larry the Cable Guy)
- Dance Gavin Dance
- Daniel Norgren
- Daniela Bojorges
- Darius Koski
- Darkest Hour
- Darlingside
- Daryl Hall (Hall & Oates)
- Dave Alvin
- Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters)
- Dave Mason
- David Byrne (Talking Heads)
- David Copperfield
- David Crosby
- David Gray
- David Letterman
- David Ryan Harris
- David West
- Dean Wareham
- The Dear Hunter
- Deb Never
- Debi Nova
- Deep Sea Diver
- Deer Tick
- Dehd
- Demon Hunter
- Deon Cole
- Dermot Kennedy
- Derrick Donaldson
- Deva Mahal
- The Devil Wears Prada
- DIIV
- Dinosaur Pile-Up
- DJ Beauty and the Beatz
- Don McLean
- Donnell Rawlings
- Donnie Shaw
- Doug Benson
- Doyle Bramhall II
- Dragged Under
- Drive-By Truckers
- Drug Church
- Duane Lauginiger
- Jeff Tweedy
- Jeremiah Fraites (The Lumineers)
- Jerry Seinfeld
- Jesse Malin
- Jesse McCartney
- Jessie Mueller
- Jessy Wilson
- Jewel
- Jim Adkins
- Jimbo Mathus
- Jimi PrimeTime Smith
- Jimmy Buffett
- Jimmy Eat World
- Joan Baez
- Joe Hottinger
- John Bonnel
- John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band
- John Jorgenson
- John Lee
- John Mayer
- John Mellencamp
- John P. Hammond
- John Paul White
- Johnny Simon
- JoJo Benton
- Jon Gabrus
- Jon Hamm
- Jon Mohr
- Jonah Swilley
- Jonathan Kirchner
- Joni Mitchell
- Jordan Klepper
- Joseph Escalante
- Joseph Lally (Fugazi)
- Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age)
- Josh Rouse
- Josh Smith
- Julien Chang
- July Talk
- June Diane Raphael
- Justin Vernon (Bon Iver)
- Kacey Musgraves
- Kaki King
- Kalbells
- Kamasi Washington
- Michael Ian Black
- Michael Martin Murphey
- Michael Seyer
- Michael Timmins (Cowboy Junkies)
- Michaela Anne
- Mickey Hart (Grateful Dead)
- Mija
- MIKE
- Mike Cooley
- Mike Krol
- Mike Mattison
- Mike Patton (Faith No More)
- MILKK
- Ministry
- Mipso
- Miranda Lambert
- Misery Signals
- Miss May I
- Miss Tess
- Misterwives
- Mitski
- Moaning
- Molly Hamilton (Widowspeak)
- Moon Taxi
- Moon Tooth
- Motionless In White
- Movements
- Mr. Bungle
- Mundy’s Bay
- Nahko
- Natalie Portman
- Nate Mendel (Foo Fighters)
- Negative Gemini
- Neil Young
- New Years Day
- Nicola Kuperus
- Night Birds
- Night Moves
- No Age
- Noah Gunderson
- Norah Jones
- North Mississippi Allstars
- Nothing Left
- nothing, nowhere.
- NOTS
- O.A.R.
- Scott Mulvahill
- Sean Eden (Luna)
- Seth Walker
- Sevendust
- Sharon Van Etten
- Sharp Shock
- Shawn Phillips
- Sheer Mag
- Shinedown
- Shirley Jones
- Shovels & Rope
- Sick Of It All
- Sidepiece
- Silent Planet
- Silverstein
- Silversun Pickups
- Skating Polly
- The Slackers
- Sleater-Kinney
- Slothrust
- smrtdeath
- Soccer Mommy
- Son Little
- Sonny Landreth
- The Sounds
- Speedy Ortiz
- Spike Slawson
- Spirit of the Beehive
- Squirrel Flower
- Squirrel Nut Zippers
- St. Panther
- St. Paul and the Broken Bones
- St. Vincent
- Starkill
- The Starting Line
- Steady Rock & Code
- The SteelDrivers
- Steve Forbert
- Steve Vai
- Stick To Your Guns
- Stray From The Path
- SUBHUMANS
- Sunn O)))
- Sunsleep
- Superet
- Suzanne Santo
- Sweet Tea Trio
- The Baylor Project
- Bayonet Records
- Be//gotten
- The Beach Boys
- Beach Bunny
- Beach House
- Beartooth
- Being As An Ocean
- Ben Whiteley
- Benjamin Ruttner
- Benjamin Scheuer
- Bi TYRANT
- Biffy Clyro
- Big Gigantic
- Big Wild
- Bill Bellamy
- Billie Eilish
- Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top)
- Billy Joel
- Billy Porter
- Billy Squier
- The Black Dahlia Murder
- The Black Keys
- Black Stone Cherry
- Black Violin
- Blue Oyster Cult
- BLUEOX
- Bob Corritore
- Bob Weir (Grateful Dead)
- Bonnie Raitt
- Born Of Osiris
- Boy Named Banjo
- Bradd Marquis
- Brady Blade
- Brandi Carlile
- Breakup Shoes
- Brett Dennen
- Brian Owens
- Britt Daniel (Spoon)
- Brittany Anjou
- Brittany Howard (Alabama Shakes)
- Britton Walker
- Broadside
- Broken Social Scene
- Brothers Osborne
- The Cadillac Three
- Cahalen Morrison
- Duckwrth
- Duncan Shiek
- Dylan Slocum (Spanish Love Songs)
- The Early November
- Earth, Wind, and Fire
- Eclair Fifi
- Edie Brickell
- Eilen Jewell
- Eli Maiman
- Elizabeth Penta
- Ellie Goodman
- Emancipator
- Emmure
- Enda Scahill
- Entheos
- Eric Andre
- Eric Roberson
- Evan Ross
- Eve 6
- Exodus
- The Faim
- Fastball
- Faye Webster
- Fayuca
- Fit For A King
- Flatbush Zombies
- The Flesh Eaters
- Flying Buffaloes
- The Format
- Foster The People
- Foxing
- Frank Turner
- Frank Vicario
- Frankie Cosmos
- Freddy Cricien (Madball)
- Frederic Yonnet
- Free Throw
- FRENSHIP
- The Frights
- Fu Manchu
- Fur Coat
- Gang Gang Dance
- Gareth Emery
- Gary Clark, Jr.
- Gatecreeper
- Gentle Temper
- George Clanton
- Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
- Kassian
- Katey Sagal
- Kathryn Crutchfield (Waxahatchee)
- Kaye
- Kelly Zutrau
- Kelow LaTesha
- Kendoll
- Kenny Wayne Shepherd
- Kesha
- Kevin Phillips
- Kevin Ross
- Kevin Seconds
- Khemmis
- Kill The Lights
- Kim Gordon
- Kingsmen
- Kitchen Dwellers
- Kublai Khan TX
- Kurt Vile
- Kvelertak
- La Santa Cecilia
- Lady Gaga
- Lance Hoppen (Orleans)
- LATENIGHTJIGGY
- Laura Veirs
- Lauren Zettler
- Lee Greenwood
- Lee James (Lee Ving)
- Lee Roy Parnell
- Left Alone
- Lennon Stella
- Leslie Mendelson
- Lifetime
- Like Moths To Flames
- Limbeck
- Lindsay Ell
- Lisa Lampanelli
- Lizzy Caplan
- Locate S,1
- Logic
- Lorrie Morgan
- Los Lobos
- Los Nuevos Bajos
- Los Straitjackets
- Louis Freese (B Real)
- Lucati
- ODESZA
- Oh Land
- OK Go
- The Old Firm Casuals
- Oliver Francis
- Oshima Brothers
- Oteil Burbridge
- Ought
- Over the Rhine
- Ozzy Osbourne
- Paint It Black
- Palaye Royale
- Palehound
- Parker Millsap
- Parquet Courts
- Party Favor
- Pascal Stevenson
- Pat Boone
- Pat Smear (Foo Fighters)
- Pat Travers
- Patrick Briggs
- Patrick Carney (Black Keys)
- Patrick Glynn
- Patterson Hood
- Patti Smith
- Patton Oswalt
- Patty Griffin
- Paul Cebar
- Paul Kostabi
- Payton Smith
- Pete Koller
- Pete Yorn
- Philip Glass
- Phillip Phillips
- The Picturebooks
- Pigeon Kings
- Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
- Pinegrove
- Plain White T’s
- Playboy Manbaby
- Pom Pom Squad
- Portugal The Man
- Power Trip
- Propagandhi
- Queensrÿche
- Ra Ra Riot
- Rachel Bloom
- Rachel Bradley
- Switchfoot
- Sydney Silver (Lunachicks)
- Sylar
- Tamaryn
- Tamsin Wilson
- Tank and The Bangas
- Tanya Tucker
- Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters)
- Taylor Scott Band
- Teddy Gentry (Alabama)
- Terror
- Theo Kogan
- Theory Of A Deadman
- They Might Be Giants
- The Third Mind
- Third World
- THOMAS MAC
- Three Sacred Souls
- Thrice
- Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth)
- Tiffany Haddish
- Tig Notaro
- Tim Darcy
- Tim Green
- Tim Kasher
- Tom Higgenson (Plain White T’s)
- Tomahawk
- Tori Kelly
- Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails)
- Trew Culture
- Triathalon
- Trombone Shorty
- Twiddle
- TWIN XL
- Twiztid
- Uke-Hunt
- The UMA
- Underoath
- Uniform
- Upstate
- Vacationer
- Valley Maker
- Vanessa Williams
- Veil of Maya
- Cailin Russo
- Caitlyn Smith
- Calexico
- Can’t Swim
- Cannibal Corpse
- Carly Rae Jepsen
- Carly Simon
- Carmen Vandenberg
- Carol Burnett
- Carole King
- Cass McCombs
- Cat Coore
- Caylee Hammack
- Chaos in The CBD
- Chapel
- Charlene Kaye
- Chelsea Grin
- Cher
- Chris Aiken
- Chris Erickson
- Chris Shiflett
- Chris Smither
- Chris Stapleton
- Christopher Owens
- Christopher Paul Stelling
- Christopher Titus
- Chuck Prophet
- Cindy Cashdollar
- Citizen
- Citizen Fish
- The Claudettes
- Colin Farrell
- Con Brio
- Conor Oberst
- The Contortionist
- Control Top
- Cordovas
- Corey Laitman
- Counterparts
- Craig Setari
- Crown The Empire
- Cryogeyser
- Culture Shock
- Currents
- Cursive
- Cyanca
- The Cybertronic Spree
- Cyndi Lauper
- George Lopez
- George Winston
- Gin Blossoms
- Gina Volpe
- Gio Benedetti
- Giraffage
- Glitterer
- The Good Life
- Good Riddance
- Goose
- Graham Nash
- Grayscale
- Greg Humphreys
- GRiZ
- Guccihighwaters
- GWAR
- The Halestorm
- Harvey Mason Jr.
- Havok
- Hayes Carll
- Hex Cougar
- Highly Suspect
- The HillBenders
- HONNE
- Hope Sandoval
- Hopesfall
- Hot Water Music
- Hovvdy
- I Prevail
- Ian Fowles
- Ian MacKaye (Fugazi)
- Ian Roberts
- Ilana Glazer
- Iliza Shlesinger
- Intervals
- Jack Antonoff
- Jacob Kiley
- James Mercer (The Shins)
- James Rouse
- Jamie Kennedy
- Jason Isbell
- Jason Schwartzman (Coconut Records)
- Jay Leno
- Jay Mohr
- Jay Som
- Jed Hilly (Americana Music Association)
- Jeff Cook (Alabama)
- Lucie Silvas
- Lucinda Williams
- Lucy Dacus
- Lucy Woodward
- Luka Kuplowsky
- Lund
- The Machine
- Macklemore
- Madeline Follin
- Madison Beer
- Madison Cunningham
- Maggie Rogers
- Maggie Rose
- Maimouna Youssef
- The Maine
- Makonnen
- Mandolin Orange
- Mandy Moore
- Mara Connor
- Marco Benevento
- Marcus Machado
- Marcus Stephens
- Margo Price
- Marielle Kraft
- Mars Williams
- Martha Scanlan
- Martie Maguire
- Mary Lattimore
- Mason Jennings
- Matt and Kim
- Matt Besser
- Matt Walsh
- Mattiel Brown
- Maurice Torres
- Mavis Staples
- Max Leone
- Max Savage (Parquet Courts)
- Mayday Parade
- Me First And The Gimme Gimmes
- Meg & Dia
- The Melvins
- Memphis May Fire
- Mia Berrin (Pom Pom Squad)
- Michael Diamond
- Michael Franti
- Rachel Brosnahan
- The Rad Trads
- Rafiq Bhatia
- RAMI JAFFEE
- Rancid
- Randy Owen (Alabama)
- Randy Travis
- Ratboys
- Ray LaMontagne
- Ray Romano
- The Re-Volts
- Real Friends
- The Red Clay Strays
- Reggie Watts
- Renée Fleming
- Renee LaGoff
- Rhea Butcher
- Rhiannon Giddens
- Rhye
- Richard Lewis
- Richard Thompson
- Richie James Follin
- Rick Burch
- Rickie Lee Jones
- Rings of Saturn
- Rita Ora
- Riverboat Gamblers
- Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley
- Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20)
- Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)
- Robert Ramos
- Robert Williams (Big Sandy)
- Roger McGuinn (The Byrds)
- ROLE MODEL
- Rufus Wainwright
- Russell Peters
- Ryan Gaul
- Ryan Mattos
- Ryan Scott
- Sad13
- Sam Amidon
- Sam DeRosa
- Sam Means
- Samy Name
- Sarah Borges
- Sarah Silverman
- SASAMI
- Satellite Mode
- Savoir Adore
- Violent Femmes
- Volumes
- Von Vargas
- Walk The Moon
- Walker & Royce
- Walton Goggins
- War On Women
- Warren Haynes
- Watsky
- Wayne Kramer (MC5)
- We Banjo 3
- The Weather Station
- Wenzday
- Wesley Schultz (The Lumineers)
- Western Centuries
- Weyes Blood
- Whitechapel
- Whitney Cummings
- Whoopi Goldberg
- WHY?
- Wilco
- Will Stratton
- William Canning
- William Hehir
- William Tyler
- William Wild
- Willie Nelson
- Wilsen
- Wingtip
- The Wonder Years
- The Word Alive
- Wuki
- Wyclef Jean
- X Ambassadors
- Yowler
- Zac Brown
- Zach Lind
- Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society)
- Zedd
- Zeena Koda
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