A group of music industry organizations including the CMA, the ACM, ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and others sent a letter to congressional leaders today (Nov. 24) highlighting the growing devastation to the live music industry due to COVID-19 and urging that they immediately pass legislation to provide additional relief desperately needed by the many artists, musicians, engineers, producers, and venues who bring live music to the public.

In the letter, the groups specifically ask Congress to (1) renew and extend Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation; (2) pass the RESTART Act; (3) fix the CARES Act by passing the Mixed Earner Pandemic Unemployment Act; (4) expand the Saves Our Stages Act; (5) expand employer retention tax credits and pass a 100% COBRA premium subsidy; and (6) pass the Performing Artist Tax Parity Act and the HITS Act.

The coalition has routinely called on Congress to act, sending letters to leadership throughout the spring and summer as well as organizing MusicCovidRelief.com, a central site to help the music community access aid.

See the full letter below:

November 24, 2020

Dear Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer and Leader McCarthy,

There is no denying that COVID-19 has truly tested the nation, and it has had a devastating effect on our country’s music industry.  The live music business – once a sign of a thriving community and a draw to our cultural and commercial centers – has gone tragically silent. The music community remains grateful for Congress’ bipartisan relief efforts earlier this year, but more must be done soon to avoid a level of loss that that could devastate artists, musicians, engineers, producers, venues, and everyone in the music industry for a generation.

First, Congress must renew and extend existing benefits that have proved indispensable, including the weekly funding provided through Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation.  Congress must also act to pass the RESTART Act, to build on the short-term relief provided by the Paycheck Protection Program.  

Second, Congress must fix an unintended error in the CARES Act by passing the Mixed Earner Pandemic Unemployment Act.  Mixed earners, or gig workers with a minimum amount of W-2 income, have been excluded from Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and overly burdensome PUA documentation requirements are out of step with the workplace realities of the gig economy.

Third, with no clear direction on when safe public gatherings may resume, Congress must expand the current form of the Save Our Stages Act and pass it to provide sufficient assistance for small venues and multi-use publicly owned venues.  77% of people in the live events industry have lost 100% of their incomes, including 97% of 1099 workers.  These people work at venues of all sizes and in a variety of capacities – whether it be full-time, part-time, or on the side as a gig worker.  With uncertainty surrounding the resumption of live events, most of these workers are still struggling to make ends meet.  Providing direct financial relief to the workers of all venues is critical to keeping local communities afloat.  Indeed, dollars spent to keep venues open have a multiplier effect, as live music brings patrons to hotels, restaurants, and other small businesses that are also struggling to survive.  Expanding Save Our Stages to include all different types of live events workers – and not excluding them simply for where they work – will help revitalize our economy at the ground level.

Fourth, Congress must do more to ensure workers can keep their job-based healthcare plans during this pandemic.  We believe Congress should expand employer retention tax credits and pass a 100% COBRA premium subsidy to ensure that job disruptions through no fault of their own don’t cost Americans their health as well as their livelihoods.

Finally, Congress must ensure that tax relief reaches musicians and workers in the performing arts by passing the Performing Artist Tax Parity Act and the HITS Act.

Like many in 2020, our community has come together to speak with one voice to ensure that we all can enjoy better days in the future together.  We hope that with your leadership, Congress, in the upcoming lame duck session, will take this clear opportunity to save American music, culture, and countless small businesses.  Thank you for your consideration.

 Academy of Country Music
Artist Rights Alliance
Broadcast Music, Inc.
Christian Music Trade Association
Church Music Publishers Association Action Fund
Country Music Association
Gospel Music Association
Music Artists Coalition
Music Managers Forum – US
National Music Publishers Association
Production Music Association
Recording Academy
Recording Industry Association of America
SESAC
Society of Composers & Lyricists
Songwriters of North America
SoundExchange
Southern Gospel Music Guild
The American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers
The Living Legends Foundation, Inc
The Rhythm & Blues Foundation, Inc

 

Vince Gill and Amy Grant. Photo: Robby Klein.

Amy Grant and Vince Gill will return in 2021 with their Christmas at the Ryman residency.

Tickets for the 12-date concert run will go on sale on Friday, Nov. 27 at ryman.com and will again feature matinee performances of the long-running show. Openers for all of the dates will be announced at a later date.

The husband and wife duo’s previous Ryman shows have brimmed with Christmas favorites such as “Let It Snow,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Tennessee Christmas,” “O Holy Night” and “O Come All Ye Faithful.”

“None of us could have ever predicted a year like this one and the holidays are going to look a lot different because of it. While Vince and I are disappointed we can’t be with you all this year, we are thrilled to be able to return to Ryman Auditorium for the holidays in 2021,” Grant says. “It is such a special time of year for us and our family, and these shows have become a holiday tradition for us!”

Ryman Auditorium strictly complies with safety regulations that include socially-distanced seating, mandatory masks for all guests and staff and enhanced cleaning practices.

2021 Amy Grant & Vince Gill – “Christmas at the Ryman” Dates
Monday, December 13 – 7:30pm
Tuesday, December 14 – 7:30pm
Wednesday, December 15 –7:30pm
Thursday, December 16 – 7:30pm
Saturday, December 18 – 3:00pm and 7:30pm
Sunday, December 19 – 3:00pm and 7:30pm
Tuesday, December 21 – 3:00pm and 7:30pm
Wednesday, December 22 – 3:00pm and 7:30pm

Lady A, Chris Tomlin, Russell Dickerson Share Opry Stage

Lady A and Chris Tomlin. Photo: courtesy Grand Ole Opry LLC/Chris Hollo, photographer

Country trio Lady A, alongside Chris Tomlin and Russell Dickerson, performed on the Opry over the weekend. Their performances aired during the Opry’s one-hour TV broadcast, Opry Live, on Circle. Both Lady A and Dickerson appear on Tomlin’s new album, Chris Tomlin & Friends, which includes 13 tracks featuring Chris with many of today’s biggest country artists. Lady A’s set included “Who You Are To Me,” the five-week No. 1 Billboard Christian Airplay single from Tomlin’s album “Who You Are To Me” was penned by Tomlin and Lady A’s Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood.

MTSU To Host Nashville’s Female Musicians In Online Music Panel Discussion

The Center for Popular Music is hosting an online panel discussion on Tuesday, Nov. 24 at noon, with Ellen Angelico, a multi-instrumentalist and touring/ session musician, Megan Coleman, a drummer, DJ and songwriter, and Judy Rodman, a singer-songwriter, producer, author and vocal coach. Tiffany Minton, the center’s graduate assistant who created and is compiling “The Women Musicians in Nashville Oral History Project,” and MTSU history professor and ethnomusicologist Kristine McCusker will talk with the women as part of a new oral history project by the Center for Popular Music at Middle Tennessee State University.

YEP Nashville Teams With Los Angeles Chapter For Virtual Mixer

The Young Entertainment Professionals’ Nashville Chapter teamed up with the Los Angeles Chapter for a virtual Zoom Mixer on Thursday, Nov. 19. During the mixer, board members and ambassadors were able to network and connect by splitting off into breakout rooms. The non-profit networking group for the entertainment industry strives to create an environment for the betterment of its members through networking events, showcases, mentorship and educational development. YEP has over 38,000 members across all social media platforms and currently has chapters in both Nashville and Los Angeles.

Dolly Parton. Photo: Rob Hoffman

The story behind Dolly Parton‘s Imagination Library will be highlighted in the free, one-night-only, livestream world premiere event The Library That Dolly Built, which will stream exclusively on Facebook on Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. ET.

The screening will be followed by a conversation and live acoustic performance from Parton. Viewers can tune in to the live screening and conversation on FB.ME/dollysimaginationlibrary and ImaginationLibrary.com. In addition, the European premiere will be Thursday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. GMT, and the Australian premiere will be Friday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. AEDT. The documentary was made possible by Dollywood and Abramorama in association with The Dollywood Foundation.

Parton created the Imagination Library in 1995 to help inspire a love of books and reading in young children; the initiative has since expanded into a global endeavor and recently gifted its 150 millionth book. The program currently sends books to 1.7 million children around the world each month. Earlier this year, Parton launched a weekly bedtime reading series, “Goodnight With Dolly,” which aired across Facebook and YouTube, earning over 15 million views. On Dec. 11, the film and the conversation with Parton will be released nationwide as a Watch Now @ Home Cinema Release, and in early 2021 across multiple digital platforms.

Parton said, “I am so excited that we can finally tell the whole story of the Imagination Library. It is certainly not just about me. Our story is the story of children, of families and communities who all share the dream to inspire kids to love to read and to love to learn. My hope is this documentary will encourage more towns, more states and even more countries to jump onboard. One thing is for sure, I think this is the best investment I have ever made!”

The Library That Dolly Built, directed and produced by journalism professor and director of Land Grant Films Nick Geidner, and narrated by Danica McKellar, goes behind the scenes of Parton’s Imagination Library, to show how one of the most famous and beloved performers in the world has partnered with thousands of local community organizations to develop an efficient and effective program for spreading the love of reading. Imagination Library started as a gift for the children in Parton’s hometown, Sevierville, Tennessee, and is now active in all 50 states, and five countries, gifting 1.7 million free, age-appropriate books to children every month. The film also provides a glimpse of the profound impact the Imagination Library has on the people through original interviews with authors, policymakers, Imagination Library staff, recipients, and the legend herself, Dolly Parton. Woven throughout the film is a biographical sketch of Parton, featuring rare photos and films from her childhood. Unlike most biographies of Parton, it doesn’t focus on her music. Instead, it demonstrates that at every point in her career, any time she has had success, Parton has come back to Sevierville to give back to her people.

Instrument retailer Guitar Center, Inc. has filed a petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 in bankruptcy court.

As announced on Nov. 13, Guitar Center has secured new financing to implement its financial restructuring plan, which is supported by its equity sponsor, a fund managed by the Private Equity Group of Ares Management Corporation, new equity investors Brigade Capital Management and a fund managed by The Carlyle Group, as well as supermajorities of its noteholder groups. The Plan provides for a comprehensive transaction that will deleverage the Company’s balance sheet, enhance financial flexibility and provide additional liquidity to continue to support its vendors, suppliers, and employees.

The Plan will reduce debt by nearly $800 million and is supported by up to $165 million in new equity investments from a fund managed by the Private Equity Group of Ares Management Corporation, a fund managed by the Carlyle Group and Brigade Capital Management. Guitar Center has negotiated to have a total of $375 million in Debtor-In-Possession (“DIP”) financing provided by certain of its existing noteholders and ABL lenders. In connection with the Plan, the Company currently intends to raise $335 million in new senior secured notes. UBS Investment Bank will serve as the lead placement agent in connection with this effort. The move is intended to allow Guitar Center and its related brands (including Music & Arts, Musician’s Friend, Woodwind Brasswind and AVDG) to continue normal operations while the transaction is implemented.

Guitar Center has been in business for over 60 years, but was forced to close many locations in March during the COVID-19 lockdowns across the nation, and struggled to keep sales up as the economy tanked during the pandemic.

Ron Japinga, CEO of Guitar Center, said, “This is an important and positive step in our process to significantly reduce our debt and enhance our ability to reinvest in our business to support long-term growth. Throughout this process, we will continue to serve our customers and deliver on our mission of putting more music in the world. Given the strong level of support from our lenders and creditors, we expect to complete the process before the end of this year.”