LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville venues are joining in a national initiative lobbying Congress to pass legislation that would provide coronavirus relief assistance to performance venues that have seen their revenue streams run dry during the pandemic.
"What we're looking for, we need full forgiveness to basically put us on life support so we can reopen in 2021," Billy Hardison, the co-owner of Headliners Music Hall, said.
Hardison, who is also the co-founder of Production Simple, said the live performing arts industry has been hit especially hard. According to Hardison, venues have lost around 90 percent of their revenue nationally since the pandemic began.
"We do not have curbside live performances like restaurants or bars," he said. "We are bringing in no money and money is going out the door."
Headliners has joined with many other venues around the country in the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), which is pushing the Save Our Stages Act, which was introduced by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota. The Save Our Stages Act would fall under the CARES Act and would give grants through the Small Business Association to venues up to 45 percent of their operations costs from 2019 up to $12 million.
NIVA is also pushing the RESTART Act, which would similarly help eligible venues but through loans.
Hardison said specific federal funding for venues is needed because many venues do not qualify for the existing federal coronavirus relief packages.
"With the PPP and even the P4, it's based on FTEs, or full-time employees," he said. "Well our industry is largely based on part-time employees, so we can't meet a lot of the requirements."
Down the street at Paristown Hall, there is a similar struggle with declining revenues as the venue hall has been closed during the pandemic. Unlike Headliners, Paristown Hall has an outdoor space that it has used to hold some events since it had to close its indoor facility and will hold several events surrounding the Kentucky Derby in September. But even that extra boost has been tough for venue management, employees and performers.
"They haven't played in months," Paristown Hall managing partner Steven Smith said. "I was talking to a guitarist. He goes, "I just sat at home and played my guitar just to make sure I remembered all the songs."
And these drops in revenue go beyond just the venue. Kentucky Performing Arts Senior Vice President for Community Engagement Heather Bell said Kentucky Performing Arts, of which Paristown Hall is a part, traditionally brings in $26 million in revenue for the city of Louisville.
"We are economic multipliers, so with restaurants, with hotels, it's the tourism picture," she said.
Hardison said while he and other venue owners and managers are ready to get back to work, he understands it will not be a quick return, even after they receive the go-ahead to open their doors again.
"Something people need to realize is once we come out of this, once we're given the green light to go, we can't just go, 'Okay, let's just open tomorrow night and fill these rooms up,'" he said.
More information can be found here.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.