What is Going to Happen to Music Venues?

If you’re anything like me, finding yourself at concerts quite often, you have that one music venue that you consider to be “the best.” Maybe it’s a venue where you saw your favorite artist for the first time; or it could be where you saw your first-ever concert. It could be that  it’s the venue you keep finding yourself at, the familiarity of the space making it your top choice. For me, this place is The Bowery Ballroom in New York City: it’s in my favorite area of downtown Manhattan, it’s small and there’s no barricade, and it’s so small that there’s no back entrance, making the chance to see the performer either before or after the show much easier. The Bowery is one of the quintessential New York venues, and the thought of it ever closing is honestly heartbreaking. 

Yet unfortunately for me, and many other New Yorkers, this sad thought may soon become a reality. With the current pandemic banishing the idea of large crowds, music venues across the country have been forced to shut their doors for the foreseeable future. Some venues, however, are facing a permanent closure as the lockdown drags on. As this becomes clearer to many venue owners and promoters, efforts are being made to sustain our favorite venues as long as possible.

The Bowery Ballroom is one of nearly 2,000 establishments represented within the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), a group of independent music venue owners who have gathered together in an attempt to save their businesses. They have recently began the #SaveOurStages campaign across social media, garnering support for independent owners to keep their venues from permanent closure. The hashtag has since inspired a more official approach: an open letter to the US Congress, in which NIVA advocates for financial support for both venues and promoters - with the help of some big-name musicians. Artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Robert Plant, Billie Eilish, and almost 600 more lent their signatures and sentiments to the cause, expressing the belief that independent music venues make up an integral part of American culture. The letter 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.”

For all involved - the venues and the fans - who are anxiously awaiting the resurgence of live shows, what one may perceive as a “typical” concert may be drastically different post-pandemic. What is being called “drive-in concerts” has become a large possibility, the intention being to socially distance while still able to enjoy a live show; the world-famous Yankee Stadium, for example, is set to start hosting what is dubbed the “Uptown Drive-In,” with concerts beginning in July. Major stadiums have been in talks to revamp their seating so that it coincides with social distancing guidelines, which will have an inherent effect on capacity limits for future shows. But what may be most at risk is the idea of the “general admission” show. Imagine having to wear a mask in a crowd, singing along to a band’s music with your mouth covered or picture having to get your temperature taken before a show, determining whether you can attend or not. Or, as much as it pains me to say, maybe the “general admission” show is dead, the risk of being in a close-knit crowd being simply too high. 

Needless to say, the future of live shows - and all forms of “social gatherings”, for that matter - is uncertain, and the dynamics of our favorite music venues will surely be different. Yet, with independent venues being such a cultural staple, the live show will never go away, no matter how delayed.