PAMAC Brings Together Leading Musicians of Kentucky with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Senior Staff to Discuss Impact of COVID-19 on U.S. Music Industry
Leading musicians of Kentucky and industry executives discussed the impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. Music Industry in a conference call with Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Senior Staff on August 4, 2020
For Immediate Release
PAMAC Brings Together Leading Musicians of Kentucky with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Senior Staff to Discuss Impact of COVID-19 on U.S. Music Industry
August 6, 2020 (Louisville, KY) – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Chief of Staff and Legal Counsel met with prominent Kentucky musicians and music industry leaders on Tuesday, August 4th to advocate for Federal relief for the arts sector during the COVID-19 crisis.
As the Senate prepares to vote on the next COVID-19 stimulus bill, the Performing Arts Managers and Agents Coalition (PAMAC), founded by Primo Artists, is working to lobby Congress to include the $877 Billion arts sector in its forthcoming relief package, in collaboration with 28 partner organizations including the Americans for the Arts and the League of American Orchestras, to represent the broader arts and culture sector.
The Tuesday call with the Senator’s senior staff was coordinated by PAMAC Founder and President of Primo Artists Charlotte Lee and attended by Kentucky-based musicians and industry leaders Teddy Abrams (Music Director, Louisville Orchestra), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Andrew McInnes (TMWRK Management, representing country singer Sturgill Simpson), Billy Hardison (Headliners Music Hall, Louisville), and other industry executives.
Meeting participants detailed the unique plight faced by the U.S. arts sector and the necessity for arts-specific federal relief to survive the economic ramifications of COVID-19. The group discussed expansion and recapitalization of PPP loan fund eligibility and support for the Save our Stages Act which Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced on June 22nd to address the gap in federal loan programs supporting the creative economy.
Conductor Teddy Abrams, who led the conversation, commented: “The very soul of America is our culture – it defines the way we see ourselves and the way the world sees our country. This era of challenges and tragedies is a call for our nation’s creative artists and organizations to do the work that they can uniquely do: To heal, to inspire, to erase barriers and to lead. We call on our elected representatives to ensure legislative support so that artists and arts organizations can provide our nation with the solace and communion that every American deserves at this time.”
Jim James, lead singer of the rock band My Morning Jacket, illustrated how “musicians and artists form the invisible backbone of our society” through the arts’ more unquantifiable effects, such as improving mental health, education and community engagement. Charlotte Lee, President and Founder of New York-based classical music agency Primo Artists and Founder of PAMAC, emphasized the agency perspective informing the policy asks, reiterating the “disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on the industry which has a financial model that depends on mass gatherings”. Jonathan Levine of Paradigm, agent of Sturgill Simpson, pointed out that live touring is unlikely to return in an economically viable form until 2022, assuming independent venues remain operational.
Abrams also highlighted the integral role the arts play in community revitalization, and its key role in the US economy, driving nearly than one trillion dollars in spending, including additional revenue through restaurants and bars. He reiterated that, despite the arts industry facing a uniquely existential crisis, artists around the country were amongst the first to “drop everything and start giving”, an “incredibly moving” reminder of the necessity of the arts to “connect and heal”.
The Senator’s staff said they recognized the impact the pandemic has caused the arts sector and emphasized the changing dynamics of the current relief package negotiations. They highlighted the current proposal brought forward by Senator McConnell which includes another round of forgivable loans in the Paycheck Protection Program and a new “Recovery Sector Loans” program for small businesses with over 50% in gross revenue loss.
As Senate prepares to vote on the next COVID-19 stimulus bill, PAMAC continues to lobby Congress to include the arts sector in their forthcoming relief package. PAMAC is working in collaboration with their 28 partner organizations including NIVA, NITO, Americans for the Arts and the League of American Orchestras to represent the interests of the broader arts and culture sector. Follow PAMAC’s advocacy updates at their website and Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels, and find resources there on how to advocate for the arts with your state and federal representatives.