When the last venue closes

For independent artists who rely on touring as their primary source of income, the pandemic has been financially devastating. For independent venues who host them when they come to town, it’s an extinction-level threat. Part of the problem is that nobody knows when it’ll be safe to open for business again, mostly because nobody knows when we’ll finally have access to a vaccine. But the live music industry runs on razor-thin margins to begin with, and even with no money coming through the door, the bills for mortgage, rent, utilities, and other operating expenses are still coming due.On this week’s episode, James Moody, owner of beloved Austin venue The Mohawk, takes us behind the scenes to describe what the past six months have been like for the people who work tirelessly to bring music to our cities every night of the week. We also talk with Audrey Fix Schaefer, director of communications at NIVA and Washington D.C.’s iconic 9:30 Club, about why the fate of live music in this country rests in part on an upcoming vote in Congress regarding two pieces of legislation, the RESTART Act and the Save Our Stages Act—and how the crisis has brought a notoriously competitive corner of the music industry together. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theculturejournalist.substack.com/subscribe