COVID-19 Relief for Music Industry Workers
Music industry associations and trade groups, working alongside organizations spanning the creative industries, scored a major victory in securing financial help under the CARES Act (the “Act”) for musicians, music producers, and other music industry workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This relief falls into two categories: (1) unemployment compensation expanded from traditional employees to include benefits previously unavailable to independent contractors, “gig” workers, and the self-employed, and (2) newly-available loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), including loan advances of up to $10,000, which are now also available to sole proprietors, independent contractors, and the self-employed.
The private sector has also stepped up to help. Hundreds of grants and assistance programs are being offered by companies and non-profits, including Facebook and a plethora of music-centric organizations of all stripes. Lists of such organizations can be found at Billboard and at https://musiccovidrelief.com/.