Thursday, May 20, 2021

Los Angeles Music Scene: when might venues re-open?

A couple weeks ago it looked like the Los Angeles music scene was starting to roar back to life. I noted that WFNM and Wild Riot (event planners) were planning to return to the scene. Now I love those entities and I'm happy they're returning, but we might need to wait into late summer before all our local venues re-open. KCRW (May 17) has the following:

Though some larger, outdoor venues, such as the Hollywood Bowl, will see concerts return as soon as this month, indoor music clubs say they likely won’t return in earnest until late summer or fall as they navigate a complex ecosystem of safety regulations, financial constraints, and touring schedules.

We know that California is targeting June 15th to re-open so why does it sound like local venues won't be opening up until August or September?    

. . . So while smaller indoor venues technically can reopen as soon as next month, and some have already begun booking local shows for summer, most say it doesn’t make sense to do so until they can confidently and safely operate without regulations that might impede business as usual.

“Our product, our business model, completely hinges on being open seven nights a week, having multiple bands for a night,” [Duncan Smith, booker for the Moroccan Lounge] says. “It's a volume business for us . . . so we're not going to reopen even if it's legal on June 15, until we're confident that we can do seven nights a week of shows.”

I decided to scan some venue websites to see what was on their schedules. The Troubadour currently has their first concert set for August 28th. The Echo's first show is currently Aug 20th. The Moroccan Lounge has something scheduled for July 9th, but who knows if that is real as that night has been on the calendar for months. Hotel Cafe is targeting July 9th. The Bootleg Theater, Harvard & Stone, Silverlake Lounge, The Smell and Zebulon don't have anything booked during those months as far as I can tell. I'm ignoring slightly larger venues such as the Lodge Room and Telagram Ballroom that are more tailored towards touring bands vs local bands.

Now there is also the need for funding via Save Our Stages that will help open up the venue doors. Luckily, money is being distributed this week (I say this week as the below quote was from last week). Now not all venues will be immediately getting their cash next week, but it is a hopeful sign that funding is starting to flow.

Billboard (May 5) reports:

Two weeks after the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) portal successfully reopened, officials at the Small Business Administration say that the first round of awards will be distributed next week.


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