In June, the newly-minted National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) released a survey which offered a harrowing look at the current state of the live music industry. Their survey reported that 90 percent of venues they spoke to said they may close in just a few months without federal funding. Thankfully, a bipartisan bill titled the Save Our Stages Act successfully passed the House on Friday. In order to raise awareness for the bill, NIVA tapped several big-name musicians to join in on a virtual festival.
Save Our Stages Fest is a three-day virtual music festival streaming on YouTube. The festival has booked over 30 artists to give special performances. Save Our Stages will feature sets by artists like Foo Fighters, Miley Cyrus, G-Eazy, Phoebe Bridgers, Gus Dapperton, Finneas, YG, and many more.
Speaking about his role in the festival, Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl told Billboard that America’s independent venues are vital. “The smaller music venues and the ones that are really struggling are not only culturally important, they are emotionally important,” he said.
Watch the Save Our Stages Fest trailer above and check out the full lineup below.
Save Our Stages Fest takes place from October 16 to 18 on NIVA’s YouTube channel. Watch it here.