As COVID-19 continues to keep venues nationwide shuttered, Slim’s and Great American Music Hall are doing their best to pay their staff.
Another week in the ‘new normal,’ another wave of fundraisers. As COVID-19 leaves the live music industry at a standstill, an increasing number of venues are turning to patrons in hopes of supporting their staff until concerts can return.
The latest crowdfunding campaigns come from Slim’s and Great American Music Hall, two iconic San Francisco entertainment hubs. Both venues are hoping to raise money to pay their staff while the establishments remain closed. The current goal is $20,000, and as of this post, the GoFundMe page shows more than $12,000 has been contributed to the effort.
A message on the campaign page reads:
As many of you are experiencing, the COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented hardship for many across the globe. The Slim’s and Great American Music Hall staff are in the same boat: with California State orders in place, our doors must remain closed until we can ensure the safety of our patrons, artists, and staff.
During this shutdown, many of us are struggling to make ends meet, unsure when we will be able to return to normalcy. While many service industry jobs will begin to open their doors at the first sign of State clearance, the nature of live events requires a much longer lead time since most artists are not planning tours in the near future due to the uncertainty of the pandemic. So when CA gives us the green light to re-open, we’ll be further down the road from “business as usual” until artists can comfortably return to touring.
In an effort to provide additional relief during all this uncertainty, we are asking for your help with 100% of donations going directly to hard-working people who remain out of work indefinitely, and who are essential to the live music experience. We know this is a lot to ask in this strange Quaran-Time™️, but every little bit ensures staff—the box office attendants, security personnel, cooks, bartenders, waitstaff, stage managers, lighting and audio techs, and everyone in between that makes the scene possible—will have a promising return.
We look forward to sharing more musical experiences with y’all, hopefully in the near future!
San Francisco’s ‘shelter in place’ plan currently remains in effect until May 3. There is a high likelihood that the date will be pushed later in May, or even into June. That is a long time for venue staff to be out of work, but you can make their lives a bit less stressful by making a donation today.
Please send other venue Kickstarter campaigns and fundraising goals to james@haulix.com for inclusion on our blog.
