OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Music venues across the nation were some of the first to close among the COVID-19 shutdown and now they may be one of the last places to reopen in a normal capacity.
“It’s strange. Mid March we just had to close completely,” said Nick Hampson, owner of 89th Street – OKC.
The venue joins nearly a dozen other Oklahoma venues who are a part of a much larger group that’s turning to Washington for help.
“If we don’t get help soon, then a lot of us are gonna be forced to close,” Hampson said.
The National Independent Venue Association was just recently formed and has grown to encompass more than 1,000 charter members in all 50 states.
Back in April, they sent a letter to Congress expressing concerns for the future of small venues.
Later sending News 4 this statement, saying, in part, it has “requested specific funding programs to assist for the duration of the government’s mandatory shutdown. The goal is to enable independent venues to survive the crisis, reopen in the future, and once again contribute to the economic revival of our communities.”
Something local venue owners say is needed.
“It wouldn’t put us in a position to open prematurely. Even if the state says we can reopen, it might not be in the public interest,” Hampson said.
“It’s going to now depend nationally whether there is a movement to extend the PPE. Extend anything that’s going on with the SBA, extend loan forgiveness and all kinds of other factors,” said Jamie Fitzgerald, DCF Concerts Marketing Manager.
Right now is also usually the beginning of busy season for the Diamond Ballroom, but it will continue to remain empty.
“We do not anticipate anything happening before possibly July and that would only be regional because all the national tours have already cancelled and had to reroute for 2021,” Fitzgerald said.
For now, independent venues hold out hope for the days their stages will once again be filled.
“I believe that will happen again,” Fitzgerald said.
89th Street – OKC says they plan to start hosting smaller events this summer. But are unsure when they’ll get back to normal capacity.
Congresswoman Kendra Horn sent News 4 this response regarding the venues’ request-
