Many concert venue owners have been waiting on relief from the government, which in December passed a bill that set aside $16 billion in grants for venues that host live events. Eligible applicants include concert halls and theaters. But more than five months have lapsed since the bill created the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program (SVOG) and venue owners still haven't received any money, Bloomberg News reported. The Small Business Administration took four months to open the portal that allowed eligible businesses to apply. The portal then shut down just four hours after it opened. When the portal reopened in late April, venue owners thought they’d finally reached the promised land. Only now they are being told they have to wait until late May, at the earliest, to get their money. Time is of the essence for many of these clubs. After a year in hibernation, the live music business is expected to come roaring back. Outdoor venues are planning to open back up again in the summer, while indoor arenas aim to open in the fall. Promoters, venue owners and agents all believe the concert business will come back stronger than ever. Most people who bought tickets to shows postponed by the pandemic have held onto those tickets. “There’s a tremendous amount of pent-up demand with fans,” Dan Beckerman, the chief executive officer of the second-largest promoter in the U.S., Anschutz Entertainment Group Inc., told me. “There’s a lot of pent-up supply as well from artists who want and need to get back on the road. It’s going to be an incredible return in the next 18 months.”
