Independent music venues in the US are finally starting to receive government relief

coronavirus pandemic-enforced shutdown of live music.The Small Business Administration (SBA) finally began rolling out funds from its Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program earlier this month, nearly six months on from the Save Our Stages Act passing into law.As Billboard reports, 677 grants from the SVOG have now been awarded to independent venue operators and promoters in the US who have suffered a substantial drop in income due to the pandemic.

Chaka Khan and Lionel Richie were among the icons of the music industry honoured with the Rhapsody & Rhythm Award at this year’s Celebration of Legends Benefit Concert in Nashville. 

The Handmaid’s Tale has garnered strongly positive reviews from fans.The show concluded its fourth season in the US last night (15 June). Fans of the show have since taken to social media to share their reactions.This season finale focused on Elisabeth Moss’ June Osborne mission to finally escape Gilead.The episode included what one fan called “one of the most satisfying scenes I’ve ever seen on television.”The Handmaid’s Tale penultimate episode saw Joseph Fiennes’ Fred Waterford imprisoned.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) will present an overview of its inaugural Industry Action Report Card on Friday morning June 18th as part of the National Museum of African American Music’s State of Black Music Summit.With journalist and industry exec Naima Cochrane, BMAC drafted its first-of-its-kind report to “track and measure how individual companies in the music industry delivered on their pledges to work toward justice, equality and change in the wake

The EPs and stars of Selena: The Series gathered for a virtual ATX panel on Saturday, to reflect on their tribute to music and fashion icon, Selena Quintanilla.

A $16.1 billion federal program set up to provide emergency relief to distressed movie theaters and live venues has started distributing funds, but venue operators say the process has been slow and a key deadline has been missed.

Carrie Underwood and NEEDTOBREATHE brought down the house at the 2021 CMT Music Awards. At the Wednesday night award show, the former "American Idol" champ, 38, teamed up with the rock band to perform their song "I Wanna Remember." For the performance, Underwood dazzled in a sequined pantsuit complete with a large, black belt and matching shoes.

The Front Bottoms have announced their return to the touring circuit with 31 dates across North America later this year, alongside the release of a new track titled ‘Voodoo Magic’.In true Front Bottoms fashion, ‘Voodoo Magic’ sees the band put a summery spin on a tedious topic, as frontman Brian Sella waxes lyrical about his bad luck over a bed of bright lead guitars and energetic percussion.The track also features some musical input from Matt Skiba (of Alkaline Trio and Blink-182 fame), who

coronavirus restrictions lift.It has been predicted that 90 per cent of US venues stand to be lost without government funding, with an estimated 300 already closed in the last 14 months. Venues spent much of last year pleading with the government for support, before Congress passed the #SaveOurStages bill in December to allow shuttered businesses like independent venues to get a $16billion emergency relief grant fund.

Better Noise Music has signed rock band Asking Alexandria to a new record deal, ahead of a new album release later this year.Although a British band, to date they have seen their biggest success in the US – although their 2016 album ‘The Black’ did go to number fifteen on the UK album chart (in the States it went top ten).

Univision’s coverage of the U.S. men’s national team’s 3-2 victory over rival Mexico in the final of the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League on Sunday night tied ABC’s season premiere of Celebrity Family Feud for the night’s top broadcast in primetime.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentMoroccan director Aziz Tazi’s thriller “Night Walk,” featuring a turn by Mickey Rourke, has scored a slew of international sales prior to its U.S.

lying to the FBI about his illegal work on behalf of foreign governments, and for several seditious comments during the 2020 election, appeared over the weekend at QAnon conference in Dallas. Adherents of the QAnon conspiracy theory are widely supportive of the military coup in Myanmar and have embraced the treasonous idea that the US military should do the same thing here on behalf of Donald Trump.

HBO Max Remakes ‘The Great British Bake Off’ In Mexico HBO Max is planning to adapt the UK’s hit cooking competition series The Great British Bake Off in Mexico as The Great Bake Off. A 10-part celebrity version of the show will be produced by WarnerMedia Latin America, in what represents HBO Max’s first original unscripted production in Mexico. The Love Productions show was licensed by BBC Studios and follows WarnerMedia previously making local versions in Argentina and Chile.

Hulu has found its Mike Tyson.

the Save Our Stages Act passing into law five months ago.The coronavirus-enforced shutdown of live music in 2020 had sparked fears that many venues across the country would have to close permanently, but the passing of the Save Our Stages Act in December – which guarantees independent venues and theatres $16 billion (£11.27 million) in federal relief grants – raised hopes of a recovery for the live music sector in the US.The Wall Street Journal reports that over 12,000 independent venues in the