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We are a collective of 250+ artist management and booking agencies across the United States, from New York to Hawaii, representing the world’s top performing artists across a multitude of genres. We play the pivotal role of enabling artists to bring their performances to global audiences.

Our work depends exclusively on mass gatherings. Though many businesses have begun to reopen, our industry cannot resume operations until live performances can take place. We will be the last ones to return to work.

In 2017, arts and cultural economic activity accounted for 4.5% of gross domestic product — $877 billion — and the employment of 5 million workers. This National Governors Association report illustrates how the arts catalyze economic revival in communities across the country.

Data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics about the disproportionate toll of COVID-19 on the arts sector shows that performing arts employment fell by 48% between mid-March and mid-April 2020 alone. An Americans for the Arts study reports that 62% artists have become fully unemployed and expect to lose $50 billion of income nationally in 2020. Performing arts leaders predict that venues will not resume full-capacity performances before September 2021.

Our ability to return to work is contingent upon a vaccine, which is the only way venues can once again fill to capacity. Without full-capacity performances until September 2021, we face an elimination of 18 months of income. The losses will total $800 million for our artists and $100 million for our agencies.

Many of our businesses will cease operations or terminate most of our staff. Consequently, artists will lose representation, with no one to protect their interests or to negotiate for opportunities on their behalf, leaving even more artists without income and work.

Our entire industry is in an existential crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All businesses, both non-profit and for-profit, plus artists and gig workers, need relief. Arts relief is the only way our industry will survive.

We urge Congress to reform a legislative relief package focused on the arts sector. We have launched this petition to draw worldwide attention to this existential situation. We are working closely with the Americans for the Arts and 28 industry service organizations to reinforce the policy requests made by the broader arts sector.

We are therefore making an urgent appeal for Congress to consider a relief plan for the U.S. arts sector as follows:

1. Expand the Economic Injury Disaster Loans program:

· Provide a new round of EIDL loan advances for arts businesses that will not have to be repaid. Increase the maximum loan advance amount from $10,000 at $1,000 per worker to $50,000 at $5,000 per worker. For businesses with fewer than 10 workers, allow Independent Contractors to be considered workers under this plan.

2. Recapitalize and Extend the Paycheck Protection Program:

· Provide new opportunities for arts businesses to apply for PPP funding and be considered for forgivable loans that are worth 20 times average monthly payroll costs across an extended duration of 15 months.

3. Expand the Pandemic Unemployment Benefits program:

· Increase funding for State Unemployment Assistance programs. Extend the $600 weekly payment as part of the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program beyond July 31, 2020 to August 31, 2021.

· Ensure that artists and gig economy workers with mixed income sources, such as W-2 and 1099, receive full support rather than being unfairly limited to partial benefits.

We ask you to help support our initiative for Congress to provide relief as we continue grappling with this unprecedented burden on our industry. It is the only way to protect an indispensable part of America’s cultural and social fabric. We welcome every opportunity to collaborate together as we look forward to a future where we can once again experience live performances.

Thank you very much.

1st Mark Artists Management

14K MUSIC

24Seven Artist Development

2Luck Concepts

ACM 360 Artists

ADA Artist Management

Agency-etc.

ALIA Prod

Alliance Artist Management

Ariel Artists

ArKtype

Artes Latinas

Artisan Agency

Arts Management Associates

Arts Management Group

Arts28

Athlone Artists

Baylin Artists Management

Bel Canto Global Arts

Bernard Schmidt Productions

Bernstein Artists

BesenArts

Beth Morrison Projects

BiCoastal Productions

Blu Ocean Arts

Bond Theatrical Group

Brad Simon Organization

Bridgewater Artists Management

Broadway and Beyond Theatricals

Broadway Booking Office NYC

Cadence Arts Network

Cadenza Artists

California Artists Management

Canis Major Music

Cathy Pruzan Artist Representative

Chaplin Entertainment

Christina Daysog Concert Artists

CM Artists New York

Colbert Artists Management

Columbia Artists Management

Common Ground Arts

Concert Artists Guild

Creative Booking Agency

CTM Classics

Current Talent Agency

Dandelion Artists

David Lieberman Artists Representatives

David Rowe Artists

Diane Saldick LLC

Dinin Arts Management & Consulting

Dispeker Artists International

Double M Arts & Events

DUKES of Dixieland

East Bank Entertainment

Elsie Management

En Garde Arts

Encompass Arts

EPIC Arts Management

Epstein and Company

Étude Arts

Fairy Forest Talent Agency

Fascinator Management

First Class Entertainment

Fletcher Artist Management

FLi Artists

Fox Performances

Frank Salomon Associates

Frontera Arts

Gail Boyd Artist Management

GAMI/Simonds

Gardner Arts Network

Gersh

Gilliland Productions

goingbarefoot

Gold Mountain Entertainment

Goodman Artists

Greenberg Artists

Guy Barzilay Artists

Harmony Artists

Herschel Freeman Agency

Holden & Arts Associates

IMG Artists

Ina Dittke & Associates

Ingenuity Productions

Innovative Performing Artists

Insignia Artists Management

International Music Network

Ivy Rock Management

Jensen Artists

Joanne Rile Artists Management

John Gingrich Management

Jonathan Wentworth Associates

Karen McFarlane Artists

Kaylor Management

Ken Benson Artists

Ketch Agency

Kirshbaum Associates

KiWi Productions

KMP Artist Management

Knudsen Productions

Kosson Talent

L2 Artists

Latitude45 Arts Promotion

LG Poppleton

Lingua Franca Arts

Lisa Booth Management

Lisa Sapinkopf Artists

Los Angeles Performance Practice

Lotus Arts Management

LVanHart Artist Productions

Marilyn Rosen Presents

Middleton Arts Management

Mike Green & Associates

Mirshak Artists Management

MKI Artists

Multiflora Productions

MusicVine Performing Arts

Myriad Artists

Octopus Theatricals

Opus 3 Artists

Paradigm Talent Agency

Park Avenue Artists

Pasifika Artists Network

Pentacle

Performance Management International

Peter Throm Management

Ping Pong Productions

PMG Arts Management

Pomegranate Arts

Primavera Consulting

Primo Artists

Promethean Artists

Rena Shagan Associates

River City Brass

Royal Artist Group

Schmidt Artists International

Schwalbe & Partners

Sciolino Artist Management

Selby Artists/Mgmt

Seldy Cramer Artists

Sempre Artists

Shaw Entertainment Group

Sheffield Global Arts Management

Sheldon Artists

Shupp Artists Management

Siegel Artist Management

Sozo Artists

SRO Artists

Steele Management

Stratagem Artists

The Booking Group

The Kurland Agency

The Management Ark

The Mark Spector Company

The Office

The Road Company

The Roots Agency

THG Management

UIA Talent Agency

Unbound Artists

Unlimited Myles

Vespertine Works

Walrus Arts Management & Consulting

Wittenberg Artists

ZBug Group

With support from the following arts service organizations, including those representing nonprofit organizations that present performances in partnership with agents, managers, and producers:

American Choral Directors Association

American Viola Society

Americans for the Arts

Association of Performing Arts Professionals

Carnegie Hall

Chamber Music America

Dance/USA

Florida Professional Presenters Consortium

International Artist Managers Association

International Clarinet Association

International Federation for Choral Music

Iowa Presenters Network

League of American Orchestras

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation

National Independent Venue Association

New England Foundation for the Arts

New Music USA

North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents

North Carolina Presenters Consortium

Ohio Arts Professional Network

Percussive Arts Society

Pennsylvania Presenters

Plains Presenters Network

South Arts

The Broadway League

Theatre Communications Group

The Sphinx Organization

Western Arts Alliance