Nonprofit philanthropic organization Live Music Society (LMS) announced today the Spring 2022 recipients of the small music venue grant program. Their third round of grantees since establishing just under two years ago, LMS supplies philanthropic aid to music venues that have been in operation for three years or more with a sellable capacity of 300 occupants or less. The new round of recipients include such unique and established venues as Flint Local 432 (Flint, MI), DROM (New York, NY), and Volcanic Theatre Pub (Bend, OR) among many others.
“We are encouraged by a new sense of optimism as Covid restrictions ease, but conscious of the recent surge’s impact on venues that continue to face canceled performances and attendance below prior levels. We are committed to creating programs that assist venues as they recover from the pandemic,” said LMS board member Adam Fell.
Since its inception in 2020, LMS has committed to awarding one million dollars per year in grants to venues that promote and preserve the live music experience in intimate settings, where artists of all levels and all genres get their start, connect with their audiences and maintain their careers as performers. Individual grants range from $10,000-$50,000. To date, Live Music Society has provided funding to 126 venues in 34 states across the country totaling over $2.3 million.
Ramona LaBarre, of Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, said, “We are honored to receive this funding as our mission is closely aligned with that of Live Music Society - to support the magic of live music in small venues where we all work passionately to bring artists and appreciative audiences together.”
Spring 2022 Live Music Society Grant Recipients:
118 North (Wayne, PA)
Black Cat (San Francisco, CA)
Bronx Music Heritage Center (Bronx, NY)
Chocolate Church Arts Center (Bath, ME)
C’mon Everybody (Brooklyn, NY)
DROM (New York, NY)
Flat Iron (Greensboro, NC)
Flint Local 432 (Flint, MI)
Godfrey Daniels (Bethlehem, PA)
ISSUE Project Room (Brooklyn, NY)
MOTR Pub (Cincinnati, OH)
nublu (New York, NY)
Real Art Tacoma (Tacoma, WA)
Rosa’s Lounge (Chicago, IL)
Soda Bar (San Diego, CA)
Songbyrd Music House (Washington, DC)
The Jazz Gallery (New York, NY)
Volcanic Theatre Pub (Bend, OR)
Past LMS grantees have included noted music stages such as Sunset Tavern (Seattle, WA), a 200-seat room known for its rock/punk/indie shows that’s become a piece of Ballard history; Jazz Showcase (Chicago, IL), the 170-seat landmark opened in 1947 by the late Joe Segal; Hotel Cafe (Los Angeles, CA) the intimate performance space featuring acoustic-based songwriters; and Caffe Lena (Saratoga Springs, NY), the 110-seat coffeehouse where Bob Dylan performed in his folk-singing days. See the full list of all LMS grantees HERE.
Grants from LMS have played a key role in providing resources for venues to transition to live-streaming shows as a way to continue navigating this current phase. Director Gabe Pollack from Cleveland’s BOP STOP said, “The funds we received from LMS were vital and allowed us to continue to operate and support Cleveland's music community." Jim Wooster, of Club Passim, also relied on live-streams to “keep music flowing online between artists and audience at a time when it was especially needed.”
Live Music Society also supports Empty Spaces, a documentary series that highlights the stories of small venues across the nation, their significance to their community, local and touring artists, and the effect the pandemic has had on the venue and their staff. The latest episode features Seven Steps Up, a special listening room located in The Village of Spring Lake, MI known for their unparalleled hospitality and warm atmosphere. Watch previous episodes HERE.
