Written by: Shay Coulson
NIVA To Be Honored At Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame 2021 Ceremony
The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame will honor the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) during its 2021 ceremony at Cleveland, OH’s Rocket Mortgage Field House on October 30th.
The famous music museum will honor the non-profit organization and its 2,000-plus members for their charitable and tireless work assisting independent music venues across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. Formed in mid-2020 after the pandemic forced nearly all music venues across globe to shut down, NIVA helped establish and pass the $16 billion “Save Our Stages” Act with Congress in December 2020. Additionally, the organization fundraised for venues across the country to help pay for basic rent and utility bills while live music was on hold and helped secure over $16 billion in aid to struggling music venues, including those in Salt Lake City, UT.
Keeping up with the momentum, NIVA raised over $200,000 earlier this year through two NFT auctions, providing additional support for music venues.
“We are grateful for your hard work as NIVA leaders over the last year to keep live music alive,” R&RHOF president/CEO Greg Harris wrote in a letter to NIVA members, according to Variety. “Independent venues are vital to rock & roll. Every band in the Rock Hall first took the stage in a local club, bar or theater. Inside local independent venues we experience some of the greatest moments of our lives.”
Harris continued his letter, stating, “The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is here to support our Inductees and our Museum, and to champion live music through programs like our summer concert series, our artist in residence program, our Induction Week, and much more. This week we want to celebrate all of you, our venue friends, for making it through a dark time. We are banking on a brighter future — so let’s raise a toast to rock & roll and live music together on October 30th!”
The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame 2021 ceremony will premiere on Saturday, November 20th at 8 p.m. ET via HBO here. This year’s inductees include Foo Fighters, Taylor Swift, Tina Turner, The Go-Go’s, Jay-Z, Todd Rundgren, and more. For more information on NIVA, visit its website.
[H/T Variety]