NIVA to be honoured at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony

The National Independent Venues Association (NIVA) in the US is to be honoured at this week’s 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony for the role it has played in helping the country’s indie venues to survive the pandemic.

Formed in the early days of the pandemic, NIVA has grown to represent more than 2,000 independent concert venues and related music businesses and played a crucial role in securing state and federal funding to help keep the lights on for its members during the shutdown.

NIVA’s advocacy played a key role in the $16 billion Save Our Stages act, which passed in December 2020 and which was ultimately launched in May 2021 after some hiccups by the Small Business Administration.

“Every band in the Rock Hall first took the stage in a local club, bar or theatre”

In a letter to NIVA members, R&RHOF president/CEO Greg Harris, wrote: “We are grateful for your hard work as NIVA leaders over the last year to keep live music alive. Independent venues are vital to rock & roll. Every band in the Rock Hall first took the stage in a local club, bar or theatre. Inside local independent venues we experience some of the greatest moments of our lives.

“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 2021 ceremony Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place at Rocket Mortgage Field House in Cleveland, Ohio on 30 October and will be aired by HBO on 20 November.

The class of 2021 will include Foo Fighters, Carole King, Tina Turner, The Go-Gos, Jay-Z, and Todd Rundgren.

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.