Music venues, nightclubs, and bars around the world have been heavily impacted by the months of closures due to coronavirus-related lockdowns. Many locations have permanently closed as a result while others are struggling to stay afloat as doors remain closed and owners are unable to turn a profit. For locales in San Francisco, help is on the way for over 300 venues in the form of $2.5 million dollars of relief funds to help businesses get back on their feet.
As part of this aid, nightclubs, entertainment venues, bars, and breweries will have taxes and fees waived to help the struggling nightlife industry. San Francisco is a bustling city known for its eclectic restaurants, bars, and music venues including the iconic Billy Graham Auditorium that is frequently used to host large-scale electronic music events. These venues continue to remain closed until mid-November when the city enters “yellow tier” guidelines which allow for outdoor gatherings without the requirement to offer food.
While the openings next month will entail limited crowd sizes and small live performances, it is step in a hopeful direction especially when coupled with the relief provided by the city. As part of the waivers, the funds will eliminate payroll taxes, license, and registration fees that are typically required to operate nightlife businesses. Although $2.5 million sounds minimal, it equals to approximately an $8,300 savings per business which is is better than taking on small business loans or otherwise.
According to San Francisco Mayor London Breed in a statement to The SF Chronicle, “We need to do more to support those businesses that contribute to San Francisco’s unique and vibrant culture.Entertainment and nightlife are such an important part of why people live and visit our city, and we hope these additional fee waivers reduce some of the financial stress they’re experiencing.” Hopefully the changes in San Francisco will trickle outwards to other major entertainment cities to keep our nightlife alive until businesses can get back on their feet in the coming months.
*Image via Temple Nightclub
