Music Manager Asks Congress for Live Entertainment Industry Relief

Congress should provide relief for the live entertainment industry in its next aid package, Patriot Management President Ron Laffitte told the Senate Consumer Protection Subcommittee during a hearing Tuesday. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Senate Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and subcommittee ranking member Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., described how COVID-19 is affecting the live entertainment industry, citing an inability to work and venues struggling to stay in business. The concern is frontline workers in the industry, said Wicker. Relief should focus on employees and contractors, said Laffitte, with grants and loans for payroll. Congress should extend retention tax credits, he said, so workers keep their jobs and employee-sponsored healthcare.