12 Charlotte music venue owners are pushing a petition so they aren’t forced to shutdown forever

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Phase 2.5 of Governor Cooper’s plan to reopen North Carolina does not include indoor entertainment. This means many concert venues continue to struggle since business is forced to remain closed.

In Charlotte, 12 different music venues are sending out a petition to help bring in money from the government to recover from losses tied to the pandemic.

There’s a section on the petition labeled, “Why is this important?” Under that, it says how music isn’t just entertainment, but it helps people heal.

These owners feel like if they don’t get help from the government, they all may have to close.

As of Monday morning, there have been close to 5,800 people who don’t want Charlotte’s concert venues to disappear because of the pandemic, so they’ve signed the petition.

“That would be really terrible. I think Charlotte’s music scene has grown as people move to the city,” says Karina Anderson.

Anderson hasn’t signed the petition, but works in the food industry and has seen the loss, struggle, and other negative impacts COVID-19 has had on her industry, so she gets it.

“I would hate to see that go away that would actually be really sad,” Anderson said.

The petition is called “Save Charlotte Stages.” It’s being backed by the owners of Amos Southend, Middle C Jazz, Sung Harbor and nine other concert venues in Charlotte.

All of the owners are specifically asking for funds from the CARES Act to, “be able to return and reopen safely.”

“I definitely understand the need for funding and trying to stay above water,” said Anderson.

If government officials answer to the cries of music lovers who signed this petition, Anderson says she hopes government officials are at least able to create a path to vet how the money is used so it’s clear where the money is going since a lot of people and businesses, even outside the music industry are not doing well financially right now.

“I’ve seen some people which have happened in the past where some things will get bailed out or they’ll get money and it will go to the people who really don’t need it the most and it won’t get distributed all the way down throughout the company. I just want to make sure that it is for the business to be above water and not just for the people in charge,” Anderson said.

WBTV reached out to Charlotte City officials to see if councilmembers or county commissioners are aware that this petition exists and if this is something they would consider.

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