Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Kendra Horn (OK-5) is fighting to save Oklahoma’s local performance venues and is cosponsoring the RESTART Act. This legislation would provide financial assistance, tax credits, and extended unemployment benefits for small independent performance venues and other small businesses facing long-term hardship due to COVID-19. The pandemic has hit the live entertainment industry hard, and with concerts and events unlikely to return in any significant way until a vaccine becomes available, many Oklahoma performance venues are struggling to remain in business.

Congresswoman Kendra Horn issues the following statement:

“We must save Oklahoma’s local performance venues. Our theatres and concert halls bring us together, they attract talent to our state, they create jobs, and act as community hubs. While many small businesses have re-opened at a reduced capacity, a partial reopening isn’t possible for performance venues. If Congress doesn't act, the sad reality is that many of these local employers will be forced to close their doors for good. We must pass the RESTART Act now to save these Oklahoma treasures.”

Stephen Tyler, Managing Partner at Oklahoma City’s Tower Theatre, applauded Congresswoman Horn’s cosponsorship of the RESTART Act:

“Tower Theatre was one of the first businesses in Oklahoma City to close its doors. We felt the wave of the Pandemic weeks before the City declared its emergency shutdown. This is because as part of the music industry we rely heavily on touring artists. As other cities around the world were hit and the artists coming here were forced to cancel or postpone those dates that created a domino effect with Tower and many other venues in line to get hit.

“As a venue our primary business is in the gathering of large groups.  We can only make our model work with 500 or more people gathered in our space for an event. As of this statement there are still restrictions on gathering in place in our city. Tours around the world have not resumed. Our revenue has fallen 98% starting in February. It remains there to this day with no hope in sight of that recovering anytime this year and possibly most of next. With the single most important piece being consumer confidence in returning to larger indoor gatherings. We may be fighting these impacts for years.

“The Restart Act does somethings no other program has offered so far. First, it’s targeting venues like ours across the country and this is as important to us as getting support ourselves because without ample venues across the country there can be no tours. It also targets a time range that gets us closer to the reality of our situation. Every program we’ve applied for and received was only calculated for a few months of hardship. Those months have come and gone, and we have many more ahead of us. We were the first to close, and we will be the last to reopen.

“Congresswoman Horn has always kept her ties to her district close and active. Since taking office she has been there for us to voice our concerns and we see those reflected in her actions. It was no shock to me that she co-sponsored this bill. She has seen the work we do at Tower Theatre. She has participated on multiple occasions. We give our space and our time back to our community to support the interests and happenings in our City. We’ve hosted debates, rallies, town halls, and more events bringing the people of our city together to conquer the challenges we face. It’s heartwarming that through all this people, like Congresswoman Horn, have seen our struggles and are taking action in our time of need.”

Jamie Fitzgerald, Marketing Director with DCF Concerts, issued the following statement:

“As much of Oklahoma has begun reopening, independent music venues and concert promoters like us are and will remain completely shuttered and at risk of total collapse. The global live touring industry is not anticipated to return until well into 2021 and meanwhile, payroll, mortgages, utilities, taxes and insurance continue to pile on. The RESTART Act would allow us and many more small and medium sized entrepreneurs to keep the lights on our stages and work toward providing Oklahomans the joy of live music and comedy we all most certainly will need in a post-pandemic world.”

The National Independent Venue Association reports that if the pandemic lasts for six months with no suitable assistance from Congress, an estimated 90 percent of independent venues will never reopen for business.

On May 14, Congresswoman Horn and a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers sent a letter urging congressional leadership to bring up legislation to support performance venues during the pandemic. In their letter, the bipartisan group noted their concern that, “This industry is not going to make it without our help.”

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