Independent Venue Week returns with 1100 shows across the U.S.
Independent Venue Week returns for its 5th year this week in 400 independent music venues across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
The celebration comes begins as the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) holds its first conference.
First brought to the US from the UK in 2018, Independent Venue Week shines a spotlight on locally-owned live performance spaces that serve as the cultural and economic backbone of major cities and small towns across the country
“We know the power of music firsthand,” said Bruce C. Bryan, founder and board president of the independent non-profit music venue Spot on Kirk in Roanoke, VA. “Having all these independent music venues united in programming and scheduling is a bold move. It feels great to know we are all driving toward the same goal.”
“A lot has happened in these first five years,” says Cecilie Nielsen, Senior Director of Special Projects at Marauder, the firm that runs Independent Venue Week in the U.S. “We launched in the States with only 20 venues. Independent Venue Week is now the largest national event celebrating independent live music, comedy, and performing arts around the world.
“Even as we celebrate, independent venues continue to deal with the negative and costly effects of these last few years,” says Boris Patronoff, Chief Executive Officer of sponsor See Tickets North America. “Showing up is the best way to help ensure that these important community centers are here tomorrow.”
#IVW22 runs nationwide July 11 – 17 with over 1,100 shows.
Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank and serves as a Senior Advisor to Bandsintown which acquired both publications in 2019. He is the Founder and President of the Skyline Artists Agency and a professor for the Berklee College Of Music.
