The Perfect Moment to Celebrate Live Music

June 1, 2021

Dan Beck  -  Trustee, Music Performance Trust Fund

When does “normal” return? It is a question that is on everyone’s mind. Clearly, for people whose livelihood is based on live music performances, it is a question that has echoed throughout the past 14-plus months. Even beyond the enormous financial reasons for professionals to perform again, there is also that undeniable passion—that river of talent, that needs to flow again on the stage before a live audience. 

However, musicians are not alone in that yearning and in that silent vacuum. People everywhere want to gather! We want to feel the joy of harmony and the synchronicity of music as it explores our souls. We want to feel the pulse and rhyme that left us so many months ago. 

There is no greater time for people to understand how much they have missed live music and what it means to them. And even as we continue to find our way through this pandemic, we hear and share the hope that there truly is light at the end of the tunnel. It is now time to plan for that return and ultimately for that celebration of live music. 

In collaboration with the American Federation of Musicians, the Music Performance Trust Fund is coordinating a North American community grant initiative to celebrate the return of live music. 

As we build back the music, let’s celebrate the vital role that live music and working musicians play in building thriving communities. What better moment to do that than over Labor Day Weekend! 

Upon the approval of the local’s Labor Day event budget by the grant management team, the MPTF is here to provide 100% of the funds for community events organized by union locals throughout the US and Canada. Both countries celebrate Labor Day on September 8, 2021. The Trust Fund will be creating physical and digital marketing tools to help promote the events that are organized on the local community level. 

This is an opportunity for all locals to involve their communities in a coordinated effort across the continent to make a statement about the value of live music and the professional musicians who perform it. This is a leadership moment, to bring collective energy and celebration to small towns and city parks—public environments where people can safely gather again. 

Other music, arts, and business organizations are welcome to join in the leadership to bring communities back together to celebrate our resilience through music. We can take a moment to honor those who were lost to this health crisis, as we forge ahead to a brighter future. 

As we review our grant history prior to the pandemic, many locals throughout the US and Canada brought MPTF funds to their regions in recent years. We believe an even greater and coordinated initiative is available to all of us, if we work together. The more quickly we can create momentum, the more potential will emerge to bring in national support from larger partners in labor, industry, and government. 

As live events return and pandemic restrictions are being lifted this summer, we have a unique opportunity to reconnect with local community audiences and celebrate live music, outdoor gatherings, and labor solidarity. 

AFM local officers should contact the MPTF grant team to seek our support! 

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