#SOSFEST, a virtual music festival to help save indie concert venues across the U.S.

I live about two miles from (le) poisson rouge in New York, NY -- an intimate music venue that’s one of many small music businesses, struggling to survive. I pass by it all the time. It’s on Bleecker Street. I see its closed doors and think about how this pandemic robbed us of live music, crowded spaces, and people coming together to hear a song that could only be played exactly that way, in exactly that space, at exactly that moment in time. 

Independent concert venues, like (le) poisson rouge, are hanging by a thin thread of hope. They are the heart and soul of the music industry, and we need to do our part to help save them. 

So before it’s too late for some of them, YouTube Music is partnering with the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) to host a three-day virtual music festival called the Save Our Stages Festival (#SOSFEST). We want to help support these independent venues and make sure their doors open, when it’s safe to do so.

The festival — which aims to raise awareness and funds for these financially vulnerable venues — starts Friday, October 16 and ends on Sunday, October 18. And starting today, fans can donate directly to NIVA’s Emergency Relief Fund, which benefits these struggling independent venues on NIVA’s Official YouTube Channel.

This Save our Stages music fest is livestreaming entirely on NIVA’s Official YouTube Channel with segments simultaneously airing on performers’ Official Artist YouTube Channels.

The incredible lineup includes original performances, recorded live, from the following cherished venues: 

Adam Melchor - Hotel Cafe (Los Angeles, CA), Alec Benjamin - Hotel Cafe (Los Angeles, CA), Bea Miller - Teragram Ballroom (Los Angeles, CA), Black Pumas - The Parish (Austin, TX), Brittany Howard - Ryman Auditorium (Nashville, TN), Brothers Osborne - Mercy Lounge (Nashville, TN), Cautious Clay - World Cafe Live (Philadelphia, PA), Dave Matthews - Jefferson Theater (Charlottesville, VA), Dillon Francis - Teragram Ballroom (Los Angeles, CA), Dizzy Fae - First Avenue (Minneapolis, MN), FINNEAS - Teragram Ballroom (Los Angeles, CA), Foo Fighters - Troubadour (Los Angeles, CA), G-Eazy - The Independent (San Francisco, CA), Gus Dapperton - Le Poisson Rouge (New York, NY), Jason Mraz - Belly Up (San Diego, CA), JP Saxe - Troubadour (Los Angeles, CA), Kelsea Ballerini - Exit/In (Nashville, TN), Leon Bridges - Troubadour (Los Angeles, CA), Little Big Town - Exit/In (Nashville, TN), The Lumineers -  Boulder Theater (Boulder, CO),  Marshmello & Demi Lovato - Troubadour (Los Angeles, CA), Macklemore - Neumos (Seattle, WA), Major Lazer - Gramps (Miami, FL), Miley Cyrus - Whisky a Go Go (Los Angeles, CA), Monica - Center Stage (Atlanta, GA), Nathaniel Rateliff - Boulder Theater (Boulder, CO), Phoebe Bridgers - Troubadour (Los Angeles, CA), Portugal. The Man - Crystal Ballroom (Portland, OR), Reba McEntire - Ryman Auditorium (Nashville, TN), The Revivalists - Tipitina’s (New Orleans, LA), Rise Against - Metro (Chicago, Il), The Roots - Apollo Theater (New York, NY), Sebastián Yatra - Amaturo Theater (Ft. Lauderdale, FL), and YG - Troubadour (Los Angeles, CA).

Read today’s full announcement on NIVA’s website here. And to learn more about #SOSFEST, visit NIVA’s Official YouTube Channel. Stay tuned to www.saveourstages.com for updates on the weekend’s full schedule and more.