We tend to forget that bands are businesses, that for every artist who’s currently out of work due to the pandemic, there are also crew members and staff who find themselves strapped for cash thanks to canceled tours and performances. And as Rolling Stone found, more than 50 musicians and groups have received small business loans from the government’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
The money from the loans will go to supporting and retaining the artists’ crews and staff. The Eagles, Pearl Jam and Disturbed reportedly took out the largest loans, being granted somewhere between $350,000 and $1 million. (As Rolling Stone notes, the Eagles’ loan is listed under their touring company and will save 50 jobs.) Green Day, Weezer, Imagine Dragons, Jason Isbell and My Chemical Romance were also among the acts who received PPP loans.
“Like most tours that were happening this year, My Chemical Romance’s world tour was cancelled,” the group told Rolling Stone. “MCR received PPP money to ensure their crew is funded in these times of uncertainty until we are able to be out on the road again. We are so grateful to these skilled, dedicated people – some of them are parents, others caretakers, still others who simply have rent to pay – and this money helps them take care of themselves and their families.”
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