National Independent Venue Association
US organization aiming to aid independent venues and promoters
The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) is an American trade association of independent music venues, promoters, and festivals. Based in New York City, it was founded in March 2020 to pursue federal support such as business recovery grants and tax relief in the wake of COVID-19's effect on the live entertainment industry. NIVA manages the website SaveOurStages.com and advocated for federal relief on social media using the hashtag #SaveOurStages. In years since, NIVA has shifted its focus to other areas of live entertainment advocacy and reform, including campaigning for more environmentally sustainable practices among member venues, and "Fix the Tix", a proposed congressional bill targeting the ticket resale market.
Formation of NIVA
On March 12, 2020, 75 independent venues and stakeholders joined for a call organized by Independent Venue Week (IVW), to discuss COVID-19's disruption of the live entertainment industry. The call's purpose was for venues to share their experiences in different stages of the crisis. The call touched on legal ramifications, insurance questions, and governmental regulation. It was also discussed on the call whether independent business owners in the live industry can get access to the SBA loans or tax relief mentioned by Donald Trump in his address to the nation March 11. The call also included Stephen Sternschein, organizer of the "Banding Together" initiative in the wake of SXSW’s cancellation, as well as venue owners from the United Kingdom and United States.
The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) was announced soon after to lobby for assistance from the U.S. federal government.
The public source identifies “National Independent Venue Association” as uS organization aiming to aid independent venues and promoters. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around National, Independent and Venue.
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The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q96394993. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020.
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This entry incorporates text from “National Independent Venue Association” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.