Crew Nation Relief Raises $15M, Helping 15,000 Production Staff

The Crew Nation Global Relief Fund has raised $15 million to support live music crews affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with 15,000 crew across 36 countries benefiting from the Live Nation-started program.

“Concerts wouldn’t be possible without the many crew members working behind the scenes every step of the way and we want to make sure that as independent workers, they get the support they need from both the industry and the government,” said Live President and CEO Michael Rapino. “Live Nation is proud to be among the many artists, donors, partners and fans who are helping drive this mission forward and support those who make the magic of live possible.”

The fund hopes to double its impact and raise at least $30 million so that it can continue providing support for these independent workers who are the backbone of the live music industry.

Crew Nation was launched with an initial $5 million donation from Live Nation, which then matched the next $5 million in donations from artists, fans and employees for a total contribution of $10 million from the company.

“The support we have received has been overwhelming, but the number of people who still need assistance is staggering and our work is nowhere near done,” said Nurit Smith, executive director of the Music Forward Foundation, a 501c3 that operates programs supporting young people entering the music industry and administers Crew Nation. “The artist community has been so incredibly supportive and creative, utilizing their resources and platforms to make personal donations and drum up contributions through the release of exclusive merch, new music, live streamed performances and much more, and our hope is that it continues to keep rolling.”

See: Q’s With Nurit Smith

Crew Nation Fund has received public support from artists including Aerosmith, Coldplay, Depeche Mode, Guns N Roses, Metallica, Lamb of God and many others, and companies and organizations including Adobe, Collectiv Presents, C3, Shaky Kness, Reverb, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and others.