Features
Live Music Society Supports 34 Venues With $290K In Funding
Nearly three dozen small venues and listening rooms in the U.S. are getting some support courtesy of Live Music Society. The nonprofit organization announced Wednesday that it will be providing more than $290,000 in Toolbox grants this year to support 34 small venues, the highest number of recipients awarded in a single round by Live Music Society.
Live Music Society Toolbox grants assist venues in addressing short-term issues that can affect the health and growth of the venue, and the projects funded include improving accessibility, sound, lighting and equipment. Some of the projects funded enable training programs that give people of all ages an opportunity to work in the live industry. See below for the full list of recipients.
The organization, which was founded by musician and philanthropist Pete Muller in 2020, has provided small venues with more than $4 million through 210 grants to 180 venues in the past four years, including $1 million in 2024.
“These grants ensure that small music venues remain vital spaces for creativity, learning, and connection,” Gavin Berger, Live Music Society’s board president, said in a statement. “By reaching our $1,000,000 goal this year, we’re reinforcing our commitment to the small venues that foster local and emerging talent and provide access to live music in communities of all sizes.”
Among those receiving grants is Make.Shift Arts Space in Bellingham, Washington. The building will upgrade its audio system and install LED lights, a control system and a wireless receiver, which then allows the venue to expand its programs and offer training in lighting design. The Holland Project, the only independent venue for all ages in Reno, Nevada, will also be doing similar upgrades to attract top-tier artists and provide trainees with more advanced tools.
Live Music Society is also granting funds to buildings celebrating milestones, such as Kuumbwa Jazz in Santa Cruz, California, and The Focal Point in St. Louis, Missouri. Both venues turned 50 this year and will have audio, video and stage upgrades. The Kilowatt in San Francisco is celebrating its 30th anniversary with new sound equipment and improved seating.
“Live Music Society is providing a much-needed and extremely rare opportunity for venues to make improvements that often get pushed to the wayside,” said Olive Scibelli, co-owner of Drkmttr in Nashville who previously received a grant from Live Music Society. “We were able to improve our sound equipment and upgrade the vibe of our stage, so it not only sounds amazing, it looks killer in photos and when people see it they know it’s Drkmttr, and that’s been game-changing for our branding.”
Lázara Martinez, owner of PAUSA Art House in Buffalo, New York, also greatly benefited from the nonprofit’s Toolbox grant program and said it “allowed us to bring the music experience to a higher new level, making our audience truly appreciate live music at PAUSA.”
“With the purchase of high-end speakers, mics and sound equipment the audience can fully immerse in the experience,” she added. “Musicians appreciate the attention to detail and quality of the sound at PAUSA making it a desirable space to perform for local and touring acts alike.”
For more information about the projects funded and Toolbox, visit livemusicsociety.org/toolbox.
Full List of 2024 Toolbox grantees:
Churchill School (Baker City, OR)
Make.Shift Art Space (Bellingham, WA)
ISSUE Project Room (Brooklyn, NY)
Snug Harbor (Charlotte, NC)
Rosa’s Lounge (Chicago, IL)
X-Ray Arcade (Cudahy, WI)
Lager House (Detroit, MI)
Red Clay Music Foundry (Duluth, GA)
Jamey’s House of Music (Lansdowne, PA)
Lucia (Lawrence, KS)
The Loading Dock (Littleton, NH)
Siberia (New Orleans, LA)
The Jazz Gallery (New York, NY)
Silvana (New York, NY)
The 5 Spot (Nashville, TN)
The East Room (Nashville, TN)
Ojai Underground Exchange (Ojai, CA)
The Sound Room (Oakland, CA)
The Apohadion Theater (Portland, ME)
SPACE (Portland, ME)
The Holland Project (Reno, NV)
The Focal Point (St. Louis, MO)
Jazz St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
Black Cat (San Francisco, CA)
Brick & Mortar Music Hall (San Francisco, CA)
El Rio, Your Dive (San Francisco, CA)
Kilowatt (San Francisco, CA)
Mr. Tipple’s Jazz Club (San Francisco, CA)
Kuumbwa Jazz (Santa Cruz, CA)
Conor Byrne (Seattle, WA)
Fremont Abbey (Seattle, WA)
Groundworks (Tucson, AZ)
The Pocket (Washington, DC)Rhizome DC (Washington, DC)