Charitable fund Crew Nation has been established to help the touring and venue crews who, dependent on a constant run of shows to make a living, have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The fund – powered and administered by charitable 501c3 organisation, Music Forward Foundation – has been kickstarted in inspiring style by Live Nation, which has contributed an initial US$5m and committed to match the next US$5m given by artists, fans and employees. So far stars such as Coldplay, Miley Cyrus, Metallica and John Mayer have shown their support and donated.
Having become aware of the initiative, Italian audio specialist Powersoft has pledged to donate 5% of the proceeds from all of the touring amplifier platforms sold between 27 July and 15 October 2020. The Powersoft campaign that will follow is based on the key concept that behind every show stands a great live music crew, to underline the importance of the people behind the scenes of the shows that are so important to so many. The campaign will be spread over media including web banners, banner newsletters, social channels and in print in the international trade media.
“As with every person involved in the industry, we know how difficult the last months have been for professionals in the live event industry; in particular the touring and venue crew who are completely dependent on live shows to survive,” said Francesco Fanicchi, brand, communication and trade marketing manager at Powersoft. “We spent time in doing research to find the right organisation to partner with, and eventually we came to realise that Crew Nation would be the perfect channel. Although It is difficult to make any assumptions on sales levels during this period, we will use our marketing capabilities to promote this operation to industry professionals in the hope that we will raise a significant contribution to Crew Nation.”
“We greatly appreciate Powersoft extending a helping hand to the touring and venue crews who depend on shows to make a living,” said Nurit Smith, executive director of the Music Forward Foundation. “Their pledge will go a long way to assist Crew Nation in its mission to support and provide grants for these backstage staff who are struggling the most during these difficult times. Together with partners like Powersoft, Crew Nation can ensure that the live community has the support it needs.”
“As an Italian company, we feel at the forefront of this unprecedented situation,” added Fabrizio Romano Bolzoni, sales manager, rack amps. “We want to make ourselves engines and promoters of commendable initiatives to support the people in our sector, and we asked our worldwide sales networks to promote this initiative as much as they can, in order to raise awareness for something that is really impacting the live music industry.”
