The CARES Act is a $2 Trillion Coronavirus Aid Package that was enacted by Congress to help Americans who’ve been affected financially by the Coronavirus pandemic. This emergency relief package has several different moving parts. So, I’m only going to address some of the main aspects of the bill, along with what that may mean for individuals within the music industry.

A lot of people are already aware of the one-time payment part of the bill. This says that if you make less than $75,000 a year you will receive a one-time payment of $1,200. If you’re married and have children, one can expect $500 for each child (making the possible total for a family of four be $3,500—assuming the married couple does not have an combined income that surpasses $150,000). Although this gets complicated when it comes to college-aged students, who are often still dependents.

The bill also adds an extra $600 per week on top of the base amount that the state government may give you (meaning if you were to receive $250 per week, then the take home pay will be $850). There is also an added 13 weeks of unemployment insurance.

While looking at gig workers and freelancers, many music industry professionals aren’t eligible for the traditional unemployment benefits. However, there is language in the CARES Act that makes some people eligible for relief. The paycheck protection program and stimulus checks are good options for self sustaining musicians. Self-employed individuals can apply for unemployment benefits, although one needs to be able to verify their income with a tax return or 1099 form. If you don’t fall under that specific category, you can certify your income with a W-2 and pay stubs. However, it is currently pretty hard to apply for unemployment because of the overwhelming amount of people trying to get through the application.

There is also a temporary Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program to help people who’ve lost work. As talked about in my other post about music venues, the forgivable loan program (otherwise known as the Paycheck Protection Program) is also in place to assist small businesses being affected. On top of this, there is $10 billion in place for emergency grants. There are also other aspects of the bill that allocate specific funds to helping food banks, children’s nutrition, hospitals, drug access, the CDC, and more. To read more about the specifics of this, check out the CARES Act bill here.

Although the CARES Act doesn’t benefit musicians or gig workers very much, there are several music organizations with relief funds in place to help working artists who are searching for ways to make up their lost income. The charity MusiCares, has a Coronavirus Relief Fund set up that has been supported by major streaming companies like Spotify, Pandora, and YouTube Music. SONA is a good directive for songwriters in particular, in terms the best grants and loans to apply for. Also, there are many specific programs dedicated to music in different cities, such as the Covid-19 Emergency funds in New York. There are several other organizations helping out different types of artists, like actors, visual artists, and more (here’s a link to some of those).

Some other helpful links:

In these difficult times, people in the music industry might feel neglected or like they don’t have any way to make up their income. However, as we’ve witnessed, so many people are realizing how essential and vital music is in their lives, and are trying to find ways to help one another. Everyday there are more music relief funds being created for artists, producers, and venues, so please continue to be on the look out!