Campaigns like #LetUsDance and #SoundOfSilence have been launched throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to aid music professionals in countries like the U.K. and Belgium, respectively. A new initiative by TicketSwap, GoFundMe and Cosimo called #LocalLegends casts a wider net. It aims to raise over €2 million for ailing music venues in 14 European countries, and 250 brands are already among those supported.
#LocalLegends focuses on establishments in France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, the U.K., Finland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Portugal. From the campaign’s GoFundMe page, users are invited to search for their city and donate directly to local venues in need. Groningen nightclubs Paradigm and De Kroeg van Klaas have received the most donations thus far; the former sits at over €12,000 and the latter at €15,000 as of this writing.
“2020 has been a very tough time for everyone, and especially for music venues which closed first and will be among the last to reopen,” said TicketSwap Head of International Marketing Chris Carey, who spearheaded #LocalLegends.
“These institutions play a massive role in their communities and those communities will support them if it’s made easy,” he went on. “Our pilot in Groningen (Netherlands) saw one venue unlock €11,000 from their patrons within 24 hours of launching. We are confident we will see this success all over Europe as venues set up their pages and launch.”
The campaign arrives at a time when much of Europe (let alone the world) grapples with climbing COVID-19 case counts that in many instances have eclipsed a given country’s March and April figures. Resulting lockdowns further threaten the financial sustainability of music venues, some of which narrowly survived the restrictions imposed as the pandemic unfolded earlier in the year.
GoFundMe has provided a sign-up portal for venue owners and other music professionals to create their own sub-campaign as part of #LocalLegends. Donors can browse the available bars, clubs and other establishments on the campaign’s main page.
Image credit: Alexander Popov
