As part of actions to protect employment, the United States government has released the program Paycheck Protection, with which it will allocate a total of 600 billion dollars in loans to the industry to help them emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. You can see the complete information of the program, here.
Among the beneficiaries of the program, we can find some of the most recognized names in the metal scene, such as Tool, Slipknot, Papa roach, Sammy Haggar and Green Day, all affected by cancellations of their respective tours due to the pandemic.
The average of the loans received by the gangs is between 150 and 350 thousand dollars, which should be destined to maintain the full salaries of their employees and thus, reduce the damages. The band with the highest loan on record is Disturbed, who was awarded a figure between 350 thousand and one million dollars, without specifying.
Protecting culture in the world
This program joins the governmental efforts of several countries to keep the economic and cultural system operating, highlighting the cases of UK and Germany.
The federal government of the German Republic has confirmed that it will allocate a trillion euros (about 25,307,085,220,000 Mexican pesos) for a program to rescue and strengthen cultural life in the country called 'Neustart Kultur'.
The objective of the program is to increase and promote cultural life, which has been severely restricted by the coronavirus pandemic, thus creating new employment opportunities for artists as quickly as possible.
In a similar move, the UK is preparing a financial rescue bag to help the country's cultural sector survive the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
The English government is willing to spend 1.57 billion pounds (about 50 billion Mexican pesos), which will be used to keep related businesses open. This includes concert venues, galleries, independent cinemas, theaters, and museums.
The exchange will be divided into loans and grants, which will not need to be paid back, which guarantees that businesses will not be in debt after receiving them.
“Our art and our culture are the soul of the nation. They make our country of excellence and are the hub of our rapidly growing creative industries worldwide. I understand the serious challenges facing the arts today and that is why we must protect and preserve as much as we can for future generations. ” said the British culture secretary, Oliver Dowden.
