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Portland is blessed to have (and greatly profits from) a spectacular and world-renowned music scene that was built and maintained by self-employed musicians. These same artists have been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus pandemic, and like so many others, are finding themselves in a desperate financial situation.

Luckily MusicPortland—an advocacy group designed to encourage and boost the Portland music community—is stepping up to help struggling local musicians with a Zoom webinar scheduled for 6:30 pm-7:30 pm TONIGHT (Thurs April 16) that promises to answer questions and offer financial relief methods to those who are self-employed. Topics included in the webinar will be the "challenges facing music businesses, including sole proprietors who are pursuing relief through the SBA [Small Business Administration] Payroll Protection Program or Economic Impact Disaster Loan." From MusicPortland:

Music was already a tough way to make a living - before life changed forever.

This webinar is for those of you who are self-employed and looking for estimates and projections about what your relief will look like. We dove into the nitty gritty with charts and all. If you’re not self-employed, consider sharing this with your friends who are.

Sitting on tonight's panel and answering your questions will be Meara McLaughlin (Executive Director, MusicPortland) and Bruce Fife (International Vice President, American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada).

Besides offering community support, this webinar is good way to get involved with others in the local music scene in order to join voices and let government leaders know what type of support you may need. The local music and arts community is crucial to the financial viability and national standing of Portland—your voice matters, and it needs to be heard and protected.

MusicPortland Webinar, April 16, 6:30 pm-7:30 pm. For more information on how to join the discussion, GO HERE.