Millionaire artists got $200M from the US gov't Small Business Administration in grants.

According to a shocking Insider report, a handful of millionaire artists have received upwards of $200 million in pandemic relief through the Small Business Administration’s “Save Our Stages” grants. This has caused a stir on social media, with people questioning the fairness of the process.

The Save Our Stages campaign was started in the throes of the pandemic, with the goal of providing relief to independent music venues. In December 2020, Congress decided that the Small Business Administration would have $16 billion in grant money to distribute. After a six-month wait, the initiative finally got off the ground, granting smaller venue owners and artists up to $100,000 in relief money.

However, when it came to bigger names, the payouts were much larger. The Insider report revealed that Chris Brown allegedly was paid $10 million, Lil Wayne was granted $9.8 million, Canadian band Nickelback received $2 million, and Common was paid nearly $3 million. All in all, a Los Angeles law firm submitted grants for 97 different artists, managers, and venues, totaling to over $250 million, with $200 million going to millionaire artists.

An SBA Inspector General suggested that “ 8% and a third of loans given out during that period” could have been fraudulent. Sources within the industry “Insider defended the [grant allocation] by pointing out that many artists typically contract with hundreds of sound and lighting technicians, costumers, drivers, security personnel, and other contractors when they put together a tour. All those contractors were out of work during the lockdowns, the sources said, and artists applying for grants could have used the money to help keep them afloat. But there was no requirement that they spend the money that way.”

The difference in payouts has caused a lot of uproar on social media. Many are questioning if the Save Our Stages process was fair, with some speculating that there should have been a tax filing limit on who could be approved for funds. Despite the explanation from the insiders, it’s still hard to deny the huge discrepancies in the payouts. It's no wonder that social media users are voicing their disappointment.

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