Sen. Amy Klobuchar wants to do something about all those theatres and music halls that are closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

She and Sen. Ron Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced the Save Our Stages Act, a proposal to prop up independent entertainment venues with Small Business Administration grants.

“These are some of the first to close, obviously, because you sit close together,” Sen. Klobuchar told Jearlyn Steele on the WCCO Morning News. “And they’re probably going to be the last to open.”

The grants, Klobuchar said, would provide independent venue owners with about 45% of their regular revenue, helping to cover operating costs.

“Billions of dollars were given to the airline industry,” she said. “We cannot lose music. We can’t let these small venues shut down.”

Klobuchar said the grants would make a short-term impact on those facilities.

She pointed out how operators of Minneapolis’ legendary music hall First Avenue has been instrumental in pushing for this program.

Since the pandemic began, 90 percent of venue owners, promoters, and booking agents report that they are at risk of closing without additional financial assistance, according to a statement about Klobuchar’s proposal, in addition to an estimated $9 billion in losses should ticket sales not resume until next year.

The proposal is endorsed by the National Independent Venue Association and the National Independent Talent Organization.