NASHVILLE—The Country Music Association has announced a new partnership with the Touring Professionals Alliance, a nonprofit that supports crew members working behind the scenes within the live music industry. As part of its ongoing Music Industry COVID Support (MICS) initiative, CMA will fund the expansion of the Touring Professionals Alliance Kitchen program, which offers chef-driven meals to live music professionals within the music community.
Beginning Wednesday, Feb. 24, the Touring Professionals Alliance Kitchen will operate once a week through Wednesday, March 24 in Nashville. Participating restaurants include Audrey, helmed by Chef Sean Brock, and Chaatable, helmed by Chef Maneet Chauhan. Music industry professionals interested in receiving a meal through the program must register in advance HERE. Donate to the Touring Professionals Alliance Kitchen HERE.
“Live music touring professionals are like family members to us, and we are honored to partner with the Touring Professionals Alliance to contribute to their efforts,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “The aid provided through the Touring Professionals Alliance Kitchen goes so much deeper than simply offering meals to industry professionals in need—TPA has created an environment for our friends to come together for a brief moment of relief in what has been an incredibly difficult year.”
“COVID devastated the live music touring industry and put thousands of professionals out of work almost overnight. The Touring Professionals Alliance came together to aid our work families who are struggling,” says Jerome Crooks, Touring Professionals Alliance Co-Founder and tour manager for bands such as NIN, Tool and Soundgarden. “We are beyond grateful to the CMA for their generous donation of funds and resources that allow us to provide a measure of relief to help our brothers and sisters in need.”
As the premiere membership association for the Country Music industry, CMA is the leading voice representing all professionals making a living in Country Music globally, serving as a critical resource of information and providing a forum for industry leadership. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization extended its mission to support all music professionals within the business with its COVID-19 relief efforts, regardless of genre. Today’s announcement of CMA’s partnership with the Touring Professionals Alliance follows several previously announced nonprofit investments funded through CMA’s $3 million long-term COVID-19 commitment that began in early 2020. Additional nonprofit investments through the MICS initiative include Music Health Alliance, Musically Fed, MusiCares, Notes for Notes, Porter’s Call and The Store.
Established as a portal for key resources in the categories of food supply, health and wellness, and career services, CMAmics.com helps to connect industry professionals with appropriate nonprofit partners offering critical support. Those in need are encouraged to visit the website and utilize the new chatbot feature to learn more about specific resources available. CMA will announce further nonprofit investments in the coming weeks and months.
The Touring Professionals Alliance Kitchen launched last year in partnership with The Lee Initiative and together, the organizations have served more than 7,500 meals in Los Angeles, Chicago, Nashville and New York in partnership with local chef-driven restaurants. With this new program, the Touring Professionals Alliance Kitchen, the TPA aims to expand its program to additional cities in 2021. For more information on the relief efforts and for specifics on dates and locations for meal distribution, visit TouringProfessionals.com.
About the Country Music Association
Founded in 1958, the Country Music Association is the first trade organization formed to promote a type of music. In 1961, CMA created the Country Music Hall of Fame to recognize artists and industry professionals with Country Music’s highest honor. Music industry professionals and companies from around the globe are members of CMA. The organization’s objectives are to serve as an educational and professional resource for the industry and advance the growth of Country Music around the world. This is accomplished through CMA’s core initiatives: the CMA Awards, which annually recognize outstanding achievement in the industry; CMA Fest, which benefits the CMA Foundation and music education and is taped for a network television special, “CMA Fest” and “CMA Country Christmas.” All of CMA’s television properties air on ABC.
About Touring Professionals Alliance
Touring Professionals Alliance (TPA) is a national 501c3 nonprofit that provides support to those working behind the scenes of live music touring. It was formed in 2020 as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic that left tens of thousands of touring professionals out of work when live music events were shuttered globally. TPA provides aid, including mental health and informational resources, to music industry professionals.
For more information about CMA's Music Industry COVID Support (MICS) initiative,visit CMAmics.com.