According to a report from Lambgoat.com and The New York Post, Kentucky senator Rand Paul’s annual “Festivus Report” has shared his annual report for Christmas deriding U.S. government federal spending. The report highlights that over $200 million was allocated to music artists and their touring companies through the Small Business Administration’s Shuttered Venue Operators Grant. The program appears to have benefitted not only small enterprises but also well-known names in the music industry. Applicants were eligible to receive 45% of their 2019 gross revenue up to $10 million per grant. This news is not new, is several years old, and was a source of contention from bands and fans following the pandemic, but this is first time the amounts dispersed were made public. Some of the notable recipients identified in the report include Korn receiving $5.3 million, and Slipknot receiving $9.7 million, with an additional $1.05 million going to Slipknot’s Knotfest music festival. It’s noted by Paul that the $416 billion grant program was intended to aid struggling live venue operators, theatrical producers, performing arts organizations, talent representatives, and movie theaters – entities that suffered significant losses during the pandemic. Coincidently, Paul’s state of Kentucky ranks 2nd in the United States in dependency on government handouts, so this report is always curious to political pundits. Other artists called out by Paul includes Post Malone, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, and Smashing Pumpkins, and non-Americans Nickleback (whose record label is US based, and thus their band is likely incorporated in the states.Continue reading →