By Elise Devlin
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski announced on Monday plans to introduce the New Opportunities for Tourism and Entertainment (NOTE) Act, which would allow more restaurants and bars to offer live music and entertainment as a way to support musicians and performers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The existing zoning laws have blocked hundreds of Baltimore County establishments from hosting live musical entertainment, officials said. Not only do these businesses lose potential revenue, but Baltimore musicians are missing out on opportunities to be heard.
“Local musicians and performers entertain, inspire, and help make communities more vibrant,” Olszewski said. “This pandemic has upended their way of life, and this effort creates new opportunities to help them recover as quickly as possible.”
The bill was introduced at the County Council session Monday. Musicians are excited.
“A lot of musicians, myself included, have been out of a job or have not performed in over a year,” said Kyler Bondura, a local Baltimore musician. “I also work at a restaurant in the area that used to have live music. We have people coming in all the time asking when we’re bringing it back. Musicians and non-musicians are super excited for live music to come back because it is good for everyone involved.”
Olszewski explained that the bill would significantly expand the number of businesses eligible to apply for a Live Musical Entertainment permit and will now allow most restaurants, retail, and other businesses in Baltimore County to host live music.
“Working musicians have been in a very tight spot for at least 15 years,” Brooks Long, a Baltimore musician, told The Baltimore Watchdog. “Certainly, COVID-19 hasn’t made it any better. Us Baltimore artists and venues love each other and we love our audiences, but we know that it’s all running on our passion to one extent or another.
“To give the arts and entertainment community what it truly needs to survive, it will take looking at the situation both before and during the pandemic and a long-term commitment from the larger community, including government, to make things better,” Long explained.
“No one Act is going to do the trick,” he continued, “but each Act is very welcome. With the talent level that I know exists in Baltimore, if we were given half a shot, the results would be shockingly beautiful and beneficial in ways we can only begin to imagine today.”
The NOTE Act is the latest effort from the Olszewski Administration to support Baltimore County’s arts and entertainment community, officials said. Olszewski noted that the county previously provided $200,000 in grants to help artists recoup financial losses from canceled performances and events from the pandemic.