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A Livestream Concert For Small Businesses Will Feature T-Pain, Brandi Carlile, & More

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We might not all agree on hoarding toilet paper or baking bread, but through the pandemic, there is one unifying rally from the masses: support small businesses. Romper is proud to participate in Bustle Digital Group's Small Business Salutes platform, which is shining a spotlight on small businesses and how they're making it through a global pandemic, and now BDG has partnered with Superfly to announce their Small Business Live concert on June 20 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. EST.

Small Business Live is a philanthropic musical experience created to raise grant money for small businesses impacted by Covid-19, with all proceeds donated to Accion Opportunity FundLINK. This non-profit was chosen by Superfly — the entertainment and brand experience company behind Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Outside Lands, and The FRIENDS Experience — as it has a nearly three-decade track record of providing almost 90% of their loans to small businesses founded by people of color, as well as supporting immigrant- and women-owned businesses. Viewers will be encouraged to donate via text with a special code released closer to June 20, with donations being accepted up until June 26.

The artist roster for the concert includes T-Pain, 2 Chainz, Leon Bridges, Brittany Howard, Brandi Carlile, and more. They will deliver performances from unique locations (including small businesses), as well as share stories of businesses they know and love across the country.

Small businesses are a huge part of America's economic livelihood, according to the Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy. Earlier this year, the office reported that 44% of all economic activity in the United States comes from small businesses, and Main Street America estimates that 3.5 million of those small businesses are at risk of closing their doors in the next two months thanks to the pandemic if they don't receive some financial assistance.

Tuning into the Superfly Small Business Live concert is a fun, easy way to show your support, and hopefully it'll inspire you to shop small even more than usual. The Small Business Salutes platform from BDG highlighted small businesses through the months of May and June with articles on small businesses to support, interviews with small business owners on how they're dealing with the current state of the world, and features on how small business owners are offering assistance and support to their communities. Small Business Salutes also encourages readers to donate to employee relief funds, as well as non-profits that help small businesses struggling right now.

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"Minority-owned businesses are denied credit more often and charged higher rates for money they borrow to fund their businesses. We need to accelerate support to underserved businesses in order to reach our full potential,” said Luz Urrutia, CEO of Accion Opportunity Fund. “We have to decide what we want our Main Streets to look like when this is over, and we must act decisively to keep small businesses alive and ready to rebuild. This is a fun way to do something really important. Everyone’s support will make a huge difference to small business owners, their families and employees who have been devastated by this pandemic, the recession, and centuries of racism, xenophobia, and oppression.”

To stay motivated to shop small, watch the Superfly Small Business Live concert on June 20 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. EST. The event will be livestreamed on TikTok, as well as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitch, Twitter, LiveXLive and Bustle Digital Group’s publications, and will be presented by Superfly in founding partnership with TikTok, AT&T Business, Square, Vistaprint, and GoDaddy.

More Small Business Salutes posts from Romper:

14 Children's Book Recommendations From Independent Booksellers

10 Custom Home Portraits From Etsy, Because There's Really No Place Like It

8 Mom-Run Parenting Services Adapting To The Quarantine

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