Leader of Manatt’s entertainment transactions and finance practice Jordan Bromley spoke with NBC News about the number of gig workers and freelancers that do not qualify for aid under the CARES Act’s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program because they received some income through traditional employment in the past year. According to Bromley, the limitations found in the PUA, which prohibit individuals from receiving both traditional unemployment and PUA benefits, has had and will continue to have an especially large impact on musicians and other members of the music industry, which was “one of the first to stop, and [will] be the last to start.” Bromley also predicts that the need for PUA relief for those in the industry will not be alleviated until mid-2021, saying, “we're looking at summer 2021 before the industry is fully engaged again, and that is an entire revenue stream for almost all these performers that is gone, so these benefits are their only opportunity for relief."
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