NIVA

Two Northeast Ohio independent music venue owners, The Happy Dog's Sean Watterson and The Kent Stage's Tom Simpson, explain why they've waited to reopen, and about the long, frustrating wait for promised federal funding. Also, Shuffle contributor Annie Nickoloff shares how reopening plans have been going at other venues in the region, detailed in her Cleveland.com series: "Concerts during COVID."

Two Northeast Ohio independent music venue owners explain why they've waited to reopen, and about the long, frustrating wait for promised federal funding.

Since concert clubs shut their doors because of the pandemic, owners have been fighting to get enough funding to keep their businesses open, while their employees look for ways to make ends meet.

Across the state of Ohio, local music venues are struggling as the coronavirus pandemic has forced these entertainment hotspots to keep operations at a…