Blake Shelton joins drive to help feed out-of-work musicians

The Country Music Association will provide 4 million meals in cities with large populations of musicians and music industry professionals in its new partnership with Feeding America

For more than a year now, the state of America's live music industry has been a grim one. The COVID-19 pandemic threw hundreds of thousands of musicians, roadies and other touring industry professionals out of work, according to the Country Music Association. In Nashville alone, the industry's unemployed number around 50,000. Compounding the problem, the jobs in restaurants and other hospitality businesses that have long sustained out-of-work entertainers were drastically slashed, too. Now, in response to the crisis, the music association is expanding its efforts to help the industry's needy. It's announcing Monday that it will provide 4 million meals in cities with large populations of musicians and music industry professionals in a new partnership with Feeding America.