By TARYN SIEGELAssociated Press
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Keiron Marshall and Hannah White play a song on their guitars as they test the sound sytem at the Sound Lounge in London, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. More than 400 grassroots music venues in Britain are said to be at imminent risk of closure, although the government is currently pledging 2.25 million pounds in a “culture recovery package”, that wont be enough to reach the grass roots according to organisers. Alastair Grant
Keiron Marshall and Hannah White organise bookings and their web presence on laptop computers at the Sound Lounge in London, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. More than 400 grassroots music venues in Britain are said to be at imminent risk of closure, although the government is currently pledging 2.25 million pounds in a “culture recovery package”, that wont be enough to reach the grass roots according to organisers. Alastair Grant
Keiron Marshall and Hannah White speak to the Associated Press at the Sound Lounge in London, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. More than 400 grassroots music venues in Britain are said to be at imminent risk of closure, although the government is currently pledging 2.25 million pounds in a “culture recovery package”, that wont be enough to reach the grass roots. Alastair Grant
Steve Rubie poses for a portrait at his 606 music venue in London, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. More than 400 grassroots music venues in Britain are said to be at imminent risk of closure, although the government is currently pledging 2.25 million pounds in a “culture recovery package”, that wont be enough to reach the grass roots according to organisers. Alastair Grant
Keiron Marshall and Hannah White speak to the Associated Press at the Sound Lounge in London, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. More than 400 grassroots music venues in Britain are said to be at imminent risk of closure, although the government is currently pledging 2.25 million pounds in a “culture recovery package”, that wont be enough to reach the grass roots. Alastair Grant
Keiron Marshall and Hannah White organise the tables at the Sound Lounge in London, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. More than 400 grassroots music venues in Britain are said to be at imminent risk of closure, although the government is currently pledging 2.25 million pounds in a “culture recovery package”, that wont be enough to reach the grass roots. Alastair Grant
Steve Rubie poses for a portrait at the 606 music venue playing his flute in London, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. More than 400 grassroots music venues in Britain are said to be at imminent risk of closure, although the government is currently pledging 2.25 million pounds in a “culture recovery package”, that wont be enough to reach the grass roots according to organisers. Alastair Grant
Steve Rubie speaks to the Associated Press at his 606 music venue in London, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. More than 400 grassroots music venues in Britain are said to be at imminent risk of closure, although the government is currently pledging 2.25 million pounds in a “culture recovery package”, that wont be enough to reach the grass roots according to organisers. Alastair Grant
Steve Rubie poses for a portrait at his 606 music venue in London, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. More than 400 grassroots music venues in Britain are said to be at imminent risk of closure, although the government is currently pledging 2.25 million pounds in a “culture recovery package”, that wont be enough to reach the grass roots according to organisers. Alastair Grant
Steve Rubie speaks to the Associated Press at his 606 music venue in London, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. More than 400 grassroots music venues in Britain are said to be at imminent risk of closure, although the government is currently pledging 2.25 million pounds in a “culture recovery package”, that wont be enough to reach the grass roots according to organisers. Alastair Grant
LONDON (AP) — When Keiron Marshall was 15, he found his way out of a desperate situation with help from an unexpected source: Eric Clapton. The guitar great was host at the first gig Marshall ever went to, and he was joined on stage by Gary Brooker of Procol Harum, The Who's Pete Townshend and Beatle Ringo Starr. Since then, London's music scene has been a liferaft for Marshall, a musician who now runs a group of small concert venues with his wife. Growing up in south London, he'd endured racial slurs and regular beatings because of his Pakistani heritage. His uncle was killed in a racially motivated attack; his mother was a heroin addict. “Music for us is a really personal thing,” said Hannah White, Marshall's wife. “It’s been totally life-changing.”
But the music scene they know and love may soon be unrecognizable because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has plunged the U.K. economy into its worst recession on record. Live music venues have been forced to shut doors for nearly five months — and scores are at imminent risk of permanent closure. According to the charity Music Venue Trust, which represents 670 grassroots venues, more than 400 across the country are in crisis. One of those is Marshall and White's south London venue group, The Sound Lounge. The British government announced that indoor and socially-distanced live music could resume on Saturday. But this doesn't mean that the country's vibrant live music scene will be immediately restored. “The truth is that actually only 11% of venues will be able to open in a financially viable manner,” said Mark Davyd, founder and CEO of the Music Venue Trust. Less than a third of venues have the physical space to house safe, socially-distanced gigs. And the majority of those would lose too much money on these reduced-capacity shows for it to be economically feasible. Clubs have already amassed millions of pounds in debts since March, with more expected in the coming months. “In total, these venues are going to be over 60 million pounds ($78.3 million) in debt" by the end of September, Davyd said. The government announced in late July that 2.25 million pounds ($266 million) would be funneled to 150 grassroots venues that would otherwise have been out of cash by the end of September. The fund was the first slice of a 1.57 billion-pound ($1.86 billion) “culture recovery package” that was rolled out on Jul. 5. Davyd welcomed the emergency fund, but cautioned that this was just a “short term fix,” one that was only aimed at helping “venues identified as being in crisis.”
In total, 500 million pounds of the recovery package has been allocated to cultural institutions that can "demonstrate their international, national or local significance.” Grant applications for this scheme opened Monday and venues have until August 21 to submit. For a lot of grassroots clubs that have never applied for grants before, the 11-day window is going to be another challenge. Derek Nash, a veteran saxophonist and member of Jools Holland’s Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, worries about who the recipients of the bailout will ultimately be. “Let’s not give it all to opera,” Nash said, adding that he wants the funds to go to venues like the 606 jazz club, a small but popular venue running shows seven nights a week. At the moment, 606 Club is surviving off a government loan it qualified for through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme. But that has put the club heavily in debt. “The smaller venues that you come up through where you kind of learn your trade – those are incredibly important,” said club owner Steve Rubie. “If those venues aren’t there, those musicians aren’t getting a chance to practice and learn their trade. So it’s a really serious issue.”
Meanwhile, the Sound Lounge has stayed afloat with help from friends and crowdfunding. The owners applied for the government's emergency scheme last week. “If we can survive it, I think culture, and especially music, is going to have a massive role to play in our recovery,” White said. “People need experiences,” she added. “That’s what we all felt in lockdown. It’s not really the stuff or the shopping we missed, it’s human contact. So there’s a massive potential, but we need to be able to survive.”
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The year the music might die: British clubs face closure

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Williams New YorkThe "Sound Lounge" and screening room is a Lenny Kravitz creation. A new luxury condominium development on Manhattan's Upper East Side has launched sales today, and it has some unusual features. The Kent is an 83-unit tower built in an old-fashioned Art Deco style — but it's decked out with every amenity a contemporary buyer would want. That includes a one-of-a-kind "Sound Lounge" designed by Kravitz Design, helmed by famous musician Lenny Kravitz. "The Sound Lounge was inspired by one of my personal recording studios," Kravitz said in a statement. "We wanted to create an inviting and inspiring multipurpose environment where the residents can play music together or practice their instruments. " 
It will be stocked with a full set of instruments, amps, and practice equipment for both professional and amateur musicians to play. And that's not the only specially designed room: there's a drawing room with a fireplace, a garden salon with a billiards table, and an "interactive play space" called Camp Kent. Developed by Extell Development Group, The Kent was designed by Beyer Blinder Belle with interiors by Champalimaud and landscape architecture by West8. Units will start at $2.45 million a pop. Penthouse pricing has not yet been released, but it could be as much as $20 million.


This Upper East Side luxury condo tower comes with a music studio designed by Lenny Kravitz

ION Wants to Rock Your Rump with the Sound Lounge
The new ottoman has built-in speakers to combine room filling sound with a comfy seat. October 30, 2014 by Rachel Cericola
Looking to redecorate? You could get a piece that looks nice in your living room or you could get one that can rock out your living room. That’s the idea behind ION Audio’s Sound Lounge . The Sound Lounge is a new ottoman that has built-in speakers and a ported subwoofer inside. So now you can pair your sloth with an appropriate soundtrack! The Sound Lounge can be used as a seat, a footstool, or a piece to show off to friends. It packs in a 2.1-channel stereo sound system and Bluetooth. That way, you can stream sound right to the seat, using iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, as well as other compatible devices. ION Audio also says that you can connect up to four Sound Lounges via the aux inputs and outputs. That way, you and your friends can comfortably rock out in style. Perfect for a living room, game room or bedroom, the Sound Lounge also has its own little storage compartment. It’s selling now, with an MSRP of $129.99. Also Check Out:


ION Wants to Rock Your Rump with the Sound Lounge

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Ever thought your furniture was missing something? Perhaps some... speakers? ION Audio has seen this terrible oversight and promptly corrected it with its Sound Lounge Bluetooth speaker... ottoman? The sonic-seat has a 2.1-channel stereo system built right in, and as you might have already figured out, you can hook it up to your phone, tablet or any other Bluetooth media device. If you prefer things with a little more wire, there are two phono connections around the back (one input and one output) so you can daisy-chain multiple units. There are also physical volume and bass controls should you want a little more rumble in the jungle. The 10w (20w peak) speaker inside managed to make itself heard above the fairly chaotic ambient noise of Pepcom, and of course, we couldn't check it out without taking it for a spin. We can confirm that it's the most comfortable speaker we've ever sat on, and the choice of red and white finishes give it the authentic Manhattan feel that it truly deserves. No word on price or availability just yet, so for now you'll just have to stand. In silence. 0


ION Audio’s Sound Lounge speaker lets you get down while you sit down

Restaurant Associates

Loan

Sound Lounge is a leading independent company providing audio post-production services for television and radio commercials.

Name	Work History	Title	Status
Pradip O.		Chief Executive Officer	Current
Wayne Bryce	Restaurant Associates	Chief Financial Officer	Current
Marshall Grupp		Chief Operating Officer	Current

Name	Pradip O.	Wayne Bryce	Marshall Grupp
Work History		Restaurant Associates
Title	Chief Executive Officer	Chief Financial Officer	Chief Operating Officer
Status	Current	Current	Current

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