Gasa Gasa, the Freret Street live music venue in New Orleans, will be sold according to a report from Gambit. The decision to put the venue up for sale is proof positive that the COVID-19 pandemic is placing a fatal stranglehold on the live music industry of the city.

As reported by Jake Clapp, Gasa Gasa has been closed since mid-March, forced to shut its doors when large gatherings and indoor live music became prohibited. The venue’s co-owner Dane Peterson said of reopening, “We were doing all right, but shutting it down for three-plus months, no option to open a music club — we don’t see when we could.”

Opened in 2013, Gasa Gasa became one of New Orleans’ pre-eminent places to catch performances from independent artists, both touring and local. Alfred Banks, a Best of the Beat Award-winning rapper, took to Twitter to voice his dismay at the news of the venue’s sale.

“I wanna say thanks to @GasaGasaNOLA for being the first Venue that truly got behind me. There was a span from 2014-2019 when I rock that stage like 50 times. Y’all always answered my emails and paid me respectfully. Much love you and the staff,” he said.

2-0-2-0…. I wanna say thanks to @GasaGasaNOLA for being the first Venue that truly got behind me. There was a span from 2014-2019 when I rock that stage like 50 times.

Y’all always answered my emails and paid me respectfully. Much love you and the staff.

— Alfred Banks (@UnderDogCentral) July 22, 2020

With its future uncertain, the building now housing Gasa Gasa will likely become something else entirely as the dearth of live concerts continues throughout 2020. The same could be said of the entire Freret Street corridor on which it stands, rezoned as an arts district more than a decade ago.