In 2017 I drove from Nashville to Huntsville for the first time to meet Mayor Tommy Battle and his EcDev team, including Shane Davis and Dennis Madsen, AICP. A few months later, work began on a music audit.
In 2024, one of the city's investments as part of its commitment to music and workforce development, The Orion Amphitheater, is named one of the best venues in the world by Billboard. This is the culmination of a lot that began with Sound Diplomacy and RCP Companies organizing a public event to launch the music strategy work.
- The city has a full-time music officer, Matt Mandrella
- There is a functioning, engaged music board
- The downtown venue, the Von Braun Center was redeveloped.
- Live music licensing and zoning has been reformed
- A music export program was launched to support local musicians who tour
- New music-led developments are ongoing (not just the Orion)
- A new 30,000 festival is launching in 2024
- Music Cities Convention was hosted by Huntsville in 2023.
- A documentary, the 7-2 Experience, is being launched.
- Global investment has been brought to the region, through Ben Lovett, Ryan Murphy and tvg hospitality, as well as many others, like Red Mountain Entertainment, Fame Recording Studios and the work of Codie G..
There is a lot more here. That's why I wrote a chapter of my book (https://bit.ly/shainbook) on Huntsville. Nor is Huntsville the only place worth celebrating in the US that has, over the last few years, taken music very seriously (there are many, from Fort Worth to Tulsa, Madison to Boise, Northwest Arkansas to Charlotte). But this shows that a lot can happen in a short period when music is taken seriously, there's a dedication to data, and a willingness to invest.
I am now on a mission to demonstrate that this can happen anywhere because it is happening everywhere. Culture is being built in, rather than bolted on to how to build, change, adapt, and grow. And this is something to celebrate.
https://lnkd.in/gyqqzSA3
Great news. Live music venues are vital to the community. Music has been heading for decades towards autotune, pre-recorded tracks and loops in live performance and now AI at the composition end of the process. I wonder if there will be a backlash in years to come. Perhaps we will see a resurgence in live music that is created in real time by air-breathing humans. It's nice to see that Heliotrope supports putting life back into live music.