Nashville’s Indie Music Venues Partner To Launch Virtual Livestream Series "Music City Bandwidth"

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Fifteen of Nashville’s independent music venues and 120 Music City-based artists will come together for a series of 30 free livestreamed shows, to help Music City’s independent music venues and Nashville-based musicians who have been heavily impacted by the economic damage due to the COVD-19 pandemic.

Nashville’s Music Venue Alliance has teamed with the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp to launch the series of shows, titled Music City Bandwidth, which will begin Sept. 14 and run through October.

Artists taking part in the events include Andrew Combs, Brett James, Creature Comfort, Devon Gilfillian, Giovanni Rodriguez & 12 Manos, Jason Eskridge, Kalie Shorr, Marshall Chapman with Tommy Womack & Will Kimbrough, Patrick Sweany, *repeat repeat, The Last Bandoleros, The Pink Spiders, The Shindellas, The Wild Feathers, Trigger Hippy, Victoria Shaw, and Wooten Brothers.

Nashville venues taking part include 3rd and Lindsley, DRKMTTR, Exit/In, Mercy Lounge, The 5 Spot, The Basement, The Basement East, The Bluebird Cafe, The East Room, The End, The High Watt, The Listening Room, Rudy’s Jazz Room, Springwater, and Station Inn. The marketing initiative is being paid for by the Tennessee CARES Act funds earmarked for destination marketing organizations.

These 15 independent music venues have averaged a 90 percent revenue loss since mid-March. The Music Venue Alliance estimates 15 percent of them will permanently close in one month; 38 percent in six weeks; and 13 weeks from now all but one will permanently close without financial assistance. That could result in the loss of 5,600 annual concerts; $5 million paid to 46,000 musicians annually; 389 lost jobs; and more than $2 million in lost city and state taxes annually. The city recently approved $2 million in CARES Act funding for small music venues.

“We have crafted a unique, Nashville-branded virtual experience to go to a worldwide audience that promotes the Music City brand, the diversity of Nashville musicians and all the iconic independent music venues that are the soul of Music City,” said Butch Spyridon, president and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “If these music clubs don’t make it, our Music City brand and music ecosystem will be in great peril.”

Exit/In owner Chris Cobb, president of Music Venue Alliance Nashville, said, “Nashville’s independent music venues have been devastated by the pandemic. We have been closed since March, and even though we have operated frugally and responsibly, have been forced to lay off 90 percent of our employees. We fear many of us will close permanently. We know there are many people rooting for us to survive, and this marketing initiative is one of the first pieces of assistance to finally come through. Thank you to the state and the NCVC for this much-needed shot in the arm. We can’t wait to start booking shows again, supporting our ecosystem, and sharing music with the world from some of Nashville’s most beloved stages!”

“During the global pandemic, the music stopped — for fans, venues and musicians themselves. But Jack is here to help keep the music playing,” said Ed Carias, Jack Daniel’s U.S. brand director. “Music has always been at the heart of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, and we are excited to support talented artists at these iconic venues in Nashville while celebrating the friendship and fun that makes live music so special.”

The shows will not have live audiences due to social distancing and crowd limitation mandates. The concerts will be streamed around the world at musiccitybandwidth.com.

Donations to a relief fund for local venues and musicians can be made at musiccitybandwidth.com, where Music City Bandwidth t-shirts will also be available for purchase with proceeds benefiting these venues.

Jessica Nicholson
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