FINALLY: INDEPENDENT VENUE WEEK HITS THE U.S.
WEDNESDAY // MAY 9, 2018
We’ve focused a little bit on the rights of independent music venues in both the U.K. and the U.S. We talked about the UK’s Music Venue Trust (MVT) Venues Day at the Ministry of Sound in London and the strategies executed to recover from the 35% loss of small music venues between 2007 and 2015.
More recently, we discussed the outstanding “Fightback: Grassroots Promoter” $140,000 initiative MVT and the UK’s Music Planet Live created to support aspiring female music promoters hoping to merge into the industry.
Now, after four years of applauding the focus certain groups in the UK have taken on small venue appreciation, the U.S. will follow suit beginning this summer, Billboard reported on Tuesday.
Independent Venue Week’s founder, Sybil Bell, has partnered with the New York-based music marketing firm, Marauder, for its U.S. debut July 9-15.
Which venues will Independent Venue Week highlight? Marauder’s managing partner Rev. Moose says the week plans to spotlight the venues local artists utilize to build their careers.
One venue on the list includes The Echo in Los Angeles, California, located on the historic Sunset Boulevard. You’ll find a wide range of musical acts performing here such as indie, country, dance, soul and more.
The Echo opened in 2001 and many know The Echo as the upstairs section of the bigger and separate admission club, the Echoplex, which opened five years later. Their specialty? Free Monday night Music, which happened to push The Airborne Toxic Event, War Paint, Active Child, Foster the People and more into the limelight.
Another venue set on its July 13 date and band Western Medication is located in no other but Nashville, Tennessee - also known as Music City. Independent Venue Week chose Nashville’s Mercy Lounge / The High Watt.
The Mercy Lounge opened in January 2003 on the historic century-old Cannery Row as a second-story music venue home to the “best in burgeoning buzz-bands and renowned national talents,” according to their website. The 500-capacity venue has featured John Fogerty, Katy Perry, Snoop Dogg and The White Stripes to name a few.
The following participating venues are listed below. More are soon to be announced, along with the rest of the lineup!
- Austin, TX – Hotel Vegas – Show details to be announced
- Boston, MA – The Middle East – Show details to be announced
- Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern – Show details to be announced
- Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom and Tavern – Show details to be announced
- Dallas, TX – Deep Ellum Art Co – July 11, LEV
- Durham, NC – Motorco Music Hall – Show details to be announced
- Los Angeles, CA – The Echo – Show details to be announced
- Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue – Show details to be announced
- Nashville, TN – Mercy Lounge/The High Watt – Friday, July 13, Western Medication – Tickets
- New York, NY – Pianos – Thursday, July 12, Lineup to be announced
- Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live – Show details to be announced
- Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre – Friday, July 13, The Lone Bellow – Tickets
- Seattle, WA – The Crocodile – Show details to be announced
- Washington, DC – 9:30 Club – Sunday, July 15, The Get Up Kids – Tickets
These venues, Eventbrite and Songtrust are all teaming up to sponsor the first year in the U.S. On its website, President of Eventbrite’s music division and Ticketfly co-founder Andrew Dreskin describes his excitement in supporting an initiative that supports live music, local venues and promoters.
Rev. Moose is excited to watch the same successful outcome unfold for Independent Venue Week experienced in the UK here in the U.S.
You can also view photos and details surrounding each venue here.
