Music City creatives embrace new sides of Nashville
Nashville has become a national destination. Whether out-of-towners are visiting for the weekend, or young graduates and couples come to start their careers or families, they know they can expect two things: Southern charm and good music.
Nashville lives up to its title as Music City, as it really is the place to be for artists, singer-songwriters and those aspiring to jump into the music industry and looking to collaborate, grow and create.
The nature of the industry combined with the booming population of the city make for an even more competitive landscape, but Nashville knows how to make newcomers feel welcome.
Music City was birthed on Music Row, and it was recently named a national treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. While “The Row” was the center of music creation in the past, it’s no longer the only part of town that is fostering the new music vibe in Nashville.
So what else is happening in Nashville, music-wise?
Consider Jack White. He landed a home for his music label, Third Man Records, in SoBro in 2009 and has been churning out interesting music — and bold new ways to promote it — ever since. City Winery, a winery and concert venue that opened its Nashville location last year, and Razor and Tie Music Publishing also recently have settled in the SoBro neighborhood. (Our team at Southeast Venture represented both City Winery and Razor and Tie on these purchases.)
A big music industry announcement you may remember well from 2014 is Sony Music Nashville’s plan to move from Music Row to the Gulch. Sony Music Nashville, the country music branch of Sony Music Entertainment, will be taking three of its labels to its new Gulch home in 2016, including Arista Nashville, Columbia Nashville and RCA Nashville.
Other neighborhoods in the city also have become targets for creative businesses.
In East Nashville, Moo Creative Media, which creates tour videos, purchased an office condo in the Fifth & Main Building. Renowned producer, engineer and musician Jay Joyce built a studio within a church nearby. Live Nation, the live-events and concert company, announced its plans to move off The Row to Edgehill Village in September.
These business moves and others are demonstrating that Music City is no longer confined to Music Row, it really is spread across the city.
Why is this? Well, it’s likely many reasons, including a new generation of musicians’ desire to go their own way. They are investing in a newer Nashville.
A newer Nashville represents the city’s growth in population and livelihood across a variety of industries. Embracing the change, while maintaining the authenticity and charm that makes Music City special, will admittedly be a delicate balance, but it is a task that our town can handle.
Wood Caldwell is managing principal of Southeast Venture, a diversified commercial real estate company. He writes about Middle Tennessee real estate deals once a month for The Tennessean. Reach him at wcaldwell@southeastventure.com.