1 big thing: Nashville's wage crunch

A new career is waiting for you

2. Vanderbilt calls U.S. News ranking flawed

3. The Setlist

Illustration of a retro microphone. Some of the slits have been replaced with "The Setlist."

4.  No Rays for Nashville

Good morning, readers. We hope this Tuesday treats you well.

Today's weather: Loverly. Mostly sunny with a high of 81°.

Today's newsletter is 774 words — a 3-minute read.

👿🔔 Nate's song of the day is AC/DC's "Hells Bells," in honor of his sister Jillian's birthday. Many, many years ago, Nate took Jillian to see AC/DC for her 16th birthday, and it rocked.

🎻 Adam is excited to hear Rufus Wainwright sing the songs that got him through college tonight with the Nashville Symphony.

This newsletter was edited by Jen Ashley and copy edited by Katie Lewis.

Nashville

blue

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Nashville. Written by Nate Rau and Adam Tamburin.

Axios Nashville

Standard

Nashville Mayor-elect Freddie O'Connell prepares for office

1 big thing: O'Connell looks to get moving on transit

ICYMI: The new mayor's origin story

Illustration of a bus dividing a green and gold background, with elements of ballots behind it. 

Tennessee tourism spending soared in 2022

2. Tennessee tourism soared in 2022

Mural reading Greetings from Nashville Tennessee

Illustration of a microphone singing "The Setlist."

4. Music Monday marks Nashville's vibe shift

5. 🏈 1 Titans quote to go

5. 🏈 1 victorious Titans quote to go

Today's weather: Sunny with a high of 78°.

Today's newsletter is 858 words — a 3-minute read. 

Nate is in sports misery after the Packers and Cubs went winless this weekend.

Adam is celebrating National Cheeseburger Day with a trip to Roze Pony for a smash patty.

1 big thing: The TSU funding gap

On the job hunt?

2.  Allison Russell honored with free speech award

Illustration of the windows of the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, doubling as a graphic equalizer.

4.  Work-from-home trend continues in Nashville

Good morning, and happy Thursday to our Axios Nashville crew.

Today's weather: Mostly cloudy with a high of 85°.

Today's newsletter is 906 words — a 3.5-minute read.

Nate's song of the day is "Dance Apocalyptic" by Janelle Monáe.

Adam is jamming to Axios Nashville's playlist celebrating new beginnings.

1 big anniversary: Axios Nashville turns 2

Illustration of the Axios logo as a gold balloon. 

2. Looking ahead

Illustration of a vinyl record labeled "The Setlist"

Maren Morris feels "very distanced" from country music

4.  Maren Morris feels "very distanced" from country

Maren Morris performs onstage during Day 1 of the 2022 Stagecoach Festival at the Empire Polo Field on April 29, 2022 in Indio, California.

Good morning, Nashville. It's Wednesday, and we're halfway to the weekend.

Today's weather: Partly sunny with a high of 85°.

🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Nashville member Estie Harris!

🥳 Axios Nashville turns 2 today — help us celebrate by becoming a member! Your contribution will support our work and allow us to do more of it.

Plus, join by midnight tonight and you could win a $100 gift card to a local restaurant. Rules apply.

Existing members are automatically entered.

Today's newsletter is 947 words — a 3.5-minute read.

🥃 Nate's song of the day is "Bug Like an Angel" by Mitski.

Adam is in awe of our Nashville Symphony after watching them play with Rufus Wainwright last night. They brought "Go or Go Ahead" to a new level.

1 big thing: Freddie O'Connell sails to victory

2. Rolli failed to broaden support 

3. Olivia Hill makes history

4. Election Day's Music City moment

5. The Grimey's factor

Composite of Megan Barry and Freddie O'Connell spinning records.

It is Friday. You know what that means. Nashville has picked a new mayor.

Today's weather: Sunny with a high of 84°.

🎂 Happy early birthday to our Axios Nashville member Katie Feldhaus Jackson!

Today's newsletter is 998 words — a 4-minute read.

In honor of Grimey's, Nate's song of the day is "Salina" by The Avett Brothers, who he saw play in the parking lot behind the record shop in 2009.

Adam is unwinding this weekend with a showing of the cult classic "The Room" at the Belcourt.

Whats Next

Axios What's Next

Data: U.S. Census; Map: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

The median household income across the Nashville metro area has fallen since the onset of the pandemic, per new Census Bureau data.

Why it matters: This decline in household income happened at the same time the cost of living rose with inflation.

What's happening: Nashville's median income fell 1.5% between 2019 and 2022 from $81,221 to $80,034, using figures adjusted for inflation.

Statewide, the median income rose ever-so-slightly, from about $64,820 to $65,250.

By the numbers: At the same time that Nashville's overall wages dipped, the share of households making more than $100,000 increased from 33% to 39%.

Data: U.S. Census; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

The big picture: Nationally, median household income fell 1.6% between 2019 and 2022, adjusted for inflation.

Incomes adjusted for inflation fell in 2022 from the previous year, new Census data shows. That trend "explains why Americans have felt so 'meh' about the strong economy over the past couple years," Axios Markets' Emily Peck writes.

The intrigue: The COVID-19 pandemic "changed the geography of where money is made in the United States," Axios Macro's Neil Irwin reports, as many higher-income Americans decamped from cities like New York and San Francisco to "rural and exurban places and popular vacation destinations."

Of note: Because the latest American Community Survey release is based on 2022 data, it's capturing what some call the "late pandemic era," when many elements of normality returned while the pandemic still loomed in the background, affecting many aspects of life.

Nashville median salaries are dropping as cost of living rises

Statewide, the median income rose ever-so-slightly.

The median household income across the Nashville metro area has fallen since the onset of the pandemic, per new Census Bureau data.Why it matters: This decline in household income happened at the same time the cost of living rose with inflation.

News

Two years ago Wednesday, we sent our first-ever Axios Nashville newsletter.

Why it matters: Since then, we've written relentlessly about a city at a crossroads.

It's been a tumultuous journey, but time and time again, we have found bright spots from a surprising source: our city's burger joints.

Zoom in: Brown's Diner, a Nashville institution established in 1927, embodies the challenges and opportunities of life in New Nashville.

It seems impossible that Brown's Diner is still doing its thing when so many other beloved Nashville dives have cratered.

You know the list. Rotier's. Hermitage Cafe. Arnold's.

When Brown's sold to new owners a few years ago, we all started writing its obituary.

But something surprising happened: Brown's kept going.

New ownership adapted to the city's changing landscape without sacrificing what made Brown's great in the first place.

We were greeted by the same smell of burger grease and spilled beer when we stopped by on Tuesday for an anniversary lunch. The same creaky booths lined the walls.

We even ran into familiar faces. Outgoing Mayor John Cooper and his aides Sam Wilcox and Ben Eagles came in as we headed out the door.

But there were some signs of the times. The menu now includes loaded chili tater tots, and the owners added a handsome outdoor deck with a bar and plenty of seating that would fit right in at any new trendy restaurant.

In a city clamoring to maintain its soul in a sea of bachelorettes and big development, the Brown's burger points a way forward.

Another patty slinger across town shows that new additions enrich our city, too.

Cledis Beer Garden and Burgers opened last year on a blue-collar stretch of Elm Hill Pike.

Like Brown's, Cledis offers reliably great burgers. It also has a pleasant and spacious outdoor dining area.

Instead of catering to tourists, Cledis' mission is to give back to Nashville, especially its unhoused residents. The restaurant regularly partners with a nonprofit to provide free food to the community.

The bottom line: Our city has its share of struggles, especially affordability and quality of life for longtime Nashvillians.

As we enter our third year of Axios Nashville newsletters, we will continue to cover those issues. But we also want to celebrate the places that make Nashville special — from longtime institutions like Brown's to scrappy upstarts like Cledis.

In these two burger joints, we see a city willing to adapt and meet residents wherever they are.

If you've enjoyed following Nashville with us for the last two years, encourage your friends to join in by subscribing for free.

Axios Nashville looks back on two years of newsletters

Nashville's bright spots are our city's burger joints.

Two years ago Wednesday, we sent our first-ever Axios Nashville newsletter.Why it matters: Since then, we&#x27;ve written relentlessly about a city at a crossroads.<ul><li>It&#x27;s been a tumultuous journey, but time and time again, we have found bright spots from a surprising source: our city&#x27;s burger joints.</li></ul>

Tennessee State University president Glenda Glover is calling on the state to "do what's right" by addressing a $2.1 billion shortfall in funding for the institution that the Biden administration identified.

Driving the news: Top officials with the federal departments of Education and Agriculture sent a letter to Gov. Bill Lee this week that found the "severe financial gap" in state funding for TSU over the last 30 years.

"The longstanding and ongoing underinvestment in Tennessee State University disadvantages the students, faculty, and community that the institution serves," the letter read.

"This is a situation that clearly predates all of us. However, it is a problem that we can work together to solve. In fact, it is our hope that we can collaborate to avoid burdensome and costly litigation that has occurred in several states."

Why it matters: The federal analysis found that TSU received less per-student funding than the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, even though federal law requires equitable funding.

The Biden administration said the extra money could have bolstered student services and infrastructure and would have better positioned TSU to compete for research grants.

This is not just a problem in Tennessee. Similar letters sent to 15 other governors identified long-term funding disparities at state-run historically black colleges and universities.

Catch up quick: In February, Republican lawmakers slammed the school's president after a report from the comptroller stated that poor leadership had exacerbated an on-campus housing crisis.

What she's saying: Glover tells Axios the federal government's assessment of TSU's enormous financial disadvantage recasts that criticism. She says missing out on state funding is the underlying problem, not university leadership.

"You can look at the challenges that TSU has faced over the years, those challenges would have gone away with $2.1 billion," she says, adding that funding would allow for more staff, new scholarship programs and ambitious construction projects.

"We're doing the work of TSU that's required without the funding."

Flashback: A 2021 state analysis found TSU had been underfunded $150 million to $544 million for its food and agriculture research. Lee followed that up with $250 million for the university in his 2022 budget.

State Rep. Harold Love (D-Nashville), who chaired the committee that looked into that issue, tells Axios that is a recent example of the state responding quickly to help TSU.

He said officials could use "the same pathway" to address the federal analysis. He was hopeful the federal report would be "a springboard" for another influx of funding.

State of play: In a statement, a spokesperson for the governor said Lee "has proposed significant funding for TSU every year," including the $250 million in 2022. The statement said direct appropriations to TSU had grown by 43% since Lee took office.

"Gov. Lee remains committed to working with legislative partners and community leaders to support the success of TSU and HBCUs across Tennessee."

What's next: Glover, who is retiring at the end of the academic year, says confronting this shortfall will be a top priority during her final days on the job.

"I want us to have a meeting, have a conversation and go over this. We can't sweep this under the rug."

"It's never too late to do what's right. So let's do what's right and get the job done."

TSU president weighs in on funding shortfall

The Biden administration says it found a "severe financial gap" in state funding for TSU over the last 30 years.

Photo: Courtesy of Tennessee State University

Tennessee State University president <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Glenda Glover" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2023/08/15/tsu-president-glenda-glover-to-retire-2024" data-vars-content-id="88ff0de5-5b53-4fb6-9827-77571c6d227d" data-vars-headline="TSU president weighs in on funding shortfall" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2023/08/15/tsu-president-glenda-glover-to-retire-2024" target="_self">Glenda Glover</a> is calling on the state to &quot;do what&#x27;s right&quot; by addressing a $2.1 billion shortfall in funding for the institution that the Biden administration identified.Driving the news: Top officials with the federal departments of Education and Agriculture sent a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="letter" data-vars-click-url="https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/files/2023/09/Secretary-letter-1890.pdf" data-vars-content-id="88ff0de5-5b53-4fb6-9827-77571c6d227d" data-vars-headline="TSU president weighs in on funding shortfall" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/files/2023/09/Secretary-letter-1890.pdf" target="_blank">letter</a> to Gov. Bill Lee this week that found the &quot;severe financial gap&quot; in state funding for TSU over the last 30 years.

Vanderbilt University remains the state's highest-ranked college in the latest list released by U.S. News and World Report, but university officials are criticizing changes that caused the school to drop five spots this year.

The university fell to 18 after an overhaul of the ranking methodology.

Between the lines: Rankings were adjusted to add some new factors, including measures of success for first-generation college students, per U.S. News.

Some elements considered in past years, like class size and faculty education levels, were eliminated.

State of play: Vanderbilt has celebrated past rankings, but officials warned people to take this year's dip with a "bucket of salt," per the Tennessean.

What they're saying: "Vanderbilt is stronger than at any time in its history," the chancellor and provost wrote in a message to the university community.

The top officials criticized the methodology changes as "deeply misleading" and outlined what they saw as the most "glaring" of "many flaws" with the new process.

They noted that other institutions, including Vanderbilt's law school, had pulled out of U.S. News' higher ed rankings following "several years of questionable decisions."

"At Vanderbilt, we are considering our next steps in light of this year's developments."

The university scheduled meetings to discuss the new ranking methodology with students and alums as well as faculty and staff.

Vanderbilt calls U.S. News ranking flawed

The university stayed in the top 20 but dropped five spots.

Vanderbilt University remains the state&#x27;s highest-ranked college in the latest list released by <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="U.S. News and World Report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/us-news-ranks-best-colleges" data-vars-content-id="988e8c41-ed44-4121-8cbb-8af51167d5ab" data-vars-headline="Vanderbilt calls U.S. News ranking flawed" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/us-news-ranks-best-colleges" target="_blank">U.S. News and World Report</a>, but university officials are criticizing changes that caused the school to drop five spots this year.<ul><li>The university fell to 18 after an overhaul of the ranking methodology.</li></ul>

Decorated country singer Maren Morris says she needs a break from the genre.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times this month, Morris reflected on taking a "step back" from the Music Row ecosystem.

Flashback: Last year, Morris floated the idea of not attending the CMA Awards following a dispute with Jason Aldean and his wife Brittany.

She tells the LA Times she's avoiding "stories going on within country music right now."

What she's saying: "The way I grew up was so wrapped in country music, and the way I write songs is very lyrically structured in the Nashville way of doing things. But I think I needed to purposely focus on just making good music and not so much on how we'll market it. The last few records, that's always been in the back of my mind: Will this work in the country music universe?"

"Obviously, being one of the few women that had any success on country radio, everything you do is looked at under a microscope. You're scrutinized more than your male peers, even when you're doing well."

"So I've had to clear all of that out of my head this year and just write songs. A lot of the drama within the community, I've chosen to step outside out of it."

The intrigue: Morris' two-track EP "The Bridge" came out Friday, with two songs written a day apart. The accompanying videos show an artist tending a garden that sends out vines to attack her.

In "The Tree," she strikes a match to presumably burn down the abandoned city's "family tree," only to "realize it's burning itself down without any of my help," she wrote on Instagram.

In "Get the Hell Out of Here," ashes blanket the town. The imagery is obvious: Maren is burned out, but we know from Greek mythology to expect a phoenix rising.

The decorated country singer reflects on taking a "step back" from the Music Row ecosystem.

Maren Morris in 2022. Photo: Rich Fury/Getty Images for Stagecoach

Music

Decorated country singer Maren Morris says she needs a break from the genre.<ul><li>In an interview <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="with the Los Angeles Times" data-vars-click-url="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-09-15/maren-morris-the-bridge-nashville-country-music-leaving" data-vars-content-id="9d85d938-36b2-47af-a7e2-43899b823b3a" data-vars-headline="Maren Morris feels &quot;very distanced&quot; from country music" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-09-15/maren-morris-the-bridge-nashville-country-music-leaving" target="_blank">with the Los Angeles Times</a> this month, Morris reflected on taking a &quot;step back&quot; from the Music Row ecosystem.</li></ul>Flashback: Last year, Morris floated the idea of not attending the CMA Awards following a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="dispute" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/20/entertainment/maren-morris-cmas-country-music-culture/index.html" data-vars-content-id="9d85d938-36b2-47af-a7e2-43899b823b3a" data-vars-headline="Maren Morris feels &quot;very distanced&quot; from country music" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/20/entertainment/maren-morris-cmas-country-music-culture/index.html" target="_blank">dispute</a> with Jason Aldean and his wife Brittany.

Adam Tamburin

Stories

TSU president weighs in on funding shortfall

Maren Morris feels "very distanced" from country music

Axios Nashville looks back on two years of newsletters

Nashville median salaries are dropping as cost of living rises

Vanderbilt calls U.S. News ranking flawed

Newsletter editions

💻 WFH forever

🎉 Our second anniversary

📉 Our paycheck woes

Speedy transition underway

❗️Get ready for Freddie