Charlotte is becoming a music destination
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Confluence 2023. Photo: Jake Rothwell/courtesy of Confluence
Charlotte's expanding music scene reflects the city's growth — you know we love to brag that 117 people move to the area daily.
Why it matters: A thriving music scene helps give a growing city a distinct personality. Charlotte's played host to big-name artists like Beyoncé and Post Malone in recent years, and industry insiders are working to foster growth of the city's homegrown talent, too.
Driving the news: To help grow connections in the industry, highlight local artists and educate the public on the local music scene, Charlotte Center City Partners this week will host Confluence, a music industry conference and showcase festival.
- It runs Oct. 9-11 at various locations throughout the city.
What to expect: There will be workshops about how to book and play shows, plus conversations about running a venue and roundtable talks with experts.
- The kick-off party is Oct. 9 at Visulite Theatre with performances from Isaac Hadden and Anella Herim.
- There will be a free block party with live music and vendors on Friday, Oct. 11, from 3:30-6:30pm in the lot between The Hamilton and VBGB at the music factory.
- The conference will also feature a songwriter showcase on Saturday, Oct. 12, at Evening Muse from 1-3pm. See a list of artists performing here.
- Find the full music schedule here and the full conference schedule here.
If you go: Confluence runs through Oct. 11 at AvidXchange Music Factory (1000 North Carolina Music Factory Blvd.) and at music venues throughout Charlotte. An event pass starts at $40.
Zoom out: Charlotte hosted the inaugural Lovin' Life Music Fest in Uptown this past spring, opened the Amp, a new music venue in Ballantyne last September, and continues to host big-name acts at Bank of America Stadium.
- [Go deeper: Music stars to perform in Charlotte to benefit western North Carolina]
- The city also has a growing number of new intimate venues putting on live music, like Eighty Eights, a new jazz lounge and bar near NoDa, as well as Goldie's in Lower South End.
What they're saying: "The pace at which the music offerings are expanding is pretty significant compared to what we've seen in the past," Charlotte Center City Partners chief marketing officer Rick Thurmond tells Axios.
- "There's a lot of us that have been working on that, and it's really about creating the conditions for that to happen."
The big picture: Confluence is a way for people to discover local venues, says Thurmond, a frequent visitor of Evening Muse in NoDa.
The bottom line: There are more places to play and experience live music in Charlotte, and that makes it an attractive place to be, Thurmond says.
Between the lines: Confluence will showcase speakers and two performing bands from western North Carolina, all of whom organizers say are OK and still plan to participate.
- At least half of event merchandise sales will be donated to Helene disaster relief efforts, and you'll be able to donate more during your purchase if you want.
- There will also be raffle for goods like concert tickets. Proceeds from the raffle will benefit relief efforts.
- Asheville Music Professionals is creating a relief fund, which Confluence organizers says they will support.
Go deeper: How to support western N.C. communities devastated by Helene