Huntsville's music investment pays off
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Matt Mandrella said "Huntsville's music strategy is working, and now we have the numbers to prove it." Photo: Derek Lacey/Axios
Eight years after kickstarting an effort to develop its musical identity, Huntsville is seeing a big return on its investment.
Why it matters: That return is coming in the form of hundreds of millions in economic output and a major increase in creative jobs, all while bringing in big acts and a steady lineup of events for locals.
The latest: Music officer Matt Mandrella, Mayor Tommy Battle and urban and economic development director Shane Davis spoke to media Tuesday to unveil the findings of a follow-up audit on Huntsville's music scene.
- "Today, when someone hears Huntsville, Alabama, they're just as likely to think of the world-class performances ... as they are about rockets and research," Battle said.
By the numbers: Today, there are more than 2,200 annual music events on Huntsville's calendar, the number Mandrella said he's most proud of.
- The audit found that Huntsville's music sector is now an economic force in its own right, supporting 3,047 jobs — 2.8% of all jobs in Huntsville — as well as generating $278.2 million in economic output.
- Eight years ago, that figure was 982 jobs and an economic output of $191.2 million, and the city has gone from 92 live music assets to 215, with a total of 163 mapped music assets, up from 132.
- Those 2018 numbers have been adjusted for inflation, too, Mandrella noted.
Context: "The most humbling feedback we hear from touring artists and local artists is that Huntsville doesn't just show up as fans, we show up as a community," Mandrella said. "They feel welcome, they feel supported, and increasingly, they feel like this is a place where they could build a life and not just play a show."
- The city has "successfully leveraged its cultural assets to drive profound economic prosperity," the audit says, calling it "a triumph of strategic vision and community spirit."
Catch up quick: London-based consulting firm Sound Diplomacy, which features a photo of the Orion Amphitheater on its website's home page, conducted the initial audit as well.
- The 2018 audit resulted in the creation of the Huntsville Music Office, the Orion Amphitheater, the South Star festival and more.
- "What we realized through this audit was where we could take Huntsville in a creative way, how we could advance the quality of life, how we could attract the best and the brightest from a workforce standpoint," Davis said.
- Misconceptions officials ran into early on are evaporating. For example, Mandrella said, the city hasn't been confused with Huntsville, Texas, in a couple years.
Driving the news: A big part of the Music Office's success is peer-to-peer feedback between artists and their teams, Mandrella told Axios.
- "If agents know their bands are having a great experience, they're going to intentionally start routing them through here," he said.
The bottom line: "I think it's safe to say that it's working beyond our expectations," Mandrella said.