Axios Nashville

August 23, 2024
It is Friday. You know what that means.
- Today's weather: Sunny with a high of 91.
🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Nashville member Kathy MacLachlan!
Today's newsletter is 826 words — a 3-minute read.
1 big thing: "Nashville" reunion tour celebrates show's impact
Stars from the TV show "Nashville" are reuniting for a mini tour this fall, including a performance at the Ryman Auditorium.
Why it matters: The reunion is a sign of staying power for the show that poured gasoline on the inferno that became Nashville tourism.
- "Nashville" attracted enormous government incentives, boosted regional film production and provided unique earning opportunities to songwriters and musicians.
If you go: The "Nashville" reunion tour will take place at the Ryman on Nov. 23. Tickets are already on sale.
- Charles Esten, Clare Bowen, Sam Palladio and Jonathan Jackson are the "Nashville" alums who will perform at the reunion shows.
The intrigue: Unlike neighboring states Georgia and North Carolina, Tennessee has traditionally eschewed large tax incentives for television and film production. The state and Metro made an exception for "Nashville" for two reasons.
- It was the first long-running, scripted network drama produced in Nashville.
- The show quickly paid off as a tourism advertisement. "Nashville" concluded in 2018 after six seasons.
Between the lines: The show created jobs for hairstylists, sound engineers and other film production crew members. It also relied heavily on Nashville songwriters and musicians, whose songs provided the soundtrack.
- Actors like Esten and Bowen carved out sturdy careers as artists following their star turns on "Nashville."
What he's saying: Colin Reed, executive chairman and former CEO of Ryman Hospitality, which co-produced the show, recalled attending a rocking "Nashville" concert at Royal Albert Hall in London a few years ago.
- "It's mind-blowing," he tells Axios, adding that the show remains popular in places like England, Scotland and Ireland. "There is no doubt this created enormous demand from people who had never frequented the city of Nashville before."
- "They saw what life was like in the city, as it was characterized by these actors and actresses, and folks said, 'We gotta go see it.'"
What we're watching: Reed said the whole objective of Ryman investing in the scripted show was to "show-window the wonderful assets our company has in this city."
- Now that a few years have passed since "Nashville" went off the air, Reed says he could foresee a second iteration of some sort.
- "You could imagine a 'Nashville 2' of sorts, whether that's another show or a movie, that showcases our city."
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2. Show boosted Bluebird Café and other landmarks
Landmarks featured on the show developed a heightened mystique among visitors.
The big picture: "The show 'Nashville' is still having an economic impact on the city," Nashville Songwriters Association International executive director Bart Herbison tells Axios. NSAI owns the Bluebird Café.
- "Our venue revenues rose dramatically as a direct result of the program," Herbison says.
- He added that the Bluebird "still experiences sold-out audiences due in part to it being highlighted in the show."
Zoom in: For instance, tickets to a songwriter round at the Bluebird Café were sometimes hard to come by before "Nashville."
- But, after the show aired, it took lottery-winning luck to snag a seat.
- The show eventually was syndicated, which attracted fans from all over the country and the world.
The bottom line: Other factors — like bachelorette parties and a country music boom — helped the city's leisure tourism industry grow, but top executives say "Nashville" was a primary reason.
3. The Setlist: Gov. Lee stands by CoreCivic
✊ The trio of state lawmakers known as the "Tennessee Three" got bumped from a busy schedule at the final night of the Democratic National Convention. (Tennessean)
🗣️ Gov. Bill Lee defended private prison operator CoreCivic following the revelation of a federal investigation into its Hartsville prison. (Tennessean)
✈️ Southwest is adding three nonstop flights out of BNA in 2025: Indianapolis, Cabo San Lucas and Punta Cana. (Nashville Post, subscription)
🗺️ A federal appeals court upheld Tennessee's new congressional map, ruling it is gerrymandered not racially but politically, which is allowed under the law. (Tennessee Lookout)
4. 🎃 Starbucks declares it's fall


Starbucks is bringing back its pumpkin spice lineup earlier than ever before.
Why it matters: The coffee giant has been reeling from a slowdown in sales in recent months and been under pressure to make changes.
- And that means its fall menu went live yesterday, two days earlier than last year.
The big picture: The pumpkin spice craze was born 21 years ago in 2003 when the pumpkin drink first debuted.
Zoom in: Some Nashville coffee shops have dropped their seasonal lattes earlier, too.
- Donelson's Bagelshop got in the PSL mood this week.
- Poindexter Coffee in the Graduate hotel lobby is offering pumpkin spice and chestnut praline lattes.
Keep reading for the fall drinks available only via the Starbucks app
5. The Friday News Quiz
We're celebrating the weekend's arrival the only way we know how: a quiz.
- What is the last day to visit the Wilson County-Tennessee State Fair?
- What high-society charitable event is the subject of an ongoing federal court battle?
- How much does it cost to borrow a piece of art from the Metro Arts Lending Library?
✍️ Reply to this email with your answers. We'll celebrate the smarties in our Monday newsletter.
Our picks:
🧠 Nate is compelled to deliver you the news you need: His Wordle streak has reached 178.
😥 Adam is sadly only at a 12-day streak because he forgot a day a while back.
This newsletter was edited by Jen Ashley and copy edited by Katie Lewis.
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