Creating an Art/Music District in Your Town

If only we call could live in the vibrant atmosphere of an artistic city such as New York City or Austin, Texas. However, many of us live in smaller towns, but still want that artistic outlet. Here are the basic steps toward achieving an art/music district in your town.

Meet People

The first, and most important, step to beginning this process is knowing people. You're going to have to form connections between local artists, bands, venues, and people who would be interested in attending. This is vital because if there's no one to provide the arts, there is no art district, and likewise, if there is no one to attend, all your planning is for no reason. So start going to shows, talk to people who are in attendance, then talk to the musicians. Ask if they know any artists. This is all about networking. Don't be shy, artists are always happy to help people who are interested in their work and you'll meet lots of friends along the way. Get their contact information and tell them you'd like to talk about a project. Don't discriminate against certain types of music or art. There's a crowd for every type of art show and music scene and bringing people together will ensure your success.

Form a Group

Find like-minded people who are interested in the cause. You'll need a group to be truly successful. You're going to need someone in charge of communication between bands and venues, someone in charge of flyers and hype, and other people who are ready to help schedule events and set things up.

Define the Location

Once you have your group together, you're going to need to define the location of your art/music district or the group of venues you'd like to use. Try to find bars/restaurants that have more of an artistic flair. They're more likely to be on board with bringing in live music and featuring an art exhibit.

Negotiate between artists, bands, and venues

Now that you've decided the locations you'd like to use, you're going to need to start talking to the managers. Ask them if they'd be interested in featuring live music or hang up local art. If your venues are in close proximity to one another, you may want to form one large event such as an "art walk" where you have street performers, and people can freely move from one venue to the next to sample all the music/ view the art. This can arouse public interest and make it more likely for people to come back. Think of it as a "grand opening" for the new arts/music scene. Once you know which venues will be on board, you'll want to begin negotiations. Bands typically want some kind of compensation for playing, while sometimes it's hard to get them cash. It's important to try to keep any cover price low, otherwise it might discourage attendees too early in the process. Perhaps ask them to play for free for the first event, then negotiate pay for the next show if both the venue and band think it's a good fit.

Advertising

Now that you've got the band, venues, and artists in place, you've got to get people to the event. You can put up flyers, ask local shops and restaurants if you can leave some flyers by the cash register or put them up in the window. Create Facebook events and have everyone involved invite all of their friends. You're going to want to promote this heavily to get the maximum amount of people to come out. The key is to make sure everyone sees how fun it would be to have a music/arts scene, so they'll keep coming back.

"Grand Opening"

To make sure that everything runs smoothly, you may want to post a few people from your group at each venue. This will ensure that there's a point of communication between the venue and the band/artists. This can also be a good thing, because if people have questions about the event or future plans, you'll have a representative ready to give the necessary information.

Planning such an event takes a lot of work and commitment, but the payoff is huge. More people than you think will appreciate the event, and having some kind of arts outlet can make living in a town so much better. It's nice to have a thriving social scene similar to those found in bustling cities. So give it a try, the more you do it, the more you'll figure out how to tweak your plan and get the best response!