Boosting Chattanooga’s Music Scene: A Proposed Legislation Set to Revitalize Tennessee’s Small Music Venues

The Legislation Explained

A recently proposed legislation is creating a buzz in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as it looks to bolster small music venues across the state. House Bill 2712 aims to establish a fund to support small music venues, encouraging not only survival in these challenging times but also, beyond that, enabling these venues to flourish. The Signal, often hailed as a powerful music epicentre in Chattanooga, is among the local venues that could benefit from the bill.

Jeremy Hicks, representing The Signal, holds the view that such funding is a boon not just for music clubs like The Signal, but also for the city as a whole. He presses on the importance of music in promoting growth, culture, and vibrancy within Chattanooga. “Anything we can do to help Chattanooga progress and become more of a robust music town, the better,” Hicks voiced.

The Impact of the Bill

If successful, the legislation would permit smaller music venues across the state to obtain grants for improvements or for potential expansion. The bill prescribes a total fund of $6 million, which would be under the guardianship of the Tennessee Film, Entertainment, and Music Commission.

Johnny Garrett, a sponsor of the bill, asserts the indispensable role of these smaller music venues in stimulating tourism and invigorating economies of cities like Chattanooga. “Those up and coming places in Chattanooga have just as much of a chance of success, because people would rather, in a lot of ways, come to a smaller venue. You feel more a part of the performance,” Garrett expressed.

The bill holds potential benefits not only for the audience and venues but also for artists, offering them a springboard to nationwide, or even global stardom. “Many stars are found in these small venues to become big stars that fill up Bridgestone. And I think this is a good place to keep that heritage here in Tennessee because our whole state is such a music state,” shared Garrett.

The Future Ahead

Jeremy Hicks believes that these provisions could mean bigger venues with more popular artists. “There’s only so many shows that bands can do, and they’re going to hit the largest cities first, and then it’s going to be a matter of what smaller cities they can fit in between. And this could help put Chattanooga more on the map,” he said.

The bill is now on its way to the Calendar and Rules Committee in the House. A companion bill is set for a Senate vote on Thursday.

As a fervent witness, HERE News Network will keep providing updates on this developing story, emphasizing its commitment to providing first-hand, factual, and enlightening news about Chattanoogan and broader Tennessee music scenes.