With its flashy new skyscrapers, big name business transplants, and near-constant attention from a fascinated national media, Nashville’s huge development over the last decade has been impressive. But for many people, the charm beneath that growth was small-scale in nature: the local music scene.
But the growth came at a cost: Key pieces of Nashville’s charm have been lost along the way. The locally-owned music venues, record stores, and the like, which have long been a vibrant and vital part of the community, barely survived the pandemic, emerging just to battle new corporate competition. Two years after COVID-19 signaled the beginning of the independent end times, the biggest threat to the local music scene may actually be Nashville’s real estate boom.
Locals got the sad news that the Mercy Lounge complex will leave Cannery Row in May, ending 20 years of shows that featured everyone from one-gig garage bands to Snoop Dogg, Katy Perry, and more. The building was reportedly sold for $32 million in 2019, and the venues it housed (Mercy Lounge, Cannery Ballroom, and High Watt) will now attempt relocation.
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Meanwhile, another of the city’s iconic indie rooms only narrowly survived its own re- development scare, with public support forcing the Exit/In building’s new owners to seek historic landmark designation. The 50-year-old venue nearly became another boutique hotel, and though it will now carry on, there are no guarantees on how long. And co-owner Chris Cobb says they’re not alone.
“If we’re being really honest, every independent venue in this city that’s leasing its property is probably highly endangered,” Cobb says. “What’s gonna happen is, everybody’s gonna wake up in two years and ask, ‘Where did all our music venues go?’”
That would be “terribly ironic,” Cobb goes on, since the “living, breathing ecosystem of working class creative people” is what makes Nashville special to begin with. That ecosystem is built around places to play, and it’s fragile.
Others like The Basement and Basement East are feeling the pressure, too, and according to co- owner Mike Grimes, audience levels still haven’t rebounded since fans were forced to stay home in 2020. New residents have arrived since then, but when they go out, they’re just as likely to visit new spots like Germantown’s Brooklyn Bowl.
“Now there are so many choices of venues to go to,” Grimes says, “and there’s only a finite number of people who want to go see a bunch of local bands, you know? I don’t think the audience for local live music is increasing commensurate with the number of people who are moving to town. ... And as much as people say they want to get out and go see live music when the pandemic is over, well, it’s not over.”
Still, both of Grimes’ venues are up and running, and new technology is helping add revenue through things like the live streaming of shows. But Grimes says all the tech in the world will never replace an in-person experience, and that’s a good thing. He’s confident the scene will return to normal eventually, and has no plans of throwing in the towel.
“Oh I love it, I’m a lifer,” he says. “There are scenarios, like if the Basement ever had to close because they sold the building – which will happen at some point. But we’d just open it somewhere else. Failure is not an option, and the passion for what we do on the small scale is part of the fabric of who we are. Tuesday night for New Faces Night is my favorite night of every week.”
Likewise, retail music stores have mostly held their ground, especially as vinyl purchases increased with the onset of the pandemic. But again, property values are just so high that landlords are having a hard time not pulling the trigger on their investments. One local shop knows what that’s like, as East Nashville’s The Groove has started a GoFundMe in hopes of buying its building – and saving the business.
Co-owner Michael Combs explains that after purchasing The Groove from its founders in 2017, he and partner Jesse Cartwright have run it almost entirely by themselves, focused on a mission of building community through the love of music. The store’s Twitter bio describes it as “The original East Nashville record store. Established 2007. Queer owned. We welcome all freaks, weirdos and losers.”
Handling every part of the business personally, Combs and Cartwright safely steered The Groove through the pandemic, and are still surviving as margins evaporate due to inflation and the supply-chain crunch. But now, their building will be sold out from under them, if they can’t come up with $500,000 by January 31.
“A half million dollars is a lot of money to us,” Combs says. “For people who know a little more about the Nashville real-estate market, maybe it isn’t. But we’re an owner-run business, so that’s a lot.”
It’s the same problem being faced by small- business owners all over the city – and put bluntly, it’s threatening the very thing that made Nashville so desirable in the first place. If we lose these one-of-kind-gems, and let them be replaced by cookie cutter corporate knock offs (or worse), would Nashville maintain its underlying appeal?
The only reason The Groove even has the opportunity to save itself – desperate as it may be – is that it has “first right of refusal” in its lease, but many others do not. Combs and Cartwright are cautiously optimistic they’ll raise the funds, and seem pessimistic about affording the inevitable rent increase by moving elsewhere if they don’t. But no matter what, they’re grateful to a community who have supported them all along, especially in these last two years.
“Just a huge thank you from Jesse and me,” Combs says. “It’s been overwhelming in a good way the massive support, the phone calls and emails, people telling us how much they love us and how important The Groove is to the Nashville music scene. It’s been amazing and validates that you’re doing something right.”
Grimes and Cobb seem to agree. It may be harder than ever to make it on your own in Music City, but they say this town is worth the fight.
“All these challenges aside, creatives are gonna create,” Cobb says. “We need to support them, but they’re going to do what they do because it’s inside them to do it, and that’s a beautiful thing.” “I got involved doing this stuff over 20 years ago,” Grimes adds, “and I still love every single day – despite the bumps in the road that are constant. All those things aside, the passion remains. This too shall pass, and then we’ll be back to normal.”