Civic groups unite in effort to make Indianapolis a 'music city'

Representatives of Musical Family Tree, a nonprofit organization designed to "spread Indiana music," pose a three-question exercise when meeting with local residents:

1. Who's eaten at a specific trendy restaurant?
2. Who's sampled a specific buzzed-about Hoosier beer?
3. What about local music — who's attended any show or purchased any album?

Many hands are raised in response to the first two questions, especially when compared with the muted reaction for No. 3.

Whether the general public lacks awareness or interest in the Indianapolis music community, civic leaders are trying to figure out a way to improve the situation.

"It should be as much of a part of our quality of life," said Jim Rawlinson, project manager for a new initiative titled Indy Music Strategy. "It is in other cities where music is successful."

Rawlinson sings and plays guitar in the rock band Maravich, and he serves in the leadership of Musical Family Tree. He also works for Indy Chamber, one of four organizations splitting the $155,000 cost for a study focused on an "ecosystem" assessment of music in the city and its economic impact.

The city of Indianapolis, Visit Indy and the Central Indiana Community Foundation are joining Indy Chamber in paying for a site visit this month by researchers from Sound Diplomacy, a London-based music policy consulting firm.

There’s more than artistic pride at stake, Rawlinson said. The payoff for becoming known as a “music city” arrives when people want to live in the area and have reasons to stick around.

Sound Diplomacy, a company that has worked with about a dozen U.S. cities and regions, spotlights music’s ability to generate economic growth, increase tax revenues, attract talent and improve quality of life. Sound Diplomacy made its first visit to Indianapolis in May 2018, when it presented a Music Cities Forum in Fountain Square.

A question of identity

Among midsize cities, Indianapolis competes for industry, conventions and tourism dollars against Nashville, Tennessee; Austin, Texas; Denver; Columbus, Ohio; and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Music fans will recognize two of these cities as having iconic identities. Nashville is the "country music capital of the world." Austin is the "live music capital of the world."

Azucena Micó, who is visiting Indianapolis in the role of Sound Diplomacy's senior project manager, said she believes every city has a musical identity, "but it needs to be explained."

Micó didn't know about the towering jazz legacy of Indiana Avenue and musicians such as Wes Montgomery, Freddie Hubbard and J.J. Johnson before arriving here.

"I think a lot of storytelling needs to be done in the city to support the music strategy," she said. "I was surprised to learn of all the jazz history, for instance. It’s not that it’s hidden, but it’s not explained."

Micó also complimented Fountain Square as a neighborhood where music is embraced and celebrated instead of being viewed as a nuisance.

Although Rawlinson acknowledged the perception of music lagging behind the city's dining scene and craft beer explosion, he expressed optimism about closing the gap.

"We have a strong artist community," he said. "We have a great music audience."

Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center in Hamilton County ranked No. 1 in the world for concert tickets sold (588,023) at amphitheaters in 2018, Pollstar magazine reported. In 2017, Pollstar ranked Bankers Life Fieldhouse as the No. 57 arena in the world (351,368 tickets sold).

Rawlinson said it would be significant if a fraction of people who check out national acts at those venues gave local acts a try at spots such as the Hi-Fi, State Street Pub, Healer, the Mousetrap, the Jazz Kitchen and the Vogue.

Crunching the numbers

Through the collection of data, Sound Diplomacy intends to map the city's ecosystem of performance spaces, recording studios, record stores and similar entities.

Micó spent this week moderating roundtable discussions of music stakeholders, and an upcoming public survey will harvest more information about the music community. Sign up for the survey at sounddiplomacy.com/Indianapolis.

Additional private-donor funding of $50,000 is needed to complete Indy Music Strategy's work before 2020. The final phase includes an economic impact report, marketing and tourism strategy and implementation recommendations.

“What we really want to do is get the best understanding of what’s going on here and then use that,” Rawlinson said. “You can impose a marketing strategy onto anything, but it won’t be authentic or successful if we don’t have the data to back it up.”

The city's music landscape is evolving. A new permanent stage is coming to the Farm Bureau Lawn at White River State Park next summer. Renovation plans at Bankers Life Fieldhouse likely will knock out summer concerts at the venue from 2020 to 2022.

Blueprints for the Bottleworks District on Mass Ave. include a performance area in the food hall.

The city's roster of vibrant grassroots music festivals added Woo Grl in April and the first Buzz/Cut Queer Music Fest will happen in September. 

Infrastructure addition

Soundspace, a "music co-working" business, will open this fall at the Circle City Industrial Complex northeast of Bottleworks.

Co-founded by Richard Anderson III and Aaron Hogan, Soundspace is offering three levels of monthly memberships — connect, rehearse and record — as an alternative for musicians who otherwise rent rehearsal spaces or buy time at recording studios.

“We’re building out something that’s lowering the barriers for entry for musicians locally,” Anderson said.

Anderson grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania, and he studied neuroscience and biotechnology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. He cultivated an entrepreneurial approach while studying at Stanford University's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. 

“I fell in love with Indianapolis and a lot of the things going on here,” Anderson said. “It feels like things are happening left and right. For somebody who is up and coming or wants to really start something or grow something, I think it provides a lot of fertile ground.”

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Call IndyStar reporter David Lindquist at 317-444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.