Ready for a shocker? The mayor of Nashville is pro-music. Karl Dean, 59, has helped contribute a $623 million convention center, a 6,500-seat riverfront amphitheater and the 60-unit Ryman Lofts, which provide affordable housing for low-income songwriters, said Billboard. He also talked about Jack White, The Black Keys and tax breaks for the TV show Nashville.
Music City's head honcho recently discussed various aspects of his talented town with Billboard:
On giving tax incentives to the TV show Nashville: It's seen by 8 million to 10 million people on a given night. The attention the city gets, we could never pay for. ... Look at the Bluebird [Cafe's] business, or what the Ryman [Auditorium] is seeing. People want to go the places that have been on the show. A survey by the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. found that of [tourists] who had seen the show, nearly one in five said it was the motivating factor for them to visit.
On the city's specialized music council: We've worked to bring in different conventions. We brought the Grammy nominations show here [in 2012]. I would point to the work we've done with business recruitment — Sony/ATV Music Publishing, for example, is coming downtown, adding 80 jobs.
On how much the city's image has changed since Jack White and The Black Keys moved to town: I don't know if the image has totally changed. Certainly having Jack and them here has been great in underscoring the fact that it's a very diverse music scene. They've all been good ambassadors. And not only is there a rock scene and country music, but you've got a Grammy Award-winning symphony, gospel, Americana ...
On the recently saved RCA Studio A: I was thrilled with what happened with Studio A when Aubrey [Preston and the Leiper's Fork Foundation] bought the building. People want to come to Nashville and see the history. The issue then becomes how to preserve it and what's the right way to do it. In this case, I've said this is a circumstance where the private sector, the philanthropic community, will need to step up. If we can preserve as much as we can of the character and tradition, that's a good thing.
