Shoreline Funk All-Stars performs at the 2023 Brite Winter . Brite Winter is one of the region's local music success stories, drawing thousands of fans to Cleveland's Flats each year for an outdoor winter music festival. Some familiar faces and organizations are launching a new effort to measure the economic impact of the live music and entertainment industries across the region.
Watterson and Barber have had front-row seats for the ups and downs of venue ownership — particularly during “unprecedented times” presented by the coronavirus pandemic — and want to land on the healthiest and most economically viable version of the live entertainment scene as possible., a Cleveland-based economic development think tank since January 2022.
Barber said from her perspective, long-term success for Cleveland’s scene also hinges on two key things.involved is getting the kind of support they need. We’re lucky to have such an incredible cultural community and supportive community. Now, we need to bring population back into the city and to build up more of a consciousness to go out and see live music,” Barber added.
She said there’s “a lot of disjointedness that’s been identified in this particular industry in Don’s past census projects. [Visual] artists have galleries and often a nonprofit structure supporting them, whereas other live entertainment like music doesn’t.” “Happy Dog Takes on Independent Venues: Measuring the Impact of Independent Venues and the Live Entertainment Ecosystem.”Mourning [A] BLKstar performed at the Beachland Ballroom on Friday, Nov. 19.