NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Music City has upped to its ability to attract musicians by building a new destination for artists.
Construction is underway on a new live entertainment campus in north Nashville. On Tuesday, leaders with Rock Lititz, a Pennsylvania-based company that creates music production communities, celebrated the groundbreaking of a multimillion-dollar facility dubbed Rock Nashville.
Clik here to view.
"Nashville was kind of like a no-brainer to us," CEO and President of Rock Lititz and Rock Nashville, Andrea Shirk, told News 2. "It's always obviously been the home to country music, but I think it's really grown into much more of a global music destination."
The 55-acre facility is being built on Whites Creek Pike. The facility will offer state-of-the-art resources to musicians: more than a dozen band and production studios, two arena and amphitheater sized rehearsal spaces and room for thirty industry vendors, among other resources.
📧 Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts →
"So many people start their music careers here in Nashville," Shirk said. "and "Being here in this community just really feels like a place where we can connect with those who are just starting their journey and those who have really made it."
Clik here to view.
Both the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) and Soundcheck have partnered with the project.
"We provided a $5 million grant to help support the infrastructure costs," TNECD commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter told News 2. "This is a larger, much larger project...[It's a] small part we're playing in this, but we wanted to be supportive."
Construction will be ongoing on the project until completion, which is anticipated for November 2025. The site is also not far from residential neighborhoods.
News 2 spoke with the Metro Councilmember for District 2, Kyonzte Toombs, who said that an advisory board had been created to help both residents and developers understand how this project would change the area.
Clik here to view.
"Obviously when you have a large development that's not too far from a residential area, there are going to be concerns about traffic, there were concerns about it kind of sort of being an industrial project," Toombs said. "There was a lot of conversation about how this project is different, that it's not just giant warehouses going up. It's music, its music production, its local artists and how that contributes to the area."
State leaders said that more than 40,000 people across the state work in the music and entertainment industry, with a heavy concentration in Music City. Project leaders said that they hope Rock Nashville will create a ripple effect that leads to more growth and more jobs in the area.
