GA Music Hall of Fame moving to...Woodstock? (Atlanta, Savannah: theater, school)
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Ok, so that probably won't happen, but Woodstock was among the cities that sent representatives to a meeting concerning where the GMHoF might relocate to from Macon. Other cities interested in grabbing the failing tourist spot included Dunwoody, Athens, and Dahlonega.
Would the Hall of Fame do better if it was in the metro area? Or is the thing a waste in itself?
Anywhere in the Metro area is a step up from Macon.
Who goes to Macon (aside from people who lived there, or people moving there for work or retirement)? Really?
How many tourists does Macon attract each year versus Atlanta?
Macon is not a hot spot for tourism, so move the GMHoF to a big city, or one closer to a big city. I'm sure there are plenty of spots in Atlanta that can be used for a future site.
For some reason, I just think the Georgia Music Hall of Fame is a "Georgia Thing" that does not need to be Atlanta.
I think it should be in a second-tier Georgia city. Either stay in Macon--or move to another second-tier city. Augusta, Albany,or Athens are the only other Georgia cities that should have it, if not Macon (deep music history/traditions, etc).
Atlanta needs to focus more on things that encompass the entire American South--and on things that are more national or international in stature. Atlanta is the Capital of the American South--a dynamic world region that functions like a separate country in many ways.
For example, a Southern History Museum/Center should be in Atlanta. A Georgia History Museum/Center could maybe go to Savannah.
The Georgia Aquarium should be renamed the Southern Aquarium.
Let a lot the "Georgia" stuff go to the other cities...and let's try to make the Music Hall of Fame work in a second-tier Georgia city.
Woodstock, Dunwoody, or Dahlonega??? Absolutely not!
Keep it in Macon. I know there's not much there but that town arguably has more of a legitimate claim on Georgia music history than any other city in this state besides maybe Athens. Even more so in my opinion than Atlanta.
Macon couldn't be any more centrally located either. Relocating it to the Atlanta metro would be pointless and make it that much more of a hassle for folks from places like Waycross and Valdosta.
I also think it would have made more sense to put the aquarium in Savannah but that's another issue.
I don't think Georgia music is significant enough to have its own hall of fame. I could understand if we were a state where a specific genre of music was born - such as Washington (Seattle) and the Grunge movement, or California (San Francisco) and physchedelia, or Louisiana (New orleans) and jazz. Yes, Georgia has the Allman Brothers, Otis Redding, R.E.M., the B-52s... basically a random collection. Not something I would go down to Macon to see.
What they need to do is comine all the GA Halls of Fame (music, sports, golf, and whatever else they have) into one facility, maybe call it the Georgia Halls of Fame, and put it by Centennial Park. That is probably the only scenario that would get these facilities off the public dollar. They would at least make enough money off the people who stop by on the way to the aquarium and from school field trips.
If it stays in Macon or goes to any of Georgia's second-tier cities, it will continue to be subsidized.
I don't think Georgia music is significant enough to have its own hall of fame. I could understand if we were a state where a specific genre of music was born - such as Washington (Seattle) and the Grunge movement, or California (San Francisco) and physchedelia, or Louisiana (New orleans) and jazz. Yes, Georgia has the Allman Brothers, Otis Redding, R.E.M., the B-52s... basically a random collection. Not something I would go down to Macon to see.
What they need to do is comine all the GA Halls of Fame (music, sports, golf, and whatever else they have) into one facility, maybe call it the Georgia Halls of Fame, and put it by Centennial Park. That is probably the only scenario that would get these facilities off the public dollar. They would at least make enough money off the people who stop by on the way to the aquarium and from school field trips.
If it stays in Macon or goes to any of Georgia's second-tier cities, it will continue to be subsidized.
I'd have to argue with you as to whether Georgia music deserves its own hall of fame. I think music is one of the things in which this state has actually outpaced just about every other state with its native talent. And that talent runs the gamut from classical to hip hop. Those artists may have moved to NY, Nashville, or LA to make it big but their roots are definitely in Ga.
This guy was born less than 5 miles from where I grew up:
I don't think Georgia music is significant enough to have its own hall of fame.
BOY OH BOY YOU COULD NOT BE MORE WRONG!!! Georgia arguably has one of, if not THE, richest traditions of music in the nation. Just off the top of my head:
Musicians / groups / genres that have their roots in Georgia:
• James Brown, Augusta
• Little Richard, Macon
• Gladys Knight, Atlanta
• Otis Redding, Macon
• Ray Charles, Albany ^^^ You could argue those five R&B icons ALONE warrant a Music Hall of Fame in this state!!!
• Outkast, Atlanta
• TLC, Atlanta
• Monica, Atlanta
• Usher, Atlanta
• Ludacris, Atlanta
• Goode Mob, Atlanta
• L.A. Reid, Atlanta
• Jermaine Dupri, Atlanta
• Young Jeezy, Macon
• Bill Lowery, who created Ray Stevens, Jerry Reed, Billy Joe Royal, Mac Davis and the Atlanta Rhythm Section
• The Allman Brothers, Macon
• Phil Waldren, founder of Macon-based Capricorn Records
• The Black Crowes, Marietta
• REM, Athens
• The B-52s, Athens
• Widespread Panic, Athens
• Drivin N Cryin, Athens
• Derek Trucks, Atlanta
• Indigo Girls, Decatur
• John Mayer, Decatur
• Collective Soul, Stockbridge
• Third Day, Atlanta
• Casting Crowns, McDonough
• Third Day, Marietta
• Arrested Development, Fayetteville
• Chet Atkins, Hamilton
• Trisha Yearwood, Monticello
• Sugarland, Atlanta
• Travis Tritt, Dallas
• Alan Jackson, Newnan
• Kansas, Peachtree City
• Billy Currington, Rincon
• Doug Stone, Newnan
• John Berry, Athens
• Jessye Norman, Augusta
• Robert Shaw, Atlanta
• The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
• The Atlanta Boy Choir
• The Georgia Mass Gospel Choir
• The Atlanta Boy Choir
• Sea Island Gospel Shouters
• Shape Note Sacred Harp music
And the Georgia Music Hall of Fame should absolutely stay in Macon, a city that gave rise to the music industry in this state first (before Athens) and remains the most centrally located. They just need to do a better job of marketing/funding the place.
One of the problems I see with earlier comments is they are focusing on ideas like having the hall of fame in the middle of the state or the aquarium should be close to the coast. There is a couple of flaws to this logic. You have to go to where 1) the money is and 2) where visitors are!.
The Aquarium in Atlanta had lots of private funds supported from the Atlanta area. It recovers alot of revenue from an extremely high number of visitors that Savannah could never generate. Atlanta is a HUGE convention city and has an extremely high number of business travelers. All are looking to be entertained after hours.
Macon might be in the middle of the state, but I don't think there are too many people who travel out of there way to go Macon to see the museum.
Woodstock would be an odd place for it to go. Dunwoody... I am sure they are thinking they have lots of business travelers, but nothing entertaining in that area and Downtown is half an hour away. They also are positioned in the middle of Atlanta's favored quater/northern suburbs, so a large local population
Athens has a good local music culture today. Largely thanks to all the young people who live there. However, I am not sure how many travelers really go through Athens that would take advantage of the museum. It might run into the same problem it does in Macon where it needs to be heavily subsidized.
It is a relatively small museum though. So it might be something a smaller city could subsidize to try to make their city more attractive and have more events/foster a local culture. If that is the case it sounds like the local cities are going to have to foot the bill. One thing is sure... If a place like Macon or Augusta gets it and pays for it, then they should definitely spend some money trying to foster music events/local culture and make the effects of the museum help the cities economy outside the walls of the museum itself.
I don't think the museum would help make Athens' scene any better. They already have lots of local music venues and if there are tourists the museum will be competing with the 40 Watt and the Georgia Theater (when it is rebuilt) and the other hundred bars with small bands.
^^^ UH ... The Georgia Music Hall of Fame is already IN Macon. It's been there for about 15 years, downtown, right next door to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. The placement being:
1. Macon is the most centrally located city in the state, and thus accessible to all Georgians equally.
2. It's on the I-75 corridor to Florida, which is the busiest stretch of interstate highway in the country and prime location for attracting stop-over tourists coming and going.
^^^ UH ... The Georgia Music Hall of Fame is already IN Macon. It's been there for about 15 years, downtown, right next door to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. The placement being:
1. Macon is the most centrally located city in the state, and thus accessible to all Georgians equally.
2. It's on the I-75 corridor to Florida, which is the busiest stretch of interstate highway in the country and prime location for attracting stop-over tourists coming and going.
Umm... yea that is why the state is complaining about having to subsidize it so much....
The I-75 corridor is busy as a whole, but its a really long highway and it is far busier in other parts. The other confusing thing about this one particular argument is I-75 travels the whole state north to south, so by this logic the museum could go in many places.
Besides that...
Macon has far fewer business travelers/tourists and weaker airport connections.
If Macon makes a pitch to keep it they are going to need to put some money down and might want to rethink how to integrate the museum to the city to make it affect the economy better. The state of Georgia is basically saying they are done paying for it, so they are not concerned with putting money down to make sure it is in the geographic center of Georgia. (land center...not population center)
The other problem I have with this argument is "it is accessible to all Georgians equally." How many Georgians from across the state really make trips across the state to see this place? I'm sure a few do, but with all said I don't think many do. I think it is better for it to go in a place where it will get the most visitors. The most use. The best economic benefit to an area. Places where people are already traveling to.
Museums are usually places people see when they live in town... or happen to be in town for other reasons.
The benefit Macon has is they don't have to pay the capital expenses of a new building and moving. The other cities would, but Macon would have to come up with the money for operations and it is a smaller city with fewer travelers and less money.
Truth be told... I am not even sure if Dunwoody will end up putting this much money into this. Woodstock... doesn't make sense to me. It is suburban town and not much of a destination center.
Dahlonega has lots of tourists, but it is a much smaller city and has a smaller budget then Macon.
I'm a little surprised there hasn't been much interest from Savannah to be honest. There is a bigger population with in half an hour drive than Macon. It is very much a city that draws tourists looking for things to do. It has a small business base and better airport use/connections. The other thing is... it is the oldest part of Georgia. Many people travel there and end up hearing about the history of Georgia.
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