The 2013 CMA Music Festival contributed a record-setting $31.5 million in direct visitor spending to the local community according to numbers released by the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp.
“The CMA Music Festival is Nashville’s triple-crown,” said Butch Spyridon, President and CEO of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. “It is the city’s largest festival. It generates the most economic impact and it provides prime time, national network exposure. The event continues to grow and evolve and outperform its record success every year.”
Originally started as Fan Fair in 1972 with 5,000 fans in Municipal Auditorium, CMA Fest has grown to a record daily attendance of more than 80,000 people.
“Since moving to downtown Nashville in 2001, CMA Music Festival has been an event that showcases Music City, drives tourism, benefits music education, and generates a strong base of local revenue,” said CMA President of the Board Ed Hardy. “This event has seen tremendous growth and with all the enhancements to the downtown footprint – especially with the opening of the new Music City Center – we have seen unprecedented attendance and the establishment of what has become a world-class music festival for Music City.”
In 2001, the Festival generated $15.5 million in direct visitor spending; in 2012, that figure had grown to $30 million. The Festival also benefits music education through a program called Keep the Music Playing. To date, CMA and The CMA Foundation have contributed more than $7.6 million to supply instruments and musical equipment for all 144 Metro Nashville Public Schools – providing a strong incentive for students to stay in school.
The 2014 CMA Music Festival will take place June 5-8 in Nashville and will again be filmed for a concert special on ABC. Tickets are available now at ticketmaster.com.
