Norman, Oklahoma – best known (until now) for college football – is going all-in on a music and entertainment megaplex as its economic Hail Mary. The city council just approved a phased plan for a $1 billion entertainment district complete with a multipurpose arena, performance venue, outdoor plaza, hotel and retail village. More than $600 million of that is coming from public TIF financing (so essentially betting the farm on future tax...
Who says beach towns can’t rock? Ocean City, Maryland – better known for boardwalk fries and summer tourists – is launching its first-ever Boardwalk Rock Festival. The two-day music fest hit the sand this weekend with an “epic lineup of rock’s biggest names” (their words) to jumpstart the season. It’s brought to you by the same folks behind the successful Oceans Calling country music festival, so the city is hoping for a similar...
There are thousands of music related events around the country every year, but very few even make the cut for consideration for TheMusicCities inaugural list. We're not interested here in the big, famous music festivals like Coachella or Ultra. We want events that contribute year-round to a place's identity as one of TheMusicCities. Music events that make you think of a place, and make you want to visit that place for its music even when the...
