News Category: Festival

Tis the season for the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Artist Reveal! 12 days, 12 bands, all leading up to Christmas! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or visit us here daily for a sneak peak at the 2016 lineup preview!

Bristol Rhythm Generates $16 Million in Economic Impact

The BCM revealed results of an economic impact study of the 2015 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival at a presentation held at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. The analysis was prepared by Destination Services, a professional destination consulting service based in Saint Charles, Missouri. During the presentation it was revealed that Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion generates approximately $16 million in total economic impact for the cities of Bristol TN/VA and the surrounding region.

The purpose of the study is to estimate the economic impacts of the 2015 Bristol Rhythm and Roots in Bristol VA/TN during the period September 18-20, 2015. The 2015 attendance to Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion (BRRR) was 49,896.

Results of Economic Impact Analysis

Direct visitor spending at BRRR is $9.86 million that has an indirect spending impact of $2.86 million, and an induced spending impact of $3.34 million, for a total economic impact on the BRRR area of $16.06 million.

Direct business taxes generated by direct visitor spending in the BRRR area is $1.13 million that has an indirect tax impact effect of $117,407, and an induced tax impact of $202,255, for a total business tax impact as a result of visitor spending at BRRR of $1.45 million.

Direct labor income (paychecks) generated by visitor spending at BRRR is $3.21 million, and an indirect worker income (paycheck) effect of $915,575, and an induced worker income (paycheck) impact of $1.06 million, for a total labor income (paycheck) impact of $5.19 million.

Direct jobs generated by visitor spending in the BRRR area are 125 jobs, which in turn generate 24 indirect jobs, and an induced jobs impact of 29 jobs, for a total job impact of visitor spending at the BRRR of 178 full-time, full-year equivalent jobs.

Direct impacts are defined as those attributed specifically to the new spending by visitors in the BRRR area. Direct spending impacts occur when visitors from outside the BRRR area purchase goods and services directly from sectors like hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, attractions, events & festival, and transportation business. For example, spending by visitors to the BRRR area at area restaurants leads to the employment of wait staff, cooks, and cashiers, and direct labor incomes (paychecks) of these employees.

1. Indirect impacts arise from businesses expenditures on raw materials, services, supplies, utilities, and other operating expenses which go to help support jobs in these businesses. For example, a restaurant may have increased sales from visitors to the BRRR, thus requiring more purchases from food service wholesalers and, potentially more utilities, accounting and marketing services from other local businesses. These indirect impacts also have an impact on jobs created in businesses that supply raw materials and services, like additional jobs in the utilities, and restaurant food wholesale business. Thus the size of the firm’s indirect impact on local incomes depends primarily on the dollar value of locally produced goods and services, and whether or not these same goods and services are locally produced or imported into the community by businesses outside the community. The visitor spending multiplier the model uses for the indirect impacts is 1.63, in other words for every dollar spent by visitor to the BRRR area, an additional $0.63 in economic activity is generated in the BRRR area.

2. Induced impacts or ripple effects are created in the area when new worker income and paychecks generated by the direct and indirect is spent and re-spent in the local area economy. For example, part of the paychecks workers earn (because of visitor spending) will be spent on housing. When a restaurant employee rents an apartment in the Bristol VA/TN area, a portion of the rent payment will be used to pay local employees of the apartment complex. These apartment complex employees will spend a portion of their income in the local community on groceries, housing, utilities, and transportation, thus adding to the amount of local personal income attributable to the firm’s activities. In turn paychecks are earned from employees in the grocery, housing, utilities and transportation firms that each generate subsequent rounds of spending, all attributable by the initial injection of direct spending by visitors to the BRRR.

2. Total impacts = direct impacts + indirect impacts + induced impacts. The input-output model used to generate indirect and induced impacts is the IMPLAN input-output model for the designated area of the BRRR. Input-output models analyze the interdependence of industries and institutions through market based transactions. Output from the model includes descriptive measures of the total industry output, indirect spending, indirect business taxes, indirect labor income (paychecks), and indirect jobs created. The model also estimates the induced or ripple multiplier effect of induced spending, induced business taxes, induced worker incomes (paychecks), and induced jobs created through the re-spending and ripple effect on the area economy.

Bristol, VA/Tenn. (April 22, 2015) — Birthplace of Country Music (BCM), parent organization of Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, revealed a stellar lineup of artists for the 15th annual festival. The 3-day music celebration honoring Bristol’s unique music history as the site of the legendary 1927 Bristol Sessions will be held September 18 — 20, 2015 in Historic Downtown Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia.

Deborah Denney, this year’s festival chairwoman, welcomed media, city leaders, and visitors to the press conference held Wednesday in the Performance Theater at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. A festival volunteer for more than a decade, Denney talked about how the festival has grown and stressed the important role volunteers play at the event.

“We had more than 60,000 visitors, artists, vendors, and volunteers last year,” said Denney. “Already we’ve seen an increase in ticket sales from this time last year. Volunteers are the backbone of the Reunion and we are grateful to everyone who has served.”

BCM Executive Director, Leah Ross talked about additions and changes to this year’s event, as well as old favorites that will return.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been 15 years since we held our first Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion,” said Ross. “Every year we listen to our visitors and volunteers to see what can be improved upon and added for the following year, and what they enjoyed. Among the improvements planned for this year’s festival: increased shuttle services and tent camping options.”

Measures will be taken to ensure more buses and better communication in order to help decrease wait times at shuttle stops for those who choose to park remotely or camp. The new RFID wristbands used last year helped to identify peak times when buses were needed and where the heavy entry points were. This will play a major role in developing a strategic plan to better serve our visitors.

Ross also discussed plans to remove the Dance Tent Stage in order to relieve congestion on State Street and accommodate growing attendance. It will be replaced by a larger outdoor stage (similar to the 6th Street Stage) to be located in the parking lot at Shelby and 7th Streets.

“With the 100-year-old L. C. King factory and the old Bristol Post Office within view, an outdoor stage at that location adds a fresh atmosphere for visitors who may have only viewed those landmarks in passing upon entering or exiting the festival. The buildings and their past are part of Bristol’s unique history.”

BCM is partnering with Thunder Mountain Campground and Holston River Brewing Company to bring festival-goers a unique camping experience during Bristol Rhythm that includes 100 primitive campsites, pop-up, camper, and RV camping packages, and after-hours entertainment at the brewery. Packages will be sold exclusively through www.BristolRhythm.com. Thunder Mountain will provide limited shuttle service to and from the festival, and event shuttle buses will also provide services to the site. Holston River Brewing Company is located near Bristol Motor Speedway on Volunteer Parkway beside Earhart Campground. Shuttle service is also provided for carpoolers who choose the free parking option at Earhart Campground.

Visitors will be getting more information about a special partnership with Music Maker Relief Foundation and an outdoor exhibit at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum during the festival. Located downtown but outside festival gates, visitors are urged to tour the museum to learn more about Bristol’s history as the birthplace of country music and see the special exhibit “New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music.”

Several Reunion favorites will return this year. This includes the festival’s free Children’s Day events in Cumberland Square Park. With more than 800 participants and growing, the 5k Run/2 Mile Fun Walk isn’t going anywhere. However, there will be routing changes in 2015. The start/finish line will move to Anderson Street Park. Changes will be made to the route but will still take participants through both states. Amateur chefs will still be cookin’ at the tastiest competition at Bristol Rhythm, the Chili Cook-off. BCM will also bring back the popular Wernick Method Bluegrass Jam Camp and Youth Music Competition. Applications and entry forms can be found at www.bristolrhythm.com.

A festival tradition since its inception, the annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion poster artwork is an event in itself. Each year fans are as anxious to collect the poster — and poster t-shirts — as they are to see the lineup. This year the award-winning fantasy artist Charles Vess was contracted for the design and helped present framed prints to the mayors of Bristol, Tennessee and Virginia, Lea Powers and Catherine Brillhart, respectively.

Following the poster presentation, Bristol Rhythm Music Committee Chairman Brent Treash was called to reveal the 15th annual artist line-up, saving top headliners until last.

“As Music Committee Chair, I can say with all honesty that every year I am surprised by what we are able to achieve,” said Treash. “We are a festival that appeals to today’s youth and more mature listeners. We do our best to balance the music so it has broad appeal, and that’s very exciting.”

CLICK HERE TO VIEW 2015 BRISTOL RHYTHM & ROOTS REUNION LINEUP