2018-031 Performing Art Centers and Live Music Venues in DentonDate: March 16, 2018 Report No. 2018-031
INFORMAL STAFF REPORT TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT: Information on performing arts centers in surrounding communities and an update on live music
venues in Denton.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This Informal Staff Report was prepared in response to a February 27, 2018, Council request for
information on assessing the community’s desire for a performing arts center for live music and
other performances and also the perceived changes to the availability of music venues in Denton.
Specifically, what is happening with the live music scene in Denton and what the City can do to
support or encourage it.
Staff researched types of live music and performance venues and found they fall into several
categories, which include: performing arts centers, small venues, mid-size venues, sports arenas
(which are also leased for music events) and entertainment complexes. Denton’s live music
scene falls into the small venue category (seats less than 300).
The City recently has been certified as a “Music Friendly Community” through the Texas
Governor’s Office and has begun exploring how to better assist musicians and related industries
in Denton. Some of the options include:
• Are any current ordinances barriers for musicians or the industry
• Research incentives in other cities or states that Denton could consider to subsidize music
endeavors
• Assist in educating venue owners on livable wages
• Assist with affordable housing
• Study fiber and wi-fi needs to support music industry related businesses
• Low input options to make musicians’ experiences better (i.e., musician-only loading zones during certain hours, musician-friendly hotel rates, assistance with media
interviews.)
Benefits of being a certified music friendly community include:
• A single point of contact with the City for musicians and related industries
• Create a larger economic impact with music industry
• Create music tourism destination
• Build a “Music City” brand
• Increase cultural development and artist growth
• Validate music as a respected local industry
• Strengthen and define the social and artistic fabric of the city
• Become “open and welcoming” to musicians
As with any industry, there are ebbs and flows in the music scene, but Denton has a thriving music community and talent pool that is impressive, even for cities with a larger population than Denton.
Date: March 16, 2018 Report No. 2018-031
BACKGROUND: In a recent newspaper article that reported the closure of a popular live music venue, discussions
concerning other music venues closing created the perception of fewer live music venue options
in Denton. Mayor Watts requested information about live music venues and if there is an interest in a performing arts center in Denton.
To gain more information about live music venues in Denton, the Music Friendly staff liaison
was asked to provide information. Denton became a certified Music Friendly Community by the
Texas Music Office in February of this year. Twice a year, as part of the Music Friendly Memorandum of Understanding with the Texas Music Office, staff will update and provide a list
of music industry related businesses in Denton. The attached list contains live music venues; the
full list provided under the MOU has all music related industries.
DISCUSSION: The following information is provided about live music venues and performing arts centers.
Types of Live Music Venues
Performing Arts Center: A performing arts center is multi-use performance space that is intended
for use by various types of performing arts, including dance, music and theatre. Performing arts centers are generally focused on the enrichment of the community and are non-profit. They
leverage public/private partnerships to finance the creation and operation of the center.
Small Venue: These live music venues are privately owned, more intimate, considered local, and
frequently have regular customers. Restaurants, nightclubs, and outdoor patios offer music in contemporary genres, such as rock, dance, country and pop. Most of these venues can hold a few
hundred fans, but not more than 1,000. The majority of live music in Denton is performed in
these smaller venues (less than 300 seats).
Midsize Venue: Midsize venues are bigger than nightclubs, but smaller than sports arenas, and hold between 1,000 and 8,000 fans. These are mostly privately financed, with exceptions for
opera houses, theaters, and concert halls which are a mix of either privately owned/operated,
municipal ownership, and non-profit. The theaters and music halls are venues that had previous
uses and were restored to preserve their historical significance and now serve as live
performance venues. Many of these restorations have been funded by private investment, community fund raising, local government programs, and/or support by the Texas Historical
Commission.
Sports Arenas: Sports arenas, like AT&T Stadium in Arlington can hold 100,000 fans, while the
Toyota Stadium in Frisco can hold 20,500 fans. These venues are focused on sporting events first and live music second. The ownership can be mixed, but of the two mentioned here, AT&T
stadium is privately owned; the City of Frisco built and owns Toyota Stadium.
Entertainment Complex: The Toyota Music Factory in Irving is a new type of entertainment
complex that offers live entertainment, restaurants, employment, and residential options, seven days a week. The Toyota Music Factory is designed to be a live-work-play complex and covers
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several city blocks. It has the ability to host live performances ranging from speaking
engagements to 8,000 outdoor and 4,000 indoor seating concerts. The complex is a partnership
between the City of Irving and ARK Group.
Performing Arts Centers In North Texas, there are four performing arts centers: the Murchison Performing Arts Center
located on the UNT campus; the McKinney Performing Arts Center, in downtown McKinney;
the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas; and the Irving Arts Center.
The McKinney Performing Arts Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing the
community with a unique and professional venue in which cultural, artistic, and educational
opportunities are nurtured in a supportive environment. The Center is housed in the historic
Collin County Courthouse and managed by the City of McKinney and the McKinney Main
Street Program. It seats 435 for live entertainment including off-Broadway, comedy, theater and concerts. When needed, the seating can be sectioned off to 299 seats, or less, for reduced royalty
fees.
Originally built in 1876, then drastically remodeled in 1927, it was vacated in 1979, when new
county offices were built. Extensive work to restore the historic courthouse began in 2003 and it was reopened as the McKinney Performing Arts Center at the Historic Collin County Courthouse
in March 2006. The project was funded by the City of McKinney, McKinney Community
Development Corporations and Collin County.
The Center does not receive general funds, but 15 percent of its funding is for programing and covered by the Community Development Corporation - $10,000 comes from Hotel Occupancy
Tax (HOT) funds; ticket sales, rentals and sponsorships comprise the rest of the budget. The
largest part of the budget (85 percent) is from rentals. The Center is open seven days a week and
has live theater performances every weekend. Groups from a local acting company, music
groups, and home school groups use the nine smaller rooms and the court room is the main public space. Website: https://www.mckinneytexas.org/117/Performing-Arts-Center
The grand opening of the AT&T Performing Arts Center (ATTPAC) in October 2009 marked
the long-anticipated completion of the Dallas Arts District. In the late 1970s, Dallas leaders
foresaw the growing need for new cultural facilities in Dallas. They identified the clear advantage of clustering these venues within a tight geographic area in order to reap maximum
economic, educational, and cultural benefits for each arts entity and for the city of Dallas.
ATTPAC’s mission is “to provide a public gathering place that strengthens the community and
fosters creativity through the presentation of performing arts.” Today, the ATTPAC encompasses 10 acres within the downtown Dallas Arts District. The Center includes five
separate venues: the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre,
Annette Strauss Square, Elaine D. And Charles A. Sammons Park, and Moody Performance Hall
as well as Lexus Red and Silver underground parking areas. The ATTPAC presents a variety of
programs year-round in its indoor and outdoor performance venues, including the “Broadway Series” and, in association with Texas International Theatrical Arts Society (TITAS),
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contemporary dance and music, as well as other touring and community performances.
The ATTPAC also provides performance space for local performing arts organizations, including
Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, The Dallas Opera, Dallas
Theater Center, and Texas Ballet Theater. The ATTPAC is a non-profit asset of the City of Dallas. It cost about $151 million to build and is
operated annually through donations from major sponsorships like AT&T, Lexus, Reliant, PNC,
and Coca-Cola, and gift donations for its operations and debt solutions.
In May 2017, the City of Dallas received a $22 million grant from Galveston’s Moody
foundation. In recognition of the generosity of the Galveston-based Moody Foundation, the City
of Dallas changed the name of Dallas City Performance Hall to Moody Performance Hall. The
city voted last fall to pay $1.5 million a year for the next ten years to help the AT&T Performing
Arts Center pay down its debt by using a portion of the Moody grant. Only $12 million of the $22 million will be spend on debt relief. The remaining $10 million was gifted by the Moody
Foundation to establish a grant program for small and emerging arts groups in the city and is
managed by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs.
This is its first year (2018), Moody Fund for the Arts (MFA) will award $100,000 in grants. When fully vested, the endowment is expected to award about $400,000 annually. Prior to the
Moody grant award, the City was providing about eight percent or $4.1 million, of the ATTPAC
$32.9 million annual budget; fundraising provides 19 percent of the total budget. The City now
provides an estimated $5.6 million in revenue to the ATTPAC annually.
The Office of Cultural Affairs has a staff of 70 and manages a budget that is projected to collect
over $2.5 million in revenues, and provide more than $6 million in artistic support funding to
local arts organizations and individual artists. They hosted over two million visitors at 19 City-
owned venues while providing operation and maintenance support to those facilities.
Website: www.attpac.org/about
In 1990, the performing and fine arts community in Irving welcomed a new home with the
completion of the Irving Arts Center. The Arts Center’s 10-acre complex, features two fully-
equipped theaters; four galleries; meeting, classroom, reception, and rehearsal facilities; and a
verdant sculpture garden. The Arts Center – a department of the City of Irving – was designed to accommodate a wide range of cultural and civic needs.
Ben and Betty Carpenter provided the catalyst for construction of the Arts Center with a
donation of land at 3333 N. MacArthur Boulevard to the City of Irving in 1980 for the purpose
of constructing a home for the arts in Irving.
Completed in 1990, the facility was a decade in the making. In 1980, the Irving City Council
established the City of Irving Arts Board, which was charged with the responsibility of
encouraging and supporting local arts activities and with the development and oversight of the
Irving Arts Center. The work of the 11-person board is funded through a portion of the local HOT fund.
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In April of 1986, the Arts Board opened the first phase of the Irving Arts Center which included
administrative offices, meeting rooms and a 3,808 square foot Main Gallery. The facility was
completed in 1990, when the Carpenter Performance Hall and Dupree Theater were added. A comprehensive economic impact study released in the summer of 2017 by Americans for the
Arts, provides compelling evidence that the nonprofit arts and culture sector is a $25.5 million
industry in the City of Irving—one that supports 1,031 full-time equivalent jobs and generates
$2.6 million in local and state government revenue. The data from the Arts and Economic Prosperity 5 Study (attached), prove that the impact of arts in Irving goes beyond the benefits of
community engagement and quality of life, and bolsters the economic well-being of the city.
The Irving Arts Center’s FY 2016/17 budget is $5.8 million and has a staff of 62. The General
Fund is the main operational fund. Of the 7 percent collected by the City in HOT funds, 2 percent goes to the Convention Center. Of the remaining 5 percent, the Irving Arts Center, as a
whole, receives 35.5 percent. Additionally, revenues from interest, facility rentals,
reimbursements, miscellaneous revenues, and fund transfers are included.
Since opening its doors, the Arts Center has been a lively hub of community celebration. Irving Arts Center alone hosts approximately 1,400 events annually, including more than 200
performances, 25 exhibitions, and welcomes an excess of 100,000 visitors.
Website: http://www.irvingartscenter.com/about-us/
Denton’s Live Music Scene Denton has always had an eclectic live music scene. Largely due to the influence of the
University of North Texas’ flourishing music program, Denton has more than its share of local
talent who are eager to fill venues across the region.
In recent years, several live venues have closed. Rubber Glover Rehearsal Studio, 411 E. Sycamore, closed in 2016, but is purported to have a new financial backer and may reopen
before the end of 2018.
Also in 2016, J&J’s Pizza’s “Dirty Old Basement,” at 118 W. Oak, closed. Long known as a
place for startup bands to get their footing, this “double whammy” hit the Denton music scene hard. J&Js continued to do live music in the upstairs restaurant and, after negotiations with the
building owner, the basement reopened in 2017.
In February of 2018, Rockin’ Rodeo, 1009 Avenue A, announced its closing, after the entire
shopping center was sold to a developer. The club owner said he is considering a new location, but does not have any firm plans at this time. Also in 2018, a house venue named “Jagoe House’
closed (house concert venue addresses are not published, they are usually by word-of-mouth
invitation). There are still a number of house concert venue available for bands traveling to and
through Denton.
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Economic Development staff has compiled a list of live music venues (attached). There are 18
regular music venues in Denton (places that have live music two or more nights a week), 14 non-
traditional venues (places that book live music on an occasional or monthly basis), and 15 local
events and festivals that book musicians (most are annually, but the Main Street Association’s Thursday Twilight Tunes Concerts runs weekly for 9 weeks in April-June and four weeks in October). Seven UNT and TWU venues also book music on a regular basis, but most of those
performers are students or faculty.
In February 2018 the City of Denton took steps to help organize local musicians, and related
industries, by becoming a certified “Texas Music Friendly Community.” In cooperation with the Denton Music and Arts Collaborative (DMAC), Denton Main Street Program and the Denton
Convention and Visitors Bureau, staff is currently looking at ways to improve the music
industry. DMAC subsidized health insurance for musicians and artists through the Affordable
Care Act and assisted them through the process. They signed up 16 artists and musicians during
open enrollment last year.
On June 24, 2018, Denton will join others around the world for “Make Music Day”
(http://www.makemusicday.org/). Make Music Day is a free celebration of music around the
world. Launched in 1982 in France as the Fête de la Musique, it is now held on the same day in more than 800 cities in 120 countries. Economic Development staff is working with the official
Make Music Day organization and local music industries to make this first celebration a success.
As with any industry, there are ebbs and flows in the music scene, but Denton has a thriving music
community and talent pool that is impressive, even for cities with a larger population than Denton.
ATTACHMENT(S):
Denton Live Music Venues 3-18
STAFF CONTACT: Christina Davis
Economic Development Specialist
Christina.Davis@cityofdenton.com
(940) 349-7730
Julie Glover
Program Administrator
Julie.Glover@cityofdenton.com
(940) 349-7732
DENTON LIVE MUSIC VENUES
Business Name Address Genres Subcategory
Abbey Inn 101 W. Hickory Irish/folk Restaurant
Abbey Underground 100 W. Walnut Various Bar
Andy's Bar and Grill 122 North Locust Street, Suite B Country/Folk/Acoustic/Rock/All Bar
Backyard on Bell 410 North Bell Avenue Country/Folk/Acoustic/Rock/All Restaurant
Barley & Board 100 W. Oak Folk/Jazz/duo and trio Restaurant
Chestnut Tree 107 W. Hickory Jazz Restarant
Dan's Silverleaf 103 Industrial Street Country/Rock/Alt/All Bar
Dentonradio.com 111 W. Hickory Various/open mic/live Radio station
Greenhouse Restaurant & Bar 600 North Locust Street Jazz Restaurant
Harvest House 331 East Hickory Street Country/Blues/Folk/All Bar
J and J's Pizza 118 West Oak Street Bluegrass, Jazz Restaurant
LSA Burger Co.113 West Hickory Country/Folk/Blues/Acoustic Restaurant
Queenie's Steakhouse 115 E. Hickory Jazz Restaurant
Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio (Reopening)411 East Sycamore Street Punk/Rock Bar
Steve's Wine Bar 219 E. Hickory Jazz Bar
Business Name Address Genres Subcategory
Rockin' Rodeo (Closing)1009 Avenue C Country/Rock Bar
The Garage 113 Avenue A Folk/Acoustic Bar
Killers Tacos 424 Bryan Various/Open Mic Restaurant
Business Name Address Genres Subcategory
TWU | Department of Music and Drama P.O. Box 425768 Various University
TWU | Music Therapy Department P.O. Box 425768 Various University
UNT | Center for Experimental Music P.O. Box 311367 Various University
UNT | College of Music 1155 Union Circle, No. 311367 Classical, Jazz University
UNT | Murchison Performing Arts Center P.O. Box 311367 Classical, Jazz University
UNT Coliseum 1155 Union Circle Num. 310857 Jazz University
UNT on the Square 109 N. Elm Jazz/UNT Students and staff University
UNT Syndicate UNT Union UNT students University
DOWNTOWN
FRY STREET/UNT AREA
UNIVERSITY VENUES
DENTON LIVE MUSIC VENUES
Business Name Address Genres Subcategory
A Creative Art Space 227 W. Oak Various/First Friday Art Walk Retail
Agua Dulce 115 S. Elm Various/In conjunction with events Restaurant
Bearded Monk 122 E. McKinney Various Retail/Beer
Campus Theatre 214 W. Hickory Various/In conjunction with events Non Profit
Denton Arts and Jazz Festival P. O. Box 2104 Blues, Jazz, Soul/R&B Non Profit
Denton County Brewing Company 200 E. McKinney Various Bar
Denton Main Street 215 East McKinney Street Events Non Profit
Patterson-Apleton Arts Center 400 East Hickory Street Classical Non Profit
Hickory Street Lounge 212 E. Hickory Cover, Folk, Acoustic Bar
Jack's Tavern 508 S. S. Elm Various Bar
Mad World Records 115 West Hickory Street Various/In conjunction with events Retail
Midway Mart Crafthouse 1115 W. Hickory Open Mic Retail/Beer
Oak Street Drafthouse 308 E. Oak Various/In conjunction with events Bar
Paschall Bar 122 N. Locust Various Bar
Shift Coffee 112 E. Prairie Jazz/various Coffee shop
Tom's Daquiri 1212 W. Mulberry Various Bar
Zera Coffee 420 E. McKinney Christian music Coffee shop
NON-TRADITIONAL/OCCASIONAL VENUES
DENTON LIVE MUSIC VENUES
Business Name Address Genres
Denton Black Film Festival Campus Theatre January 25-28
Denton Community Market Historic Park Begins April 7
Thin Line Film Festival Campus Theatre April 18-22
Thursday Twilight Tunes CHOS Lawn Begins 4-19-18
Denton Redbud Festival Quakertown Park April 21
Denton Arts and Jazz Festival Quakertown Park April 27-29
Denton Cinco De Mayo Quakertown Park May 5
Denton Juneteenth Celebration MLK Park June 16-17
July 4th Celebration Apogee Stadium July 4
North Texas State Fair Fairgounds August 17-24
Arts and Autos Extravaganza CHOS Lawn September 8
Denton Blues Festival Quakertown Park September 14-16
Industrial Street Pop Festival Industrial Street October 20
Denton's Day of the Dead Industrial Street October 27
Denton Holiday Lighting Festival CHOS Lawn November 30
EVENTS THAT BOOK MUSICIANS