Madison making moves with music
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowFor years, Nashville, Tennessee has used music as an economic development driver, and now several communities around Indiana are trying to do the same, including the quaint river town of Madison.
You may know the Jefferson County city for its powerboat racing tradition or for its historic buildings. But you may not know about the city nestled along the Ohio River is how it is striking a chord in music, building a scene that runs about as deep and wide as the river.
The efforts are paying off. Nearly a half million tourists come to check out Indiana’s music city, driving $35 million into the region’s economy.
One of the most popular venues a barber shop, of all places: House of Jane, where hairstylists put their scissors down at the end of the day to make way for musicians to share their vibes at night.
Then there’s the Red Bicycle Hall. The brainchild of a Madison veterinarian, a place where bands like The Local Honeys play. Madison is putting Indiana in tune with and cashing in on a vibrant Midwest music scene.
The effort to boost Madison’s music scene is part of an overall effort to grow the city’s attractiveness to visitors, potential new residents and businesses.
“This helps drive quality of life, and it makes Madison known outside of just people who live here. It attracts a lot of visitors,” John Grote, chief operating officer of Grote Industries, said in a video from the city of Madison.