Does Chattanooga need a new live music venue, and if it does, should it be an indoor facility or an amphitheater? And, if it is an amphitheater, should it be entirely open-air seating, or should part of it be under cover, or should it be both, able to be open in good weather, or covered in bad weather?
How many seats should it be, and where should it be?
Those are some of the questions being asked by the Chattanooga Tourism Co. with the help of Conventions Sports & Leisure International out of Dallas.
Representatives from the Dallas organization have been working with Tourism Co. staff to study the live music venues already in place in Hamilton County. They are asking local representatives of many of those facilities their opinions on the current and future wants and needs when it comes to venues that offer live music.
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Owners, managers or representatives for the Tivoli/Memorial Auditorium, Nightfall, AT&T Field, Finley Stadium, Barking Legs Theater, Lyndhurst Foundation, as well as independent promoters, gathered last month at the Edney Innovation Center to share their opinions.
It is the next step in a process that will include a survey of residents to gather data regarding the state of area venue needs.
Tourism Co. President Barry White told the nearly 20 people at the meeting that it was the beginning of a monthslong process designed to prepare for the future.
"There is no anticipation of what the answers will be," he said.
"The Chattanooga Tourism Co. recently commissioned a music venue needs assessment and a convention space futures study. Our $140K investment will identify critical needs and opportunities to improve our competitive advantage, providing enhanced options and experiences for visitors and residents," White said in a text.
Among the topics discussed last month was the idea that Chattanooga has worked to create a "stair-stepping" system of different-sized venues that allow a band to grow an audience through multiple visits.
Several people mentioned venues such as JJ's Bohemia, Barking Legs or Songbirds, which can seat between 100 and 250 people, but the city doesn't have many options in the 500- to 1,500-seat venue.
It's even thinner when it comes to venues that can seat more than 3,700, which is Memorial's capacity. Several participants also noted that venues such as Miller Park or Miller Plaza aren't equipped with the infrastructure to regularly and economically host live shows.
There are no permanent sound or light systems or dressing rooms, so those things have to be brought in, and paid for, for each show.
Monica Kinsey, former co-owner of Track 29 and an event planner and arts and culture advocate in Chattanooga, suggested during the meeting that rather than looking at a new venue, money and efforts could be put into fixing what is here.
"We need audience development to grow audiences to support our existing arts & culture venues prior to adding more especially larger venues. We aren't consistently selling out the venues we have," she said via text.
The study is separate from the Chattanooga music census the Tourism Co. conducted two months ago. That one asked anyone working in the music industry in the region to complete a survey that looked at the overall music ecosystem.
It was conducted by Sound Music along with the Tourism Co., and the data is being assessed.
The latest survey is focused on venues only and a possible new venue specifically.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.