BACKGROUNDER
Since 1994, Music Midtown has had a special place in the hearts of Atlanta locals. The festival was created by Atlanta-based music promoters Alex Cooley and Peter Conlon. They wanted to create an urban music event that was unique to Atlanta and similar to a New Orleans
Jazz and Heritage Festival or Austin City Limits. The festival started in the Financial District of
Midtown and then moved to Centennial Park and with its continued popularity and growth as
Atlanta’s trademark music festival, Music Midtown now calls Piedmont Park home. Cooley and
Conlon enjoyed a wide range of music because of their experience in the music industry and wanted to have a festival that featured a variety of music for all types of people to enjoy. The festival has remained constant in having an eclectic slate of performers and genres that individuals of all ages would enjoy to see.
In 2005, the festival unexpectedly had to shut down due to expenses, unmanageable growth and lack of event coordination and planning. There was also a decrease in attendance during the 2005 festival. Conlon did not have the festival again until 2011 for a one-day show. After a successful day in 2011, the festival expanded to two days in 2012. The festival has been active since 2011. Since its successful return, Music Midtown has expanded its focus and offerings, inviting attendees to enjoy artist markets, increased food vendors and even has a Ferris wheel at the event.
The festival’s website provides useful information about Music Midtown and the experience provided for guests. This website also includes information about the event, tickets, lineup, schedule and news regarding the festival. It has a feature that allows you to listen to the performing artist’s songs. In addition to the website, Music Midtown takes advantage of social media and has extensive content on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to showcase the festival and keep fans updated on everything related to Music Midtown. With an ever increasing list of attractions and performers, presented in various formats both live and online, Music Midtown will continue to excite and attract a diverse crowd to the heart of Atlanta.
08/23/2018
Media Contacts: Rachel McGovern, Director of Public Relations, 404-387-9397 ([email protected]), Claire Kelsey, Event Planner, 404-520-6287 ([email protected])
Music Midtown will have an environmental focus at this year’s event
ATLANTA, Ga.-- Music Midtown, Atlanta’s largest two-day music festival is scheduled to take place Sept. 21 and Sept. 22 in the heart of Piedmont Park. Since 2011, the festival has hosted over thousands of festival-goers and musicians. The weekend brings in a lot of foot traffic, vendors and media. Unfortunately, this also means that excess trash and waste is increased, which is an issue that happens with large crowds and foot traffic. Music Midtown is wanting to change that this year.
This year, Music Midtown wants to inspire people to care for the Earth and take action to respect the environment. The festival is holding themselves and festival attendees accountable for the sustainability of the park. There will be 200 more recycling bins than there were at previous Music Midtown festivals. All of the utensils will be recyclable. It is encouraged for all festival attendees to bring their own empty cups and water bottles to the venue to reuse the cups. If they do, then they will receive half-off drinks when using their cup to help eliminate trash and the waste of plastic cups.
“Piedmont Park is a green venue and we want to leave the park the way that we found it, if not better,” says Peter Conlon, the festival organizer. “With so many people coming in and out of the park, it is important that we reduce waste and educate attendees of the importance of being environmentally friendly.”
In regard to creating a more environmentally friendly festival, Conlon and his team have been inspired by the format and production methods of Lollapalooza, a large music festival in Chicago.
“We are going to implement the same type of system as they do at Lollapalooza with a stamp reward system. A green card will be given to all attendees when they enter the park and they can receive stamps for every piece of trash or recyclable item they turn in to the green stations that will be located around the venue. The stamp markings on the green card will be counted toward their opportunity of winning Music Midtown apparel,” Conlon said.
In addition, all leftover nonperishable food from the festival will be donated to the Atlanta Food Bank which will help eliminate wasted food.
“We want to do our part in making small strides to a more sustainable future,” said Conlon. “We hope that by doing this, we will be able to leave a lasting impression on our attendees as they learn to change some of their everyday habits.”
### Music Midtown is an Atlanta music festival that welcomes everyone to attend. It is a two-day event in the heart of Piedmont Park in Midtown. For more news about Music Midtown, go to https://www.musicmidtown.com/.
Expect heavy traffic this weekend Total Time: 1:00
Music Festival Rachel McGovern, Producer
NARRATOR: THIS WEEKEND, EXPECT HEAVY TRAFFIC DELAYS IN THE
MIDTOWN AREA AS MUSIC MIDTOWN WILL BE TAKING PLACE SATURDAY AND
SUNDAY. MUSIC MIDTOWN IS A CAR-LESS EVENT AND IT IS ENCOURAGED THAT
ALL ATTENDEES BIKE, WALK, UBER OR TAKE MARTA TO PIEDMONT PARK. IF
YOU TAKE MARTA, GET OFF AT THE MIDTOWN STATION WHICH IS A 10-MINUTE
WALK TO THE PARK. CLAIRE KELSEY, THE EVENT PLANNER EXPLAINS
PARKING.
Claire Kelsey: We are committed to making sure that everyone arrives and leaves the festival safely. We do not encourage drinking and driving and want all of our attendees to make use of the public transportation provided around the park. In addition to the transportation opportunities stated before, you can also reserve a parking space in the Peachtree Street parking deck on the Music Midtown website.
NARRATOR: FOR MORE INFORMATION ON TRANSPORTATION FOR THE EVENT, GO TO: WWW.MUSICMIDTOWN.COM
###
Anna Blount (l) and Kaellen Gallagher (r) pose for a picture at the 2017 Music Midtown as they wait for the next performer to come on stage. Both attendees have been to the last three Music Midtown festivals and are excited to be at this year’s event.
Upgrading your ticket from general admission to VIP or SUPER VIP will allow you to have access to the best viewing area of the festival. The section is air-conditioned, has excellent seating options and food and beverages are provided with the VIP or SUPER VIP packages. Ticket options can be found on Music Midtown’s website.
Fans brave the heat as they stand and wait to see Young the Giant perform on Saturday afternoon at Music Midtown. It was a hot and humid day, but attendees stayed hydrated with the help of the festival’s cooling stations, which provided fans and free water. Staff Member Biographies
Live Nation Atlanta President, Peter Conlon Contact: 123-345-8504, [email protected] Peter Conlon, the president of Live Nation Atlanta also is the festival organizer who started Music Midtown in 1994. Conlon has experience promoting concerts in the Southeast for more than three decades as well as operating several premier venues in Atlanta. As the organizer for Music Midtown, he currently is responsible for maintaining relationships with the city and Piedmont Park. In addition, he serves as a spokesperson for the festival and is responsible for dealing with all issues that are related to the event. In 1998, Conlon sold Concert Southern Promotions to Clear Channel Communications to focus solely on Music Midtown. Conlon gives back to the Centers of Hope, which is an afterschool program for inner city children to play basketball or work on computers. This is also where money from the festival goes to help pay for all of the centers around Atlanta. Conlon has a strong relationship with former president, Jimmy Carter and helped him throughout his campaign and worked on the inaugural committee as assistant treasurer and then worked with The White House as a White House liaison.
Coordinator of Artists Relations, Holly Mart Contact: 678-895-3502, [email protected] Holly Mart is the Coordinator of Artists Relations for Music Midtown in Atlanta. Her position is what provides a great experience for fans as she is able to provide popular musicians for the event. She has success in getting over 120 musicians to perform in the past four years of her working with the festival. In addition, Mart handles all of the artists as soon as they land in Atlanta in regard to transportation to and from the venue, hotels, food and beverages as well as making sure they are prepared to perform at the festival. Mart is a former volunteer with Musicians Without Borders, which is a global charity that connects musicians from across cultures. She became very interested about combining her passion for music and business during her time in college when she worked for three years at the local radio station, Wake Radio.
Director of Marketing, John Griffin Contact: 431-399-9999, [email protected] John Griffin is currently the Director of Marketing for Music Midtown in Atlanta. He coordinates and handles the channel marketing and marketing strategies teams and has held various roles in the music festival industry. As the director, he is responsible for making sure the correct audiences learn about Music Midtown and the experience that they could have at the festival. He works to promote the event with locals in Atlanta and create sponsorships. Griffin has a passion for connecting musicians with fans. He has experience in flyer design, social media, advertising and radio promotions. Griffin is an active member of the American Marketing Association of Atlanta. His career in channel marketing started with sponsorships and business partnerships with Q100, an Atlanta radio station.