The Lowdown: Help sustain Music on Main by donating toward a new stage
Music on Main needs your help to sustain this free community event. Investing in owning our own stage will offset rising costs.
The Quick Facts:
- Music on Main is Bozeman’s free community music series since 2001. This series is 100% funded by generous community sponsors. NO tax dollars are used for this event.
- Music on Main has grown from 500 to 3,000+ attendees per night. Expenses have outpaced the sponsorship dollars by approximately 40%.
- Owning a stage will reduce the weekly expense by a similar amount to the current fund shortage, thereby provide long-term sustainability. MOM needs your help to keep this family-friendly community event in Bozeman.
A Bit More Detail:
We are (hopefully) headed into our 20th Season of Music on Main in Downtown Bozeman! This incredibly successful, free community event has grown contagiously for all 19 years, going from 500 people in a small downtown side-street to a full-blown concert series with over 20,000 people in attendance for the 8-week summer series.
Along with the event growth has come increased expenses: from no security to over a dozen donated and paid on-site security staff. What started with low-level sound systems has evolved into a high-level sound and production system. Along with better sound have come bigger and better musical acts. Bozeman’s favorite summer event has truly developed with our community and continues to create a safe and fun environment for attendees.
Those increased expenses have outpaced sponsorship dollars, so this event is at the point of no longer being sustainable. As we look into the future, we see that our greatest hope for sustaining Music on Main is the purchase of our own stage.
History of Music on Main:
Music on Main began in the summer of 2001 and featured only one concert by local bluegrass favorite Kane’s River, on the side-street of South Bozeman Avenue. In the early years, the event evolved into a series of concerts, and benefited from additions such as an array of children’s activities, various food vendors with top-notch cuisine, sponsored activities, and non-profit information booths.
In 2007, Music on Main moved onto Main Street proper, and continued to feature eight concerts per season with local and touring bands such as Tony Furtado and Cure for the Common.
- Children’s Activities are at every Music on Main, sponsored by Lehrkind’s Coca Cola, Venture Church, and the Bozeman Amateur Hockey Association
- Every week, the City of Bozeman sets up an environmentally friendly water- station
- Several area non-profits are set-up each week to gain exposure and inform the public
- Food vendors and food trucks serve unique and flavorful items from wood-fired pizzas to local handmade ice cream and everything in between.
- Received a 2003 Community Cultural Contribution Award and was named “Best Local Event” by the Best of Bozeman in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
We want to take this opportunity to once again thank the generous community sponsors for all their support of Music on Main over the years. Its growth and improvement is a testament to your community spirit!
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