Kix Brooks photo courtesy of SonyBMG Nashville.
February 25, 2008 - Kix Brooks, of Brooks & Dunn, endured criticism last week after he suggested to a group of Nashville business leaders that artists who perform at the CMA Music Festival - formerly known as Fan Fair - should be paid if the event is to continue. Now he says the remarks were misinterpreted and that his only goal is to make Nashville's annual event as successful as possible.
The Tennessean's Beverly Keel talked to Kix and says in her column, "Last week, Kix spoke not as an artist, but as a long-time leader in the CMA organization and a member of the mayor's Blue Ribbon Committee, which is designed to help the music industry and city work together. But because he is also half of the duo Brooks & Dunn, it was interpreted by some as an artist saying, "We should be paid."
"Kix says he was speaking as a man who is dedicated to ensuring that the CMA Music Festival survives," continues Keel. "When he joined the board of the CMA, Fan Fair, as the festival was then called, was facing a 20 percent decrease in ticket sales, and some were considering ending the annual event. That was when Kix became committed to making it the best festival possible.
"His talk last week was his attempt to raise questions in an effort to improve the event," says Keel, "which isn't guaranteed the TV network coverage that it receives now."
"I've always gotten so much back from working on this festival," says Kix. "I feel I have a responsibility to make sure the fans get the greatest show they can for their money."
"How can we just book acts every year and fill the stadium up and have more money to give the charities and have the fans see the greatest shows on earth?" he asks.
Keel notes that in addition to celebrating country music fans, the event is also a charity that raises money to purchase musical equipment for Metro's public schools.
"Making the music festival a charity event was one of the things I'm most proud of as board member," Kix says. "Finding the best way to give more to charity and the city and, most importantly, the fans, will always be a challenge."
Keel says that "because the event now takes place partly at LP Field, it faces a bigger set of economic realities than it used to. Realizing this, Kix looked into the business models of other successful festivals. Paying artists to perform, a move that would help ensure top names would appear annually, is just one idea to strengthen the festival long-term, he says."
"I was speaking in terms of the Houston rodeo," says Kix, where they pay acts so they can get them ahead of time and book whoever they want and sell it out every year."
Keel says that Kix made the comparison to the Houston event because of the amount of money it raises for charity.
"Houston pays the artists," says Kix, "and as a result of being able to do that, they generate more ticket sales and, as a result, have more money at the end of the day to give more to charity."
Kix stresses that he has never said the festival would move to another city if the performers aren't paid. "One thing I've always been clear about is this festival could never work anywhere else," he says. "It never would and it never could, and I've never hinted in that direction. It just doesn't make sense."
After word spread of Kix's talk at the CMA meeting, he was contacted by folks in Dallas and San Francisco asking if there was any chance that the CMA Music Festival could be moved. "No!" he told them. "Part of the reason we can do this is we all live here. If we aren't on the road, we can play, and that is what makes it possible. Once you start talking about hauling acts to Dallas, nobody cares about doing that."
Keel's column notes that Kix was stung by some of the comments made about him this week, "but I'm still excited about our festival and I'll still be in my booth at Fan Fair to sign autographs," says Kix, "just like always, if anyone wants to come."