News
January 29, 2008
Public Works Named “Music City Brand Champion” by Nashville Convention & Visitor’s Center
Metro Public Works has been named a “Music City Brand Champion” for promoting Nashville’s signature identity with its network of downtown music boxes.
In late 2006, the department began playing Christmas carols and other holiday tunes from traffic control boxes at several downtown intersections. That “experiment” was expanded to include the fight songs of college teams playing in that year’s Music City Bowl game, and the idea became an instant hit, Billy Lynch, Public Works Director, said.
“Initially, our thought was just to add a little holiday spirit to the downtown area, and to welcome the teams and their fans to our beautiful city of Nashville,” Lynch said. “It seemed like an appropriate way to make people feel good about being in downtown Nashville, and to celebrate what our city is known for around the world.”
Besides playing musical selections, the boxes have been used to broadcast other audio, including public service announcements for National Library Week and anti-littering messages from Keep America Beautiful. And, prior to the Tennessee Titans’ final home game of the 2007 season, Public Works featured radio replays of the team’s top ten plays of all time, including the famous “Music City Miracle” of 1999.
Metro’s downtown music boxes are currently located at 2nd Avenue and Commerce; on Church Street at 5th and 6th Avenues; on Demonbreun Street at 10th Avenue; on the Country Music Hall of Fame corner of 5th and Demonbreun; and the Schermerhorn Symphony Hall/Hilton Park at 4th and Demonbreun. For Titans’ home games, Public Works activates boxes at three more locations: Korean War Veterans Blvd & 2nd Ave, the Shelby Pedestrian Bridge, and 1st Avenue & Woodland Street.
The Nashville Convention & Visitor’s Bureau created its “Music City Brand Champion” program to encourage groups and conventions to incorporate music into their efforts to promote the city as a meeting destination, and to recognize entities that successfully use it.
“We didn’t know we would end up being a ‘Music City Brand Champion’ but Public Works is very proud of our city, and we’re happy to do whatever we can to help promote it,” Lynch said.