After a feature-length film’s worth of testimonies and discussion, Madison City Council voted to move forward with two agreements for a mixed-use development project.
The project, located on the 800 block of East Washington Avenue, is comprised of two components: The Spark and The Cosmos.
The Spark will house office space for American Family Insurance and StartingBlock, an entrepreneurial hub that aims to provide space for innovators to work and collaborate.
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City Council voted in favor of increasing funding for a $16 million, 600-stall parking structure at the site, along with approving the developer agreement for the project.
The Cosmo will have 60,000 square feet worth of office space, along with a new music venue from Frank Productions.
The proposed 2,500-person venue was a point of contention in the two-hour long discussion. Many, like Ald. Denise DeMarb, District 16, raised concerns that a new concert hall could lead to smaller venues folding over.
Matt Gerding, co-owner of The Majestic Theater, however, said he doesn’t feel the new venue would affect their business.
“Capacity is the main factor in what kind of artist someone can book,” Gerding said. “In no way would [the new venue] affect us because they are able to book a different kind of act than us.”
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Eve Paras, whose family owns the Orpheum Theater, said she is skeptical of whether Frank Productions will actually be able to fill venues. She also added the company had incorrectly stated their PollStar numbers, a report that generates the number of tickets sold.
Having grown to be one of the largest independent music venues in the country, Charlie Goldstone, Frank Productions president, said he is confident in what they’ve already done in other venues and knows they are capable of meeting a demand.
“[Madison] has an appetite for live music, and that’s how we know this venue is going to succeed,” Goldstone said.
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While Frank Productions promotes shows across the country, they have a local focus, Marlo Frank, CFO of Frank Productions, said.
But others at the meeting questioned exactly how much of an impact the music venue would have on local acts.
Chris Kalmbach, owner of Knuckle Down Saloon, said he was conflicted on coming to speak at the meeting because he has no “ill will” against Frank Productions, but worries that a venue that large would not work to promote local acts.
For the last 10 years, the company has been responsible for producing FreakFest, the annual Halloween music festival in Madison that garners an estimated 30,000-person crowd.
This year’s line-up featured Trapo, Mic Kellogg and Rich Robbins — all Madison-based artists.
“[Frank Production] brings a sense of civic pride,” Roy Elkins, CEO of broadjam.com, said “They want to grow the creative music economy in Madison.”
And the money Frank Productions makes in Madison, stays to support the local community and their employees, Frank said, unlike the Orpheum, which recently subcontracted their operations to LiveNation.
Frank Productions, on the other hand, has spent the last 25 years fighting Live Nation, Fred Frank, CEO of Frank Productions, said at the meeting.
“We will not give in to a multi-national corporation that sends all of its money to Los Angeles,” Frank said.
The new venue also plans to offer a broader, cultural type of entertainment. Instead of “pigeonholing” themselves into a specific genre, Goldstone said they plan to provide a variety of different shows.
While the council discussed the new music venue, no official vote was taken to approve nor deny its construction.
