Jim James, frontman of the rock band My Morning Jacket, and legendary producer and five-time Grammy Award winner James “Jimmy Jam” Harris III are among those addressing National Independent Venue Association conference attendees in Milwaukee this week.
The four-day gathering of the nation’s independent live concert, comedy, promoter, venue and festival industry runs through Wednesday at various independently operated venues throughout Milwaukee.
NIVA’s fourth annual conference features programming and live music billed as “celebrating the powerful, symbiotic and important relationship between artists, fans, communities and independent venues.”
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
The conference, which is expected to draw 2,000 attendees, kicked off Sunday night with a party at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, highlighted by a conversation with James, who founded Louisville, Kentucky-based My Morning Jacket in 1998.
Before James took the stage, the crowd heard from Pabst Theater Group CEO Gary Witt, one of the founders of the National Independent Venue Association, as well as NIVA Executive Director Stephen Parker. The organization formed in 2020 less than a month after the COVID-19 pandemic brought the live music industry to a standstill. NIVA’s mission was to work to ensure the survival of live-music venues shuttered by the pandemic and successfully lobbied to secure financial support from Congress.
“We began in a darkness. Venues and festivals were shut down,” Parker said. “What was supposed to be a desperate plea for help to Congress and governments across the country turned into a movement that turned into the largest arts investment in U.S. history.”
NIVA led the Save Our Stages campaign, culminating in landmark legislation in 2020 that established the $16.25 billion Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program. In 2023, NIVA expanded its focus from preserving and protecting the industry to cultivating and elevating the sector through national advocacy, marketing and collective action.
The Pabst Theater Group was “pretty close to being destitute” before NIVA’s push for funding, he added.
Witt described the past 12 months, since it was announced that Milwaukee would host the 2025 NIVA convention, “as the longest year of my life.”
“I mean that in a positive way. So much good goes into making this conference a really positive event,” said Witt, whose Pabst Theater Group includes the Pabst Theater, Miller High Life Theatre, Turner Hall Ballroom, Riverside Theater and Vivarium.
“I’m so happy this conference is happening in Milwaukee,” Witt said. “This is a city filled with independent venues. They all give the city a soul and identity.”
NIVA’s Milwaukee members also include: Baird Center, Cactus Club, The Cooperage, Falcon Bowl, The Fitzgerald, Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, Marcus Performing Arts Center, Miller High Life Theatre, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Shank Hall, The Rave/Eagles Club, Summerfest, X-Ray Arcade, The Argo and 4 Villa Theater.
NIVA’s first conference took place at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in 2022, followed by Washington, D.C., and New Orleans.
“We are so much greater as a collective then we were as individuals before the pandemic,” Witt said.
Witt noted that, for now, Milwaukee is the only sizeable city in the U.S. without a venue operated by live-music industry behemoth Live Nation, which many independent venue operators view as a threat.
That’s about to change with the construction of a 4,500-person-capacity Deer District venue adjacent to Fiserv Forum, where the Bradley Center once stood. Madison-based concert promoter FPC Live will operate the venue, which is expected to open later this year. Live Nation owns a majority stake in Frank Productions, FPC Live’s parent company.
Witt will take part in a conference session on Wednesday at the Miller High Life Theatre focused on Live Nation’s impact on independent venues.
During his appearance on Sunday night, James reflected on My Morning Jacket’s journey — from playing small independent venues to headlining major stages and festivals. He fielded questions from music industry journalist Marc Hogan, a senior staff writer at Pitchfork, while also taking questions from the large audience that crowded into the Pabst Theater.
“We’ve been touring for a long time now and every time that we come to Milwaukee and work with Gary and the Pabst Theater Group we kind of see how good things can be,” James said. “They really know how to treat the artists and make the experience so special. Touring is exhausting and when you have somebody like Gary and his team that really care, it makes your experience so much better and you put on a better show. Everything is enhanced.”
James said he and his bandmates have developed a fondness for Milwaukee after nearly three decades on the road.
“I really resonate with Milwaukee. I’m from Louisville, Kentucky and they have a similar underdog spirit,” James said.
Restaurants, bars and independent concert venues are often woven together to create a multifaceted experience for patrons, he said.
“That’s part of the experience for those who come to concerts,” James said. “They want to go and have a beautiful night.”
That cohesiveness also benefits bands like My Morning Jacket, he added.
“Getting to know people in a town, the vibe makes you want to come back and makes every show you play special because it’s like another homecoming,” James said. “When you start to get to places like Milwaukee, you feel the same. We’re going to have the moments. It makes it a hell of a lot easier to have a beautiful show when you have a beautiful day leading up to it.”
James said he and his bandmates always react excitedly when Milwaukee appears on their tour schedule because of the treatment they receive while performing at one of the city’s independent venues. My Morning Jacket played the Riverside Theater in April.
“Isn’t that why we all got into music, to have fun and make friends and have connections and memories,” James said. “That’s what I’m in it for.”
Jimmy Jam will deliver a keynote address on Tuesday afternoon at the Miller High Life Theatre. The music industry icon will share insights from his legendary career, experiences on the road, and his perspective on where the business is headed, especially through the lens of the young artists he mentors.
“I grew up playing in small clubs, which was the foundation of my career. It’s important that the ecosystem survives for artists to connect with fans,” he said.
NIVA will also release the results of its first-ever State of Live research study, a comprehensive look at the independent live sector and what’s next for venues, promoters and fans. Special guests will discuss the results, including Hannibal Buress, who will share his experience navigating life as both a comedian and an independent venue owner.
“For the first time, we’ll unveil national economic research that captures the scale, impact and value of the independent live entertainment sector,” Parker said.
