BusinessVue: News & Notes from Around Town
Music Industry Steps up to the MICS
It’s no secret that those who work in the live entertainment/music industry have experienced some of the most severe personal hardships as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic and related economic shutdowns.
But relief for those workers will be available Saturday in the form of food and essential-need items to be distributed by the CMA’s Music Industry COVID Support (MICS) initiative. MICS is an offshoot of the longstanding Musically Fed program that works with artists, promoters, management and venues to donate unused backstage meals to community organizations that feed the homeless, hungry and food insecure.
Track45 and Ross Ellis attend CMA’s Music Industry COVID Support (MICS) food drive to benefit Musically Fed on March 18, 2021 at the CMA offices in Nashville, TN.
However, in response to the health crisis, Musically Fed pivoted when it saw members of its own industry in need of assistance. Donations were collected last week and will be distributed tomorrow. Individuals in the live entertainment/music industry who are in need of assistance may register by phone at 480.951.1882 or via email by contacting info@musicallyfed.org. To date, more than 22,000 meals have been distributed locally.
CMAs Music Industry COVID Support (MICS) food drive to benefit Musically Fed on March 15, 2021 at the CMA offices in Nashville.
Additional information is available at MusicallyFed.org. For more information about CMA’s Music Industry COVID Support (MICS) initiative, visit CMAmics.com.
Nashville International Airport to Conduct Full-Scale Emergency Drill
If you’re visiting or traveling through Nashville International Airport during the midday hours on Friday, you might be startled by what appears to be an active emergency situation. But there’s no cause for alarm.
BNA will conduct a full-scale emergency drill on March 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
As part of the exercise, the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) will rehearse response plans and procedures in conjunction with federal, state, local and community agencies. The mock emergency scenario entails actual fire, smoke and explosions that may be noticeable to the public during the planned simulation.
The MNAA advises members of the public that emergency vehicles, first-responders and other equipment will be used to simulate an aircraft accident and will not be associated with an actual emergency situation.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations mandate airports to conduct full-scale emergency drills every three years, with annual tabletop exercises in the off years. Friday’s drill will be slightly reduced in scope from previous years due to COVID-19 protocols and the need to limit volunteer participation.
Runway 13/31 and an adjacent taxiway will be closed during the drill, but flight operations will continue on BNA’s other operational runways.
In other airport news, airlines continue to add flights as leisure and business travel reemerges from the pandemic.
On May 5, Spirit Airlines will add a daily nonstop between Nashville and New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
Southwest Airlines will begin nonstop service from Nashville to Destin/Ft. Walton Beach on May 6. The new service will run three times daily.
Also on May 6, American Airlines is adding a daily flight to Austin. Service will increase to two daily flights on July 2.
Until the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, BNA was one of the fastest growing airports in North America with nearly 18.3 million passengers in 2019. According to a recent study, in 2019 alone, BNA generated more than $8.1 billion in total economic impact, supported more than 76,000 jobs in the region and produced more than $443 million in state, local and federal taxes. BNA receives no local tax dollars.