He explained to me that not only had he thought about the idea, but that he'd even written the mayor with a plan to assist with procuring some affordable housing in our fair city. To prove his point, he sent me the letter that I have included in its entirety below.
Now I may not know much about Nashville, being here just a couple of short years, but I know enough about music to know that if musicians get involved with some cause, it's usually a pretty successful endeavor (think FarmAid, LiveAid, and SARS, for example). I also believe that there are plenty of musicians out there who've had it pretty rough, spent many a night on the street and struggled to pay the rent - if they were lucky enough to have a place that required a rent payment - and ate Top Tamen and beans before they made it big.
I'm reasonably certain more than a few big names would be willing to suit up and jam for a good cause, if only we could get a message to them that we are in desperate need of their help.
I wonder whether Mr. Aberdeen's letter will catch the eye of anyone who could make this plan a reality, since it doesn't appear that the mayor was too interested....
By the way, the vid that caught my eye and got me talking to Mr. Aberdeen is at the bottom of this post.....
(Email response from Mr. Aberdeen)
Steve, here is a copy of a plan that has been distributed to several people in Nashville, including the mayor. You can print it out and distribute it or email it to anyone you think might be interested in helping make this happen.
Honorable Mayor Karl Dean,
Vice Mayor Diane Neighbors,
City Council of Nashville
AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
As would be expected, the significant cost for providing adequate affordable housing for the poor is a primary concern to the city. This proposal seeks to address and alleviate that concern by offering a viable alternative to such a project being funded at city expense.
Because the City of Nashville has a vested interest in the popular music industry and
likewise, because the music industry is inter-twined with the greater Nashville community, I believe there exists a unique and viable opportunity here to raise a considerable amount of funding for the purposes of constructing low-cost affordable housing for the poor.
The City of Nashville, in conjunction with the ownership of LP Field, could join with prominent music artists who call the greater Nashville area home and host a weekend benefit concert in the stadium, perhaps beginning on a Friday evening and ending on Sunday afternoon. A video film could be made of the event, along with a double CD release, which could be marketed both in traditional retail outlets on a national level and via the internet, on both a national and international level.
There are several name artists who have been actively involved with many charitable and civic events conducted in the Nashville area and I believe that if civic and community leaders would get behind such a project, that many artists would be more than willing to participate in such an organized event. Both local business leaders and larger, corporate sponsors could be brought in to underwrite the cost of security, distribution and promotion.
Because of fairly recent modern communication advances—the internet, Ipods, cell phones and other similar wireless devices—sales of videos, CDs and song downloads from such an event could total many millions, as well as it could be shown as a primetime special on network television and perhaps, in theaters. The City of Nashville could thus, obtain more than enough funding to provide low-cost housing for impoverished people in our area. A model low-cost program could charge one-third of a participant’s total income and require that they actively seek employment if not elderly or severely disabled, thus guarding against significant abuse and providing incentive for those with enough income to move on into private sector housing.
Additionally, the Nashville music industry and city would be setting an example of what could be done in other states that various popular music artists call their home. There are many music artists and other entertainers who have displayed a certain affinity for their own state or city of residence and it could encourage some of them to conduct a similar benefit for a large city in their own home state. Likewise, it could greatly encourage both children and adults on a national level, to come to the aid of America’s impoverished citizens in a unique way that does not rely on tax-payer funded, city and state coffers.
Sincerely,
Richard Aberdeen
Freedom Tracks Records
richard@freedom
800-992-8084
