2009 festival keeps ticket prices same, while increasing performances, revenue
and attendance
From MPMMF Public Relations Manager, pr@mpmf.org
CINCINNATI, Ohio (September 29, 2009) – MidPoint Music Festival 2009, held this
past week, drew more than 15,000 attendees to revel in 270 performances throughout
Downtown, Over-the-Rhine and the Southgate House in Newport, Kentucky.
With more stages and a 45% increase in the number of performances over last year,
organizers did not raise ticket prices and still experienced a 27% jump at the box
office.
“With our current economy we wanted to keep things affordable for the fans,” said
Executive Producer Dan McCabe. “In our eighth year promoting quality acts, people
know we provide a good experience and we’re happy with the turnout fans showed us.”
Performers at the festival included the Heartless Bastards, Jason Isbell and the
400 Unit, Chairlift, Micachu and the Shapes, God Made Me Funky, The Rosewood Thieves,
The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker, and Extra Golden.
Despite some less-than-friendly weather, venues often enjoyed capacity crowds all
three nights. Fans jumped between the raindrops to new stages on Fountain Square,
Havana Martini Club, Mainstay Rock Bar, The Segway Room, Washington Platform, and
the Contemporary Arts Center. There were 23 stages in all.
The largest stage this year was the new Topic Design Tent set adjacent to Grammer’s
in Over-the-Rhine, which saw crowds of 1,000 during headlining acts. While last year
saw expansion into downtown venues, MidPoint continues to find new areas to grow and
succeed in historical Over-the-Rhine.
Sergeant Scott Fritz of the Cincinnati Police reported there were no problems in the
neighborhoods around the festival.
For the second year festival sponsor Scion deployed a fleet of Scion xB’s, shuttling
2,800 fans between venues, a 12% increase over last year. The popular Scion Streetcars
ran the proposed Cincinnati streetcar route, helping fans walk less and listen more.
Texts and Twitter became a huge hit for fans wanting to communicate with bands and
each other. Sponsors Cincinnati Bell and Topic Design set up a system allowing instant
fan feedback using cell phones and displays set up at festival venues.
Hoping to cash in on the large MidPoint crowds, 35 businesses throughout Downtown
and Over-the-Rhine extended their dining and shopping hours on Friday, offering
special promotions throughout the city’s center.
Hotels were at capacity all weekend. The Garfield Suites Hotel, serving as a home base
during MidPoint, sold out more than a month in advance. “We could have sold out twice
with the response to our MidPoint promotion,” said Mick Douthat, director of sales for
the Garfield Suites. “The festival was a huge success for us and we look forward to
next year.”
"Cincinnati has always been a music town. The key to this for our city is the fans,
artists and business owners working together,” McCabe said. “MidPoint is a fun
cultural event that Cincinnatians should be proud of because they make it happen.”
One unfortunate event was a terrible van accident suffered by the Chicago band
Scotland Yard Gospel Choir on Thursday. The van blew a tire and flipped over on I-65
on the way to Cincinnati, destroying all of their gear, and hospitalizing six band
members, including one with spine fractures. Reports from their label, Bloodshot
Records, say three have been released, but others remain in serious condition. Anyone
interested in helping the band members out with what are sure to be costly medical
bills, the band's label has set up a site for donations. To help click here.
MidPoint Music Festival wishes them all the best and hopes for a full recovery.
Plans for next year's festival are already under way.
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