Nashville Municipal Auditorium seeks $4 million roof and operations increases as events surge

The Nashville Municipal Auditorium asked the Arts, Parks, Libraries & Entertainment Committee on March 18 for targeted FY26 budget increases to support rising event volume and to replace the venue's aging roof.

"It's been my pleasure to have served there so far," said Nancy Van Reese, a commissioner on the Nashville Municipal Auditorium commission, introducing staff who presented a financial and operations update. The auditorium's staff said event days and revenue have risen and that the facility needs capital and operating support to avoid service disruptions.

The commission highlighted several specific requests. Staff proposed a $4,000,000 capital improvement to replace the auditorium's original roof (the staff submission described the dome as last re‑roofed about 30 years ago) and requested operating increases including $100,000 for maintenance, $20,000 for water utilities, $270,000 for temporary services (stagehands, security, EMTs, janitorial and crowd control), $30,000 to upgrade office software and supplies, and $30,000 for expanded marketing.

"The municipal auditorium has experienced a highly successful year," said Darren Howard, a member of the auditorium staff. Howard said fiscal year 2025 showed growth in booked events (91 event days, a 46% increase from FY23) and that the venue expects revenue to continue rising. He told the committee the Live Nation preferred-promoter agreement guarantees $500,000 and staff project an additional $2,100,000 from Fidelity rentals and new partnerships, including a lease renewal with the Musicians Hall of Fame and a multi-year agreement with Athletes Unlimited.

Howard also described proposed changes to rental rates and fees, including a new all-inclusive filming day rate of $6,500 and a revised structure for ancillary fees and an administrative fee intended to capture staffing costs for events. He said a FY24 fee study placed the auditorium’s pricing “in the middle” of comparable public and private venues and that the new structure aims to boost ancillary revenue while keeping base rental rates competitive.

Howard attributed part of the venue’s stronger results to new promoters and to the arrival of Athletes Unlimited, which he said returned for an additional season. He provided performance metrics for that partnership: a 96% increase in TV viewership, an 89% increase in attendance, a 151% increase in merchandise sales and a 106% increase in online engagement during the inaugural seasons in Nashville.

Commissioners and council members pressed staff on triage priorities and operational details. Council Member Stiles asked staff to identify the top three needs; Howard and Van Reese said the roof replacement, temporary services and maintenance were the highest priorities. Stiles also asked why the auditorium would not simply raise rent: staff said they were keeping basic daily rental fees competitive and were instead targeting ancillary fees and administrative charges to capture previously unrecovered costs.

Linda Chambers, president and chief executive of the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, attended and invited committee members to visit the museum; staff said the museum’s lease renewal would be presented to committee and council for approval in an upcoming meeting.

Commissioners noted that the auditorium’s growth increases wear and tear and that proactive maintenance would avoid costly emergency repairs and event disruptions. Howard said the water and temporary-services increases reflect the higher guest counts and the labor needed to stage larger or more complex events.

The committee did not take a vote on the auditorium's budget requests at this meeting; staff said the requests will be considered during upcoming budget deliberations and that the auditorium would provide the fee-study documentation and the detailed budget packet to the committee.

Ending: The auditorium’s staff left the committee with a request that the committee and council review the FY26 adjustments as part of the municipal budget process. Staff said they will deliver the fee study and the full budget package to the committee folder ahead of budget hearings.