Howard County Executive Comments On Silver Spring Music Venue Dispute
By Silver Springer • Nov 27th, 2007 • Category: Business and Economic Development, Government and Politics
Isiah Leggett
Montgomery County Executive
Executive Office Building
101 Monroe Street, 2nd Floor
Rockville, MD 20850November 26, 2007
Dear County Executive Leggett,
I have been following with interest the ongoing discussion about a new concert venue in downtown Silver Spring, an area that provides inspiration to us in Howard County as we work to revitalize and add vibrancy to our older commercial and mixed-use areas.
While I do not know all of the details of this situation, I understand that Seth Hurwitz and I.M.P. Productions have expressed a desire to be involved. Certainly, you must do what is best for Silver Spring and Montgomery County, but having worked with Seth over the past four years, I believe he would be an invaluable asset to this project.
During my term as a County Councilman, the owner of Merriweather Post Pavilion threatened to close the beloved venue because of poor performance related to negligent management. After community outcry and protest, the owner decided to keep Merriweather open and to install new managers who would share the community’s commitment to the venue. I.M.P. fit this bill perfectly and was awarded a contract.
As you know, Seth is a native Marylander and Montgomery Countian. His roots not only give him a better understanding of the area, but also a stronger commitment to it. When I.M.P. assumed control of Merriweather, the pavilion was in the midst of difficult times. In the years immediately prior, its summer lineups had dwindled to only a handful of mediocre shows and its condition had deteriorated dramatically. The traits that made a Merriweather concert so special – traits that Seth knew first hand – were gone. Once I.M.P. was installed as venue manager, however, the pavilion’s trajectory took an entirely new course.
I.M.P.’s first summer at Merriweather in 2004 was a stunning success, with a lineup that included blockbuster shows – Dave Matthews Band and Kenny Chesney – as well as an enviable and diverse slate of other artists, including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, touring theatrical productions and the Capital Jazz Fest. But the lineup was just the beginning, as I.M.P. also transformed the overall atmosphere and quality of Merriweather, reinvesting in the physical structures, creating unique attractions like the 9:32 Club and Backyard Barbeque and offering diverse and high quality concessions and dining options. With each passing year under I.M.P., Merriweather continues its ascendance.
As one would expect with any outdoor music venue located adjacent to residential areas, Merriweather’s relationship with the community has not always been perfect. Most notable in Columbia lore is the appearance of the Grateful Dead in the 1980s, whose traveling fan base caused enough havoc in our community to prompt local leaders to ban the band from playing there again. Fears of a similar nature arose in 2006 when Merriweather was scheduled to host the HFStival, a two-day, 50,000-person festival with multiple stages. Seth, however, quickly assuaged these fears, as he worked with community leaders and residents to implement a plan for handling the largest crowds in the pavilion’s history. The major concert went off without a hitch and afterward, many Columbians wrote letters to our local newspapers commending I.M.P. for its exceptional handling of the event.
Seth’s commitment to the community involves more than simply responding to concerns. Under his leadership, Merriweather has blossomed into one of our county’s most valuable assets. Currently, it serves as the location for the Symphony of Lights, Howard County General Hospital’s annual fundraiser, an event that I.M.P. also supports with staff time. Moreover, last summer Seth was able to bring the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra to Merriweather for a free performance as part of the Columbia Festival of the Arts.
Despite only receiving one-year contracts to manage Merriweather, Seth has invested a considerable amount of his money into the venue and has even bigger plans for the future. In my numerous talks with him, I know that Seth is not satisfied with providing simply a good place to see live music. Rather, he strives to create the ideal concert experience, and as a result he and his venues are consistently recognized by trade organizations as among the best in the country. I.M.P.’s track record, consistent professionalism and commitment to excellence proves that the company is capable of running top-notch music venues, but what makes it truly the best promoter and venue manager is its knowledge of our area and dedication to working with our communities.
Over the past decade, Merriweather has gone from a steep downward spiral under the management of Clear Channel Communications to a thriving, nationally recognized outdoor concert pavilion, even at a time when the concert industry nationwide has struggled. This dramatic turnaround shows in stark contrast the impact managers can have on the success of a venue and provides perhaps the most compelling reason to consider I.M.P.’s proposal for the Silver Spring concert hall.
Sincerely,
Ken Ulman
Howard County Executive
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This is the first reasonable argument I’ve heard in favor or “reopening” negotiations.
Very interesting. Why would Howard County politicians want to go to the mat for 9:30 club?
Probably Seth called in some favors. Then again, as “calling in favors” goes, this is pretty benign, so that’s cool.
It is a pretty reasonable argument that Ken makes, so maybe Ike will listen?
I still hope Ike doesn’t listen. Why would Seth possibly want to build a venue so close to his award winning venue? Oh yeah, to play the crappy bands…
If Seth is insincere about his intentions, he’d really piss off all the people publicly supporting him. The Howard executive would probably not renew his contract at Merriweather.
I agree with Ike…the county already negotiated in good faith with Live Nation. Now, after the fact, once the full scope and details of the negotiations are public, Seth says “hey, now that I know all the secrets, I want to play”. That’s just not fair to Live Nation and if Hurwitz wanted to be in the game he should have come forward earlier so that the county could negotiate with both parties at the same time for the best deal.
Unlike Macy’s, Best Buy, etc. the real estate world doesn’t have the tagline “If you see a better price from a competitor within 30 days of your purchase, bring us their ad and we’ll give you the difference plus 10%!).
He wouldn’t piss off the lame-ass people that would help “pick” the lame-ass music venues for DTSS.
Woodsider - I believe your logic is correct .. No question.. But given that IMP has put a counteroffer on that table that is clearly more attractive than LiveNation’s, perhaps, regardless of its fairness, consider it.
All I have asked for during this entire discussion is a fair and open process, which will ultimately benefit the taxpayers.
Seth Hurwitz is being criticized for being late to the table. Based on the facts, he was never invited. The only invitee was Live Nation.
I am not asking for all the residents and elected officials to solely support Seth Hurwitz. I am merely asking that everyone support good government practices.
Dude, you’re asking someone to break his word! Maybe you’re okay with this, but I wouldn’t be.
You keep repeating that the agreement is non-binding, much like “Hey will you buy my car?”… “Sure”… “Then I’ll take it off the market”… “Great”… “Oh wait, I got a better offer from someone who got to see what you offered, so _uck you.”
Plus, aren’t you concerned that if SS residents get to have a voice in venues only the 50 to 80-year old crowd will show up…
Even if Seth Hurwitz’s offer is better on paper, it does not translate to better acts than what Live Nation could offer. Think about it, do you really think that Hurwitz would book the same acts that the 9:30 club currently books? Of course not. He would be competing with himself. What would probably happen is that Silver Spring will get the shitty acts while the premiere acts go to the 9:30 club. At least with Live Nation, they will be competitive with the 9:30 club in booking the good acts. Just because Hurwitz’s offer is better on paper doesn’t mean it is the right choice. I also think that the Howard County Exec. should mind his business because, as he states, he does not know all the details of the situation.
Still not convinced by this whole “We need to honor the terms of our secretive sweetheart negotiation so we can pay a gigantic national corporation more money than the local businessman is asking for” argument.
the whole thing stinks
seriously why would a county exec from Howard County be this involved? In politics there are always money or networking motives. I wonder which one this falls under.
I was initially for an open discussion, but seriously even the common people knew about this interest early this summer if not earlier. Where was Seth? and why now? Maybe next time, but sorry it’s too late.
And yes common sense is that having a monopoly on this type of venue most likely will not be beneficial for those of us that want to see something good.
When did the owner of MULTIPLE music venues become “the little guy” we have to feel sorry for? At least Live Nation is a publicly traded company…
I love how the one arguement that keeps getting thrown around by the pro-Seth Hurwitz crowd is that he is local, so he must be better. For the love of god, just because it is a local business does not necessarily mean it is a better business. Last I checked, competition breeds better businesses, not one guy owning two music venues in the same area market.
A NATIONAL company (Discovery) was one of the major catalysts for the turnaround of downtown Silver Spring, not a local businesses.