Music Venue Owners and Managers

Formal music venues have been around in many different forms for centuries. Cathedrals and other religious buildings can be considered early music "halls." But the music venue of today is more recent; the emergence of rock and roll in the mid-1950s had much to do with the evolution of the music club as an entertainment destination.

During the first half of the 20th century, popular music was dominated by big-band jazz. People gathered to hear these large music ensembles in ballrooms, hotels, and other large facilities. Soon, however, solo performers with roots in gospel, blues, folk, and country broke new ground in music, and the result was the birth of rock. This music required a venue different than those used by the big bands. Music venues of all sizes sprang up across the country, from blues clubs in Chicago, to bluegrass clubs in the Appalachian region, to jazz clubs on the West Coast, to rock clubs in New York City. Today, thousands of music venues of all sizes can be found in major cities, and small towns typically host a few music halls as well. The popularity of music as live entertainment has driven this growth and will continue to expand the number and scope of music venues across the country.