The recent struggles of independent music venues across the country have been well documented. It’s a topic discussed in these pages and on social media among musicians, club owners, and fans as consistently as the presidential election is dissected by armchair political theorists on the socials. Sagging attendance and slowing revenue from an alcohol-based business model have led to the closures of several beloved rooms in North Texas over the past year-plus. It’s a complicated problem with no easy solution. Regardless, a new, and perhaps unlikely, partnership is giving it a go.
Local independent talent buyer Spune Productions has teamed up with local personal injury attorneys the Mullen & Mullen Law Firm to present the Mullen & Mullen Music Project, a sponsored venue-level concert series aimed at boosting interest in and, more importantly, attendance to local shows.
“The Mullen & Mullen Music Project is a fun and unique way for us to support local independent venues and local artists,” said Mullen & Mullen attorney Joseph R. Morrison. “We’ve been friends with the leadership team at Spune for over a decade and share their passion for music. We’re incredibly excited to collaborate with them to help elevate the North Texas music scene.”
Courtesy Mullen & Mullen Law Firm
The collaboration did in fact come about from a friendship among the seemingly disparate businesses. Morrison and Spune general manager Corey Pond have been friends for more than a decade, sharing a passion for the online video game Rocket League, in addition to live music and a concern for the current state of it.
Pond said he and Morrison are “on the phone probably six times a week. When we’re talking, these are the things we’re talking about,” referring to venues’ recent struggles. Morrison “told me Mullen & Mullen were looking to do some more things for the community and trying to find unique ways to do some sponsorships. He’s a music lover just like I am. The more we talked about it, the bigger it got.”
With one venue under Spune’s purview, Dallas’ Ferris Wheelers, located directly across from the Mullen & Mullen offices, Pond said the relationship just made sense.
Charitable contributions are nothing new for the firm. They’ve routinely been sponsors of Scottish Rite for Children; AT LAST!, an urban boarding school initiative; and Divine Equine, which provides horse-riding therapy for veterans and first responders, among others. Venturing into supporting local music is a new endeavor but one Morrison said he’s especially passionate about.
He said that he and Shane Mullen, managing partner of the firm, are “both fans of live music because it brings people together. We think North Texas needs more live music, not less. Smaller venues are struggling across the country right now. We can’t tackle a nationwide problem, but we can certainly try and improve things right here in our backyard.”
The collaboration is focused on trying to increase attendance at the local venues Spune books by incorporating some novel approaches beyond simply an increased budget for advertising and promotion.
“A lot of sponsorships are like, ‘Hey, here’s some money. Now slap our logo on a bunch of stuff,’ ” Pond said. “But this isn’t like that. This is really a partnership that wants to do cool stuff that really matters.”
One such innovation is the incorporation of a state-of-the-art video and streaming system recently installed at Tulips FTW, one of the venues Spune books. Now artists on the project’s bills have the ability to take away a full high-definition video of their performance, shot and professionally edited at the law firm’s expense. The sold-out Quaker City Night Hawks show at Tulips in late August was the first Mullen & Mullen Music Project-sponsored event in Fort Worth and the first to take advantage of the venue’s new video system. The jam-packed house is a testament to the potential of having the project’s backing.
“Fort Worth has been hit particularly hard,” Pond said. “It’s not just the size of the venues” making it difficult to keep up. “We’re going up against Dickies [Arena], where people are spending $250 to go see a show, and we’re trying to eke it out over here charging $20, $25 a ticket. It’s not any better for artists at this level, either. It’s so hard to get a record deal. Artists really need people to pay for music, and right now most people don’t. I think 65% of Spotify subscriptions are unpaid, and the bands need money, too.”
One can imagine the promotional (or even financial) benefits of Tulips’ new video and streaming ability to both the venue and the artists. While details could not yet be discussed, Pond hinted that there are major developments coming later this month. The project hopes they’re the next major step in giving the club-level scene a lift.
“I’m a fan of all music,” Morrison said. “I love going to big concerts as much as anybody, but these smaller venues are great places to discover new artists along their journey. I remember seeing Leon Bridges [in one such club] before he blew up. It’s important for Shane [Mullen] and I to support smaller, independent venues because they’re the ones that need the support right now.”
Pond agrees. “If we lose these venues, we lose the development system that leads to those artists one day playing Dickies.”
