Editor’s Note:

As part of our ongoing series, the Indiana Music Alliance is inviting leaders across Indiana’s music industry to share candid reflections on what they are seeing on the ground: what’s working, what’s not, and what it will take to create sustainable ecosystems that support musicians, venues, and the communities that love live music.

In this installment, we turn our attention to Wabash and northeast Indiana, where live music continues to thrive despite the challenges smaller communities face.

Tod Minnich, President and CEO of Honeywell Arts and Entertainment, brings a unique perspective as both a community leader and a champion for music education and live performance. Drawing on his experience guiding Honeywell’s programming, festivals, and educational initiatives, Tod shares a first-hand view of how venues, audiences, and artists come together to create a thriving regional music ecosystem.

Where Music and Community Meet

Words by Tod Minnich

Live Music Thrives in Wabash 

In 2025, live music in Wabash and north-central Indiana continued to draw audiences, with Honeywell and partner venues selling more than 145,000 tickets, and 79% of Honeywell Center and Eagles Theatre attendees traveling from outside Wabash County. At the same time, venues everywhere are navigating a complex environment balancing rising production costs, artist touring economics, and audience expectations while working to keep performances accessible.

What continues to encourage me is the level of participation we are seeing from people who want to be directly involved in the arts, particularly through music education. Across Honeywell Arts & Entertainment programs, students and community members are not just attending performances; they are actively learning and performing through music lessons.

Through Honeywell’s Arts For All initiative, we also offer workshops and camps that introduce participants of all ages to the arts. But the growth in music instruction has been especially meaningful. Seeing students, families, and community members engage with music as participants—not just audience members—reinforces how important it is for communities to create opportunities for people to learn, perform, and connect through music.

Smaller Towns Face Big Challenges

In many ways, the challenges in smaller communities are the same ones larger markets face…supporting artists, building audiences, and sustaining venues financially. The difference is scale, and that scale affects everything from ticket revenue to audience development. Smaller population bases and often lower household incomes mean every programming decision carries more risk in smaller markets.

What is sometimes overlooked is that venues and performance spaces in smaller communities often serve a much broader role. They are gathering places, educational resources, and cultural anchors for the region. That responsibility adds complexity, but it also makes the work incredibly meaningful when you see communities come together around the arts.

Venues as Cultural Anchors

Collaboration matters. No single organization has all the answers, and there is tremendous value in sharing knowledge and learning from others who are working through similar challenges.  Organizations like the Indiana Music Alliance create opportunities for venues, artists, and presenters to exchange ideas, share best practices, and support one another. When organizations work together, they can learn faster and make better decisions. There is also real power in scale. When venues and music organizations across the state work collectively, their voice becomes stronger, whether advocating for the arts, supporting artists, or helping audiences discover new music. That kind of collaboration ultimately benefits everyone involved in the ecosystem.

A Pipeline for Talent

One of the things I’m most proud of is the continued growth of the Honeywell Arts Academy, serving 225 musicians from 22 countries. The program brings emerging musicians from around the world to Wabash through full scholarships and fellowship opportunities to study, perform, and continue developing their careers.  The Academy is led by Grammy and Emmy award-winning Artistic Director Ranaan Meyer, along with an outstanding group of faculty, which allows these young artists to work with world-class musicians. It’s a powerful reminder that great music and great talent aren’t limited to major cities. 

The Academy has become an important pipeline for emerging musicians. Many alumni go on to build successful careers and return to perform in our concert series, giving our audience the chance to see their growth as artists over time. Seeing that level of artistry develop here in Wabash is incredibly rewarding.

Why Artists Stay

Every market is different, and musicians are different as well. Smaller communities are not the right fit for every artist, just as large metropolitan markets are not the right fit for everyone either. The key for communities like Wabash is to understand their strengths and lean into them.  Wabash has a long history of supporting the arts, and that authenticity matters. Artists who come here are stepping into a community that values live performance, music education, and creative expression.  For many musicians, that kind of environment can be very appealing. It allows artists not only to perform, but also to teach, collaborate, and become part of the cultural life of the community.

Looking Ahead To 2026

One of the things I’m most excited about is expanding opportunities for smaller, more intimate live music experiences. Large venues will always play an important role, but there is something special about performances where audiences can connect with artists in a more personal setting.

Several initiatives underway in Wabash will help us grow that kind of programming. The integration of the Charley Creek Inn into Honeywell Arts & Entertainment creates opportunities to pair live music with unique culinary experiences and overnight stays. Spaces like the Green Hat Lounge Piano Bar already provide great environments for music, and we see opportunities to expand the live entertainment offered in that setting.

We are also excited about the renovation of Honeywell House, which will include an expanded 75-seat performance hall designed specifically for smaller performances. The expanded terrace and lawn spaces will also allow us to introduce new outdoor music experiences.

Together, these venues will allow us to present a wider range of artists and create more personal ways for audiences to experience live music in Wabash.

Show Up. Every Time. 

The most important thing people can do is simple: show up.

Put the phone down, go see live music, and bring a friend with you. When people choose to spend time experiencing music together, it supports the artists, the venues, and the entire ecosystem that makes live performance possible.

In smaller communities, especially, participation matters. Every ticket purchased, every show attended, and every new person introduced to live music helps keep that momentum going.

The post Tod Minnich (Wabash) appeared first on Indiana Music Alliance.

Photo of Madison, Indiana

Editor’s Note:

Independent venues and music scenes don’t just happen by accident. They are rooted in local culture, real people showing up, and the often-invisible structures that allow artists and audiences to meet in meaningful ways.

As part of our ongoing series, the Indiana Music Alliance is inviting leaders across Indiana’s music industry to share candid reflections on what they are seeing on the ground. What’s working. What’s not. And what it will take to build sustainable ecosystems that support musicians, venues, and the communities that love live music.

In this installment, we spotlight Madison, Indiana — a small river city of about 12,000 people and the largest city along the Ohio River between Louisville and Cincinnati — often celebrated as Indiana’s Music City for its high density of venues and vibrant cultural scene.

Joel Storm is a longtime Madison resident, musician, and civic leader who serves on the Madison City Council and Plan Commission. He is also the founder of the Indiana Music Hall of Fame and Ohio Valley Sound, two initiatives focused on honoring musical legacy while actively building pathways for education, production, and economic sustainability.

Drawing on his experience leaving Madison due to a lack of viable music economy and later returning to help build the infrastructure he once needed, Joel offers a grounded, first-person perspective on what it takes to grow and sustain a music ecosystem in a smaller market like Madison.

A Music City in Progress

Words by Joel Storm

Plenty of Rooms, Steady Demand

Madison has one of the highest venue counts per capita in the state. That variety is a real asset, even if it can feel overwhelming at times. The most encouraging thing I’ve seen over the past year is that the appetite for music and the arts in Madison is still very strong.

I can see that both anecdotally and analytically. We use Placer.ai data in the city to understand who’s coming from where and to make educated guesses about what our investment infrastructure looks like. Then you go to a couple of venues on any given night. You see people showing up. You see festivals doing well. You see more people wanting to saddle up and make an investment to host festivals and events.

Between the data, the turnout, and the city’s interest in developing a riverfront amphitheater in one of our premier downtown locations, there’s a strong case that demand is real and growing.

The Circular Problem: Talent and Stages

At the same time, Madison faces a circular problem that a lot of smaller markets run into. Venue diversity and talent availability are tied together, and it’s hard to move one without the other.

Right now, the good players are getting older and still playing, but there’s an off-balance ratio of existing players to incoming players. If you have 20 older musicians continuing to play, but only three younger musicians entering the scene every few years, you’re not going to get that 20 in five years.

What I’ve seen in Madison historically is that we’ll have these moments in time where things become eclectic and exciting. A year, three years, whatever it is. Then it falls off, and you rebuild from scratch. Without continuity, you’re always starting over.

Breaking that cycle requires organizers to take real financial risks and personal investments to incubate new genres and new talent before there’s a guaranteed audience.

Infrastructure That Has Momentum

We do have momentum. Venues like Red Bicycle Hall have become premier spaces for one-offs. Places like Mad Paddle are doing good work as hybrid bar, restaurant, and performance spaces. There’s also private investment happening around the Ohio Theatre, a historic venue with a lot of potential.

On the public side, I’m proud of the festivals and campaigns that have helped move the needle on both our physical and cultural infrastructure. The inaugural Unbroken Circle festival brought high-caliber roots and Americana talent to our riverfront, and the Madison Riverfront Amphitheater project represents a long-term investment in our town.

At some point, though, there has to be the infrastructure to actually live up to the name “Indiana’s Music City.” We’ve seen musicians show up because of that name. Now it’s time to make sure that when they pack their things up and come here, we’re fulfilling that promise.

Why Collective Work Matters

In a town like Madison, collective engagement isn’t optional. It’s essential.

When people ask why more musicians aren’t showing up to meetings, organizations, or decision points, I don’t see a lack of desire. Life gets in the way. What’s missing is organization around a mission that aligns with musicians’ expertise and interests.

We have groups like the Madison Arts Alliance, the Madison Music Movement (M3), Visit Madison, and the Board of Tourism all working in parallel. The city has partnered with these organizations to provide funding, marketing support, and help facilitate festivals, allowing M3 to act as a discretionary provider of resources.

We’re making it real here, slowly but surely, and quicker every time. A few of us are building something organic and grassroots, and it’s starting to take shape.

Retention Requires Real Economics

Talent retention depends on whether a community can support artists economically, not just culturally.

I grew up a musician here. I went into the Marine Corps for a bit and played and was able to make money. But I left Madison because there was no real economy. A lot has changed in the 20 years since I’ve been gone, but that reality still matters.

Music has been commoditized in ways that make it difficult to build a career in smaller towns. While we all play for the love of it, love alone doesn’t pay rent or build a future. Right now, our focus is on organizational development and on creating a collective of musicians who can turn passion into sustainability rather than a permanent side hustle.

Education is a huge part of that. Madison Consolidated Schools started a studio at the middle school level, and that’s a smart foundation. Starting with youth gives you continuity. Children are our biggest investment. We want them to grow up here, leave if they need to, and then come back because this town offers a real quality of life and creative opportunity.

Toward a Regional Sound Along the Ohio

I believe we’re on the edge of something bigger than Madison alone.

We’re working toward organizing a collective of disciplined communities along the Ohio River. Through the Indiana Music Hall of Fame and Ohio Valley Sound, we’re trying to honor, educate, and inspire while capturing a regional identity rooted in shared history and lived experience.

We’re also developing a studio. One of the musicians who moved here a few years ago is a world-class studio artist, and we’re just doing it. We’re not waiting for a perfect plan or a 100 percent solution. We’re building an 80 percent solution and making it better every day.

That’s what excites me. We can dream big without getting overwhelmed by the future. We can make things real, now.

One Clear Action

If you listen to music, you’re already part of this ecosystem. We listen to music more than we eat, and for some of us, more than we talk. Even the smallest investment becomes monumental in the aggregate.

One of the hardest parts of this work is convincing yourself it’s exciting. Believing it, telling others it’s exciting, and then waking up the next day and finding that energy again. That’s why surrounding yourself with other honest, action-oriented people matters. You fill each other’s cup, and you move together.

When you feel tired or uncertain, keep going. The road to success is narrow and rugged, and the road to failure isn’t much easier. Resilience lives in community. Stay the course. Keep building. Keep showing up.

The post Joel Storm (Madison) appeared first on Indiana Music Alliance.

Photo by Lydia Norton

Pictured on the right and left are Josh Baker and Dan Kemer, respectively.

Editor’s Note:

Independent venues are often the first place new artists take the stage and the last line of defense for a city’s live music ecosystem. They are also some of the most fragile pieces of cultural infrastructure we have.

As part of an ongoing series, the Indiana Music Alliance is inviting leaders across Indiana’s music industry to share candid reflections on what they are seeing on the ground level. What’s working. What’s breaking. And what it will take to build something more sustainable.

We’re starting with Josh Baker, owner of HI-FI and the Annex and Executive Director of the Indiana Independent Venue Alliance. Josh offers an unfiltered look at the pressures facing independent venues right now, the hidden systems shaping audience behavior, and why collective action still matters even when resources are thin.

What the Public Sees vs. What’s Actually Happening

Words by Josh Baker

On the surface, things probably look pretty good. Rooms are busy, shows are happening, and it can feel like live music is thriving in Indianapolis and across Indiana.

Underneath that surface, though, there have been headwinds building all year. I am not sure the average consumer is fully aware of them yet, and I also do not think we have seen the full effect.

The Growing Fragility Behind “Healthy” Rooms

The hardest part of the past year has been the growing gap between how healthy things appear and how fragile they actually are behind the scenes. Costs continue to rise while spending habits tighten, and that pressure adds up quickly for independent rooms.

At the same time, I have been surprised in a good way by the fact that the appetite for live music is still there. When shows connect, the energy is real. People still want to go out, discover music, and be part of something. I have also been encouraged by the amount of new energy and leadership that has popped up this year. Seeing more people step up locally and nationally gives me hope that there is strong young leadership ready to get in the game and help move things forward.

From my seat running HI-FI and the Annex, the pressures indie venues are feeling right now are significant and often invisible to the public.

Ticketing, Fees, and a Broken Marketplace

Around June, things started getting concerning. Sales were off more than normal, and actual attendance was down about 20 percent year over year. Then it took a sharp turn closer to 40 percent, which was alarming. While that has recovered slightly, it is still nowhere near where it needs to be.

It is hard to point to one single cause, but the all-in ticket price has been a major catalyst. What is wild is that ticket prices did not actually change. People are paying roughly the same amounts they always have. The difference is that fees are now visible upfront, and that sticker shock has had a real and lasting impact.

Fraud, Fatigue, and the Hidden Costs of Confusion

That confusion is amplified by speculative ticketing and the secondary market. Brokers are selling tickets before we are even able to put them on sale. People end up paying insane prices for tickets that are still available at face value through our site or box office. On top of that, fraudulent ticket sales have increased dramatically. Fake listings on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and Instagram are duping fans every day. When those fans show up with invalid tickets, our staff absorbs the fallout. Unhappy customers, bad reviews, and people who drove hours only to be turned away. It is a vicious cycle and one we are constantly trying to regain control of.

When the Math Stops Working

Layer that on top of a shaky local economy, political noise, and general consumer fatigue, and you can feel spending tighten across the board. Alcohol sales are also down. On a human level, people drinking less is not a bad thing. But concessions are a major part of how venues stay afloat, and when ticket revenue is already thin, that loss matters.

Locally, traffic and ongoing construction have also been real deterrents. Our fans come from all over the city, the state, and surrounding states. I have talked to countless people who skipped shows simply because they did not want to deal with driving downtown. Progress is important, but stacked infrastructure projects make the short-term reality harder.

What We Lose When a Venue Closes

This has been the hardest year since the pandemic. Labor and operating costs are through the roof, and sales are not keeping pace. We lost Duke’s this year, and there are several other rooms operating on life support. When a venue closes, it is not just a room that disappears. It is jobs, opportunities, and a piece of the local culture that does not come back easily.

At the same time, I have been pleasantly surprised by how willing policymakers have been to listen. Our district is fortunate to have strong civic leadership that understands the value independent venues bring to the city, sometimes even more clearly than we do ourselves. That support has been instrumental in helping us navigate this year and gives me confidence that these conversations are moving in the right direction.

Why Collective Efforts Still Matter

Despite being underfunded and understaffed, collective efforts like the Indiana Independent Venue Alliance and the Indiana Music Alliance matter deeply.

We all do this because we love it. We care about our city, and we collectively contribute to the health and perception of its cultural economy. Groups like IIVA, IMA, Musical Family Tree, and others act as essential backstops. They often have the clearest understanding of what is happening day to day and what it actually takes to get real work done.

Translating Reality Into Action

They also act as translators. Most venue owners, artists, and promoters are focused on survival. These organizations take shared experiences and distill them into something that can be communicated clearly to civic leaders and policymakers who have the ability to act.

What IIVA has accomplished with essentially no operating budget is impressive. It has been entirely volunteer-driven. Even modest funding to hire one full-time person focused on this work would be a game-changer. The results would speak for themselves.

IMA is just as important. A lot of groundwork has already been done to build real music infrastructure in Indiana. That work stalled for a while, but the renewed energy around IMA makes momentum feel possible again. When people move together, it helps everyone be heard.

Quiet Wins and Momentum Building

There is also a lot to be proud of that does not always get noticed. Indianapolis artists are releasing strong records, touring, and developing new markets. Indiana bands on the road talking about our city and our scene shape how the rest of the country perceives what is happening here. I believe 2026 will be even stronger.

I am proud that we were able to land the NIVA Live Policy Summit in Indianapolis, specifically in Fountain Square. We worked hard to bring it here and to execute it well. There are conversations about bringing it back in 2026, and we are renewing our bid to host the NIVA National Convention in 2028.

Looking Toward 2026

Looking ahead to 2026, I am personally excited to finally build the venue we have been talking about for nearly two years. It feels like the last piece of our puzzle and something that could be genuinely transformational for the neighborhood.

More broadly, I am hopeful about people re-engaging with live music and about the work through IIVA translating into long-term sustainability rather than just emergency response. If the right people are in the room, it feels possible to move beyond survival mode and start building something more durable.

A Simple Action With Real Impact

For artists, managers, promoters, venue owners, and music businesses, there is one thing that matters above almost everything else: demand.

The most important thing people can do is buy tickets to shows, and if possible, buy them early. If you cannot buy a ticket, be an advocate. Bring a friend. Share a show. Plan a night out. Make live music part of your life again.

This ecosystem is deeply interconnected. Artists, venues, managers, tour bus drivers, poster printers, guitar shops, and countless other small businesses all revolve around the same center point. Live music. Everyone is feeling the same stress right now, but if we work together, we can turn the bus around.

At the end of the day, buying a ticket early is a vote for whether that room is still here next year. It is a simple transaction, but it carries real weight. Those purchases are investments in the scene. If you fuel it, it will grow, and we have barely scratched the surface of what it could become.

If independent rooms are full, artists can make a living, venues can operate sustainably, and cities benefit from jobs, tax revenue, and tourism. It all starts with people choosing to show up.

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