Family Feud: Nashville vs. Branson: Competing Music Tourism Strategies

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Family Feud Nashville vs. Branson Competing
Music Tourism Strategies
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Preparation

• Read George Carneys article Branson The New
  Country Music Mecca.
  
• Access blank outline from internet.
• Take todays quiz on-line.

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Tourism Infrastructure

• What is infrastructure?
• What types of industry does the infrastructure of
  Salem or Massachusetts support or invite?
  
• High-Tech?
• Manufacturing?
• What types of tourism?

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Bransons Tourism Infrastructure
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Nashvilles Tourism Infrastructure
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Carneys Four Factors Contributing Bransons
Success

• Cost (time and effort) reduction in touring
• Audience type
• Lifestyle
• Money

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Brief History of Branson

• Three Stages of Development
• Locals Only
• Old-Timers 1980s
• New Country 1990s

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Nashvilles Rise

• Why Nashville?
• WMS, Roy Acuff
• Geography
• Fan Orientation
• Past and present
• Grand Ol Opry
• Past and present

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Grand Ol Opry (Past)

• Insert figure

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Grand Ol Opry (Present)
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Branson

• Cost effectiveness of visits for tourists

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Agglomeration

• Branson uses economies of agglomeration
  effectively to reduce the costs for tourists and
  theater operators.
  
• Car dealerships use the same strategy.
• Recently Branson has been afflicted with
  diseconomies of agglomeration and scale.

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Threshold and Range

• Threshold refers to ________
• Whats the threshold for a Wal-Mart?
• Range refers to _____
• Whats the range of a hardware store?

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Intervening Opportunity

• What is an intervening opportunity?
• How does this concept apply in the context of
  Nashville vs. Branson?
  
• That and the threshold was probably too small.

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Battle of Place Imagery

• What is the main theme of the place imagery
  presented by Branson?
  
• What advantages does Branson have over Nashville
  in terms of place imagery?
  
• How does Nashville try to counter?
• What can Nashville offer in terms of place
  imagery that Branson cant?

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Welcome to Branson

• Figure

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Welcome to Nashville
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Welcome to Nashville
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Welcome to Nashville
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Welcome to Nashville
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Welcome to Nashville
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Niche Marketing

• Refers to the specialized targeting of certain
  groups by businesses.
  
• What groups would the Branson theater owners
  target?
  
• What about Nashville?

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Understanding Your Product

• What sort of changes did country music undergo
  during the period before and during the emergence
  of Branson as a competitor for country music
  tourists?
• Waylon and Willie?
• Lukenbach, Texas?
• Lets go sell your diamond ring and buy some
  boots and faded jeans and go away. Weve been so
  busy keepin up with the Jones, four car garage
  and were still buildin on

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Politics of Country Music

• How would characterize the politics of country
  music?
  
• What other political stances might also be
  worthy of consideration?
  
• Roger Miller quote
• What music genres are opposite country in terms
  of politics?
  
• How might these alternative political stances
  affect the prospects for music-based tourism?

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Are there other country music Meccas?

• Have they been able to cash in?
• What are some of the characteristics of potential
  competitors to Branson and Nashville?
  
• What spatial conditions might be worth
  considering if a city were to market itself as
  another country music destination?