Will the Walton Arts Center soon own the AMP?
September 9th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
The shell of the Arkansas Music Pavilion. FILE PHOTO.
Well, it’s certainly possible.
The Walton Arts Center‘s facility committee, in addition to making progress on their plans for an expanded arts facility, recommended the purchase of the tent structure that currently resides in the Northwest Arkansas Mall parking lot.
The Arkansas Music Pavilion is currently owned by Brian Crowne and Suzie Stephens, the pair that also owns George’s Majestic Lounge.
Although the purchase offer is new, the ties that bind the organizations are not. The Walton Arts Center has been partnered with the AMP for several shows, including Levon Helm and The Indigo Girls from earlier this year.
In an article written for today’s paper [available if you are a newspaper subscriber] by Fayetteville city reporter Skip Descant, he reports that that negotiations for purchase/partnership have been in the works for some time.
Crowne would stay affiliated with the booking of bands, it was reported.
Even though the recommendation was made by the WAC facility committee, the purchase is not a done deal.
A press release sent out by the Walton Arts Center last evening declares that “This recommendation is contingent on further research and approval of financial agreements by the Walton Arts Center finance committee.”
If I were to guess, I’d say the deal goes through.
What will it mean for the venue? That’s hard to say. If Crowne is indeed booking the music, one can expect a level of consistency between past years and those that will come, but the Walton Arts Center may want a say in the artists who visit, too.
What are your thoughts? Will this be a good thing?