1. 80/35 in 2010. The Greater Des Moines Music Coalition has a hold on Western Gateway Park for the 2010 Fourth of July weekend, so as of today, there will be a third year of the outdoor music festival.
Now the organization is trying to deciding whether to hold the festival on Friday and Saturday, or Saturday and Sunday. July 4 is a Sunday next year, so many workers will have Monday off, making a Saturday-Sunday show appealing.
In fact, organizer Amedeo Rossi said all facets of the festival are open for discussion.
"We have some questions about the event," Rossi said. "We've done this for two years now, does our model make sense? We have two free stages and one paid stage, does that make sense?"
The second day of this year's 80/35, headlined by Ben Harper, was the biggest day out of either year, with 7,500 tickets sold, but the rain on the first day hurt walk-up traffic for Public Enemy.
Rossi expects more formal plans to be announced in January.
2. Changes for GDP? The DMMC's indie rock and hip hop-themed Gross Domestic Product will also be moving from Hotel Fort Des Moines in spring 2010, but the DMMC is still considering its options for the local music showcase. One involves turning GDP into a multi-venue concert that includes more bands and more venues."More like a South By Southwest-type showcase," Rossi said.
3. All-ages ordinance At a forum last week, the Des Moines Music Commission discussed a petition aimed at creating a city ordinance that allows under-21 music fans to remain in music venues after 9 p.m. Currently, those under 21 must leave by 9 p.m., causing some concerts to start as early as 5 p.m. The hope is to adopt a code similar to an all-ages ordinance in Omaha, where minors need to get parental consent, and a list of under-21 fans is kept on file at designated venues. Members of the Commission said they would approach the Des Moines City Council with the petition.
