The Midwest Music Festival Where You Could Leave With a Job | Josh Cecil, HamCo Live

On today's show I sat down with Josh Cecil, a Noblesville creator and event producer, founder of HamCo Live, and host of the HamCo Live Hot Ticket podcast, about the depth of Hamilton County's live music scene and his mission to make Noblesville a premier Midwest live-music destination anchored by Ruoff Music Center.

Cecil explains how HamCo Live began as a centralized calendar and grew through grassroots promotion, then expanded into the Homegrown Music Concert Series to showcase original local artists by removing financial risk for bars.

Cecil previews TradeUp Fest on Saturday, Sept. 19 at the Riverview Health Arena at Innovation Mile: a free outdoor festival from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with two stages, eight bands, and a "Trades Village" featuring hands-on trade experiences, followed by an indoor ticketed concert headlined by Larry Fleet with openers Norah Reese and The Wilder Blue. He also covers the value of skilled trades, Hoosier community, and favorite Indiana memories.

If you like this episode and want to hear more Get IN. episodes where I interview Hoosiers making a difference, visit getindiana.com/podcast.

You are going to learn about:
- How HamCo Live Originated
- Why Noblesville Is a Legit Midwest Destination for Live Music
- The Homegrown Music Concert Series
- The Inaugural TradeUp Fest in Noblesville

Check out these great clips from the show:
00:00 Crazy Idea Spark
00:26 Guest Introduction: Josh Cecil, HamCo Live
01:34 Building the Music Calendar
02:46 Best Venues Rundown
04:05 Noblesville Music Vision
05:43 Downtown Music Density
07:46 Grassroots Growth Playbook
09:41 Homegrown Originals Series
12:43 Networking Local Artists
13:49 TradeUp Fest Origin Story
20:19 Festival Daytime Blueprint
22:41 Trades Village Experiences
26:37 Booking the Headliner
28:16 Larry Fleet Lands
29:48 Live Music Economics
32:40 Settlement And Costs
33:50 Deposits And Big Swings
34:11 Booking Fees And Set Lengths
35:45 Festival Profit Math
36:42 Advice For Event Hosts
37:40 Trade Up Fest Details
38:47 Outdoor Lineup Highlights
41:07 Indoor Headliners
43:14 Tickets And Family Pitch
44:42 Why Indiana Home
46:02 Hamilton County Music Gems
46:46 Best Deer Creek Show
47:47 Garth Brooks Energy
49:54 Indiana Hidden Gem
50:40 Hoosier To Watch
52:19 Favorite Indiana Memory

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