Ben Folds Rallies Against Music Row Development

The Tennessean (http://tnne.ws/1voSMCv) reported Folds drew a crowd of 200 people, including music executives, songwriters, musicians and fans, on Monday to sign a petition to the city’s leaders to preserve the studio where Dolly Parton, Tony Bennett, Vince Gill and Keith Urban cut records.

The RCA building, including the studio that Folds has rented for 12 years, is set to be sold to a Brentwood, Tennessee, development company. However, the developer, Tim Reynolds, has said he will only go through with plans to develop the property if the studio can be saved.

Music Row has long been home to an eclectic mix of recording studios, record label buildings, publishing houses and music industry office space, but recent demolitions in the area to make room for new development have struck a nerve in the city’s musical community.

“All of those ugly buildings, all of those beautiful houses, I think they’re all important,” Folds told the crowd. “I live in a condo, it’s awesome over in the Gulch and I love it. But, I started to think about it, ‘Condos in Music City, that’s awesome. But music in Condo City is not as attractive.’“

Folds said he wanted to grow the movement to save the entire Music Row, not just his studio.

“This is an opportunity for everyone to come together, trade business cards, phone numbers if they haven’t done so, and get a coalition together that will establish how this is going to happen,” Folds said.