![Metro Councilmembers Speak Up on Behalf of Exit/In [Updated]](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nashvillescene.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/b5/4b506f85-420e-5207-b7e4-58f0a76e97b8/6089a847bee75.image.png?resize=721%2C500)
Diarrhea Planet at Exit/In, 9/8/2018
Over the past 18 months, fans and followers of Nashville music have been waiting to find out what changes might be coming to historic midsize music venue Exit/In. Finally, there are at least some answers.
Last year, the club celebrated its 50th anniversary as a sounding board and listening room for locals and a favorite of a dazzling array of touring artists; the names of many parties from both groups are painted on the venue’s walls. Also in 2021, the property that houses the club and its sister bar Hurry Back was sold for $6.45 million to real estate development firm Adventurous Journeys Capital Partners. Chris and Telisha Cobb — who have been involved in running Exit/In since 2004, were part of a partnership that operated the venue through most of the 2010s and became the proprietors when the partnership dissolved amicably in 2019 — reportedly made an equivalent offer for the site, backed by Grubb Properties’ Live Venue Recovery Fund. Though their bid to the previous owners was rejected, the Cobbs established a crowdfunding campaign intended to sweeten an offer to AJ Capital. Meanwhile, AJ Capital made good on its promise to apply for a historic zoning overlay, which will cover only the Exit/In building but does place limits on the kinds of changes that can be made to the site.
Chris Cobb at Exit/In, 2020
However, a March 2022 concert announcement included a note that Exit/In was suspending booking after Thanksgiving, and show announcements in the summer included notes that several artists would be “saying farewell to Exit/In.” In a recent phone call with the Scene, Chris Cobb puts the speculation to rest, saying, “We exhausted all efforts to purchase the property.” A statement shared with media and published on the venue’s social media Nov. 14 explains that the Cobbs’ lease is up at the end of the year and that a banner run of November shows, capped by a streak of gigs headlined by Lilly Hiatt, JEFF the Brotherhood and Diarrhea Planet in the days before Thanksgiving, will be the last at the venue under current management.
“It appears that 51 years of local, independent ownership and operation have come to an end,” the statement reads in part. “We’re humbled to host this last run of concerts with friends from many eras gracing our stage again. There have been too many incredible moments to count over the 18 years we’ve stewarded Exit/In. It’s an incredibly special place that we are so fortunate to have been a part of. Thank you to everyone who’s been part of the extended Exit/In family. … We love this city wholeheartedly but are not OK with many current trends here. We know Nashville needs Exit/In and independent venues like it to continue supporting our community of artists, musicians, and the entire ecosystem they center.”
The statement also notes that Hurry Back will remain open a few more weeks. As promised, the money raised in the GoFundMe campaign will be donated to the indie venue trade group National Independent Venue Alliance and its local analog Music Venue Alliance Nashville, of which Chris Cobb is president.
![Metro Councilmembers Speak Up on Behalf of Exit/In [Updated]](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nashvillescene.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/b5/4b506f85-420e-5207-b7e4-58f0a76e97b8/6089a847bee75.image.png)
Exit/In marquee during a rally and outdoor concert, 4/7/2021
Earlier this year, Cobb filed a trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the name “Exit/In” and other associated intellectual property. His application was accepted, but attorneys representing AJ Capital filed opposition documents. Included is a schedule for reviewing and hearing evidence in the case that runs through May 2024. The schedule assumes there are no delays and no further legal action. A representative of AJ Capital provided the following comment, attributed to the firm generally, indicating that the venue will reopen as Exit/In at a time to be announced.
“The Exit/In will remain open, as it has under the stewardship of dozens of operators over the past 51 years, as its irreplaceable self: an iconic Nashville venue and gathering place for music lovers from all over,” the statement reads. “We spent the last year securing historic protections for this special and sacred space, which we’re committed to preserving while providing some long overdue physical improvements. We look forward to the next half-century of moments and memories, and to announcing 2023 show dates very soon.”
Scarface at Exit/In, 1/5/2020
Earlier this year, the Mercy Lounge complex closed when the owners of the business and new owners of the property couldn’t agree on lease terms. The business owners continue to look for another site, while the owners of the property have announced a plan to reopen the space as Cannery Hall in 2023. Meanwhile, details are now public of a proposal to redevelop the site where listening room 3rd and Lindsley has operated since 1991 as an apartment block.
Cobb notes that Nashville’s rapid growth in the past decade — coupled with increased interest in competing in the club business from players like multinational ticketing and touring giant Live Nation — means that upheaval in the business is no surprise. Still, the pace of change has been exceptionally difficult to cope with, especially after more than a year of pandemic lockdown.
Cobb points to Seattle’s Cultural Space Agency and the Music Venue Trust, a U.K. organization with a national focus, as public programs purposely designed to support venues that do important cultural work as they face ever-increasing real estate prices and other pressures. In April, the Metro Council approved funding for a study to determine what independent music venues need in order to thrive in Nashville and what Metro can do to help.
“As a city and as a community, we sure better figure out quickly how to do a better job taking care of our creative working class,” Cobb says. “I don't wanna see more musicians and artists and small business owner friends continue to move away, because there are still incredible aspects of this town. But without some brave decision-making, some strong leadership, some public recognition of how we got here — both the good and the bad — and some intentional change in the direction in a major way, I think we’re gonna continue to watch a lot of our culture disappear. I hope we're able to reverse that and start to do everything possible to protect and nurture that culture.”
