Guest presenter outlines Music Town plan to boost live music in Goshen City
June 02, 2026 | Goshen City, Elkhart County, Indiana
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Jack McMacken, introduced as a guest from Juke Music Town, told the Community Relations Commission on June 2 that Music Town is a regional community-development program designed to support everyday live music by coordinating venues, sponsorships and audience engagement. "The Music Town Community Development Program basically is a program to do just that, to elevate live music across the region," McMacken said.
McMacken described three core components — awareness, engagement and feedback — and said the program focuses on supporting small venues where local music is "the lifeblood of the community." He described a micro-sponsorship model that would subsidize individual performances or trial nights so venues can test new acts or off‑night programming. "It's basically just a subsidy for either a full or partial subsidy for the artist," McMacken said, adding that a third-party administrator (Gig Finesse) can manage payments.
The program would maintain a centralized calendar and dashboard (opt‑in for venues) to track shows, nights with live music, attendance and resident sentiment. McMacken emphasized the program is "local first," not a promoter: local programs set their own priorities while Music Town would provide technology, coordination for large events and help pursue state or federal sponsorships.
Citing a pilot in Elkhart, McMacken said a launch there raised the number of downtown venues hosting live music from 10 to 16 and produced an estimated combined attendance of about 17,500. He said the group has applied for a Ready arts & culture grant and expects a contracting decision this fall; if funded, the program could scale to support hundreds of shows across the region.
Commission members pressed on outreach to local venues and on how sponsorships work; McMacken said the program has compiled a list of local hosts and community partners and that venue participation would be voluntary. He closed by thanking commissioners for their time and encouraging feedback from both venues and residents.
The commission did not take a formal vote on the Music Town application at the meeting; McMacken’s presentation was introductory and staff and commissioners will continue follow-up.
McMacken described three core components — awareness, engagement and feedback — and said the program focuses on supporting small venues where local music is "the lifeblood of the community." He described a micro-sponsorship model that would subsidize individual performances or trial nights so venues can test new acts or off‑night programming. "It's basically just a subsidy for either a full or partial subsidy for the artist," McMacken said, adding that a third-party administrator (Gig Finesse) can manage payments.
The program would maintain a centralized calendar and dashboard (opt‑in for venues) to track shows, nights with live music, attendance and resident sentiment. McMacken emphasized the program is "local first," not a promoter: local programs set their own priorities while Music Town would provide technology, coordination for large events and help pursue state or federal sponsorships.
Citing a pilot in Elkhart, McMacken said a launch there raised the number of downtown venues hosting live music from 10 to 16 and produced an estimated combined attendance of about 17,500. He said the group has applied for a Ready arts & culture grant and expects a contracting decision this fall; if funded, the program could scale to support hundreds of shows across the region.
Commission members pressed on outreach to local venues and on how sponsorships work; McMacken said the program has compiled a list of local hosts and community partners and that venue participation would be voluntary. He closed by thanking commissioners for their time and encouraging feedback from both venues and residents.
The commission did not take a formal vote on the Music Town application at the meeting; McMacken’s presentation was introductory and staff and commissioners will continue follow-up.
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