Country music’s most famous brand is coming to New York City. Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. has unveiled its plans for Opry City Stage, the Grand Ole Opry’s first “home away from home,” a four-level entertainment complex on historic Broadway in Times Square.
Set to open in April 2017, Opry City Stage will share the best of Nashville food and music, including live entertainment, simulcast performances from the Grand Ole Opry House and more in a two-floor bar and restaurant space. A world-class listening room and private event space will occupy the fourth floor, and the ground level will hold the complex’s retail area featuring many of Nashville’s signature brands.
“For 91 years the Grand Ole Opry has connected country music fans with their favorite artists through live performances, radio and more recently, digital technology,” said Colin Reed, chairman and CEO of Ryman Hospitality Properties. “Opry City Stage is all about taking the diverse sounds that originate in Nashville to other markets so that fans have another way to discover new artists and connect with the music they love. We believe that once our Opry City Stage guests get a taste for all the Grand Ole Opry and Nashville have to offer, they are going to want to visit Music City and experience it for themselves.”
The fourth-floor listening room will feature an array of programming, including curated performances from Music City’s famed songwriting epicenter, the Bluebird Cafe, made possible by a licensing agreement between Ryman Hospitality Properties and the Nashville Songwriters Association International. The relationship extends beyond the Times Square property to include future venues, touring products, sponsorships, and ecommerce opportunities.
“Opry City Stage is all about taking the diverse sounds that originate in Nashville to other markets so that fans have another way to discover new artists and connect with the music they love.”
“We are tremendously excited that two of the most compelling entertainment brands in Nashville—the Grand Ole Opry and the Bluebird Cafe—are embarking on this partnership to share our unique styles of entertainment in New York City and beyond,” said Erika Wollam Nichols, president and general manager, Bluebird Cafe, Inc. “The Opry and Bluebird have each developed a wide base of loyal fans who are wildly passionate about and respectful of the music, both in our longtime homes of Nashville as well as when we have stepped outside our Nashville footprints for special shows on the road. Our songwriting community is part of what makes Nashville so great, and we simply can’t wait to entertain rooms full of New York City listeners, introducing them to Nashville and New York-based writers alike.”
Opry City Stage Times Square will be opened by a joint venture partnership with New York City-based SPK Hospitality Group LLC.
“The Opry has always enjoyed a warm welcome in New York City, and we believe Opry City Stage will appeal to both New Yorkers and tourists who will now be able to hear authentic country music in one of the world’s most famous entertainment centers,” comments Reed. “With its millions of annual visitors from around the world, Times Square is a logical place to debut the Opry City Stage concept, which we believe can be expanded to other tourist-focused markets in the near future.”
