One in an occasional series of features on Charlotte area businesses, nonprofits, and events, and how they are adapting to the “new normal.”
Our Subject: Middle C is Uptown Charlotte’s first jazz club in 25 years, and hit the ground quickly after opening in November. Co-owner Adam Farber is a Charlotte native with a musical family, and was able to position Middle C as a place where anyone who loves music can relax and find a great cocktail, tasty food, stellar service, and most of all, the kind of music they love.
What’s been impacted: With no live audiences, Middle C can no longer book live performances — which meant no ticket sales, no drinks sales, and no food sales, either. In days, Middle C went from exceeding projections for its first 4 months with concerts selling out every weekend, to nothing at all.
Innovative pivot: Attention shifted to keeping the name alive, says Farber. This meant being present on social media and offering live performances from two local musicians every Wednesday night.
“There was no way to compensate losses, so we had to try to stay relevant from a branding perspective,” said Farber. “There’s absolutely zero we can do to raise revenue right now.”
The live program solicits donations, and 100% of the money is used to help out-of-work musicians and Middle C employees. The music also serves another purpose — to soothe our community when they need some feel-good moments.
“The goal is to bring music into folks homes during these tough times, and if they are inclined to make a donation, we greatly appreciate it.”
Reactions: People are tuning in, and sending money.
“We’ve raised more than $10,000 over a 6-week period, with thousands of views of our streaming events,” said Farber. “We get a lot of requests, and folks appreciate what we’re doing, staying active at this time.”
Forecast for the future: Livestreaming concerts from the club are definitely on Middle C’s radar now, at some point.
“Quite a few clubs around the country livestream and do well,” said Farber. “This made us realize we can really use it to reach more people in the future.”
As for the social media presence, Farber says Middle C is in a good position right now after rearranging the budget, and he hopes they can open their doors again soon, even with some changes.
“It’s going to be a new world, a new way to operate, and we’ll figure it out. We believe that in time, folks will come back and choose local and stay local. People love small, intimate settings in Uptown, instead of out of town.”
Learn more at: https://middlecjazz.com