Music City's Live Music Watered Down By Fire Code - Cindy Carter

Every weekend, live bands command the many stages within Music City. However, Exit/In owner, Josh Billeue says this kind of entertainment which is so closely tied to Nashville's identity, is in danger.

"On down the line, all of the music venues are in trouble... not just us. It's a problem that could be potentially disastrous for Nashville and the music community."

The "problem" is safety. A Metro fire code change, put into motion last year, now requires all music venues with a capacity of 100 or more to install automatic sprinkler systems.

It's an expensive upgrade and bar owners say there's little left over once they pay their bands and overhead. Josh Beilleue says, "It comes to about a 40-thousand dollars estimate for the installation of that job for us. We're in the process of trying to save money to afford the sprinkler system."

Ron Brice, who owns 3rd and Lindsely, will pay 60-thousand for his system. Brice says, "A lot of the owners don't own their own buildings so they're asking you to put 50/60 thousand dollars worth of piping and water into someone else's building."

The code change is a direct result from the deadly fires in recent years in various nightclubs across the country. For example, in 2003 a fire in Rhode Island killed a hundred people inside a nightclub after the band Great White's pyrotechnics show malfunctioned.

Josh Billeue says he likes the idea of making music venues safer but believes there are less expensive ways of doing it. "I'd hate to see it end music in Nashville."Music City's Live Music Watered Down By Fire Code - Cindy Carter