| Mile of Music | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Americana, Roots, Folk, Indie, Indie rock, Singer/Songwriter |
| Location(s) | Appleton, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Founders | Dave Willems (marketing executive and community advocate); Willems Marketing staff |
| Attendance | 65,000 – 75,000 |
| Website | mileofmusic |
Mile of Music (also known as MoM or The Mile[citation needed]) is an annual all-original music festival located in downtown Appleton, Wisconsin. Started in 2013, the four-day festival runs the first weekend in August, Thursday through Sunday, and is a collaborative community event with support from nearly 50 business and community sponsors. The festival concept was created by marketing executive Dave Willems and Willems Marketing, Inc which specializes in community and non-profit projects. Willems recruited then Nashville-based touring artist and Appleton hometowner Cory Chisel to join the founding team along with Willems' staff .
The festival features original music of varying styles – from folk and indie rock to soul, alternative, R&B, blues, country, and others – with on average 225+ performers and nearly 1,000 total performances. Its focus is on showcasing largely undiscovered, touring musicians and bands with the mantra, "Artists you may not know but should." The festival is "cover-free," meaning no cover songs and no cover charges. Almost every show at the festival is free to the public.
The festival's success over the years has benefited the local community, through significant creative economic impact as well as local youth music education and other scholarships.[1]
The festival spawned its own beer, the Americana Pale Ale by Stone Arch Brewpub.[2]
- ^ "News Talk 1150 WHBY Appleton, Green Bay, Fox Cities". Archived from the original on 2015-08-21. Retrieved 2015-08-26.
- ^ "The Buzz: Mile of Music beer arrives early". Post-Crescent Media.