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Big Ears Festival

Knoxville, TN · festival · commercial

83/100
Committed

A real, regular home for the music; strong dedicated programming.
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Why this score

Dedicated series / mission25.0/25
Multi-day festival of experimental, avant-garde, and boundary-pushing music; a defining event whose reason to exist is adventurous programming. [1] [2]
Frequency of relevant shows8.0/20
Annual festival (each spring) but massive in scale (250+ events across 20+ venues). [1] [2]
Artist roster20.0/20
"A jazz festival gone rogue" featuring world-renowned avant-garde, jazz, and experimental artists. [1]
Self-description12.0/12
Presents music "liberated from the confines of category," spanning experimental and avant-garde music, poetry, film, and art. [1]
Operating model6.0/10
Produced by AC Entertainment (founder Ashley Capps); a professionally produced festival rather than an artist-run/nonprofit collective. [1]
Community reputation8.0/8
Widely described as America's most diverse and exploratory music festival; a national reference point for experimental music. [1] [2]
Listening-room intent4.0/5
Programmed in theaters and halls built for attentive listening. [1]