This is in response to Moogfest’s damage control spin-zone press release published today. I recommend you read it before continuing on.
Dear Moogfest,
Thanks for the $14 million in economic activity. But, maybe Asheville would be even more thankful if Moog would have planned for the future and created an Asheville-appropriate event that could have been successful year after year. That could have brought in a lot more than $14 million over the years. Maybe Moog could have brought in some profit to be shared with their new employee owners too. That would have been pro-Asheville for sure. Now before I continue, remember that this is what Moog pitched as the raison de vivre of the festival:
“Beyond a traditional music festival, Moogfest aims to be an engine for driving economic development in Western North Carolina … the long-term goal say Moogfest organizers, ‘is to inspire big thinking start-ups, entrepreneurs, and innovators to consider Asheville as a community to relocate their forward thinking businesses, just as Bob Moog did in 1978’…”
“Moog Music President Mike Adams took the risk on financing this speculative venture because of the potential payoff for the community’s future – helping to attract new businesses and create jobs in Western North Carolina.”
(Newsflash: Durham is evidently now in Western North Carolina)