2026 Internal Status Report
Bridgestone Arena, Nashville • May 28–30, 2026 • 115 Days Remaining
Current Trajectory (gray dashed) factors in organic velocity, spring seasonal surge, and walk-up sales—but no new action. It ends at 10,966 tickets (30%). With Strategic Action (gold dashed) models conservative upside from 5 key moves: reallocating spend to 13x ROAS channels, deploying artist video liners (21.8x ROAS), activating radio chain partnerships, running a spring campaign blitz, and a Memorial Day walk-up push. Result: ~21,066 (58%). The gap between doing nothing and acting is ~$1.24M in preserved revenue. Click the overlay buttons above for marketing events and ad spend context.
The good news: our digital advertising works. Google Search is returning 12.44x ROAS. Meta Facebook in driveable markets is at 13.26x. The strategy is not the problem—we proved that in Year 1. What has changed is how decisions are being made. The December launch date, the constrained marketing budget, and the consolidation of decision-making have created a structural gap that widens every week. We need to invest in ads, content, partnerships, local and national radio, and significantly increase overall spend to preserve an estimated $1.2M+ in revenue. Every week costs us roughly 378 tickets we will never recover.
We need to empower the marketing team to execute the playbook that worked in 2025. That means investing in ads, content, partnerships, local and national radio, and increasing spend overall. The channels are proven—we know exactly what works. The ask is simple: give the team the budget and the room to run before the window closes.
Miranda, Jon, and Charley record short "get your tickets" clips. This exact format delivered 21.8x ROAS in 2025—the single highest-performing asset in our history. We are leaving millions in ticket revenue on the table every day we operate without them.
Miranda Lambert commands the largest social audience of any MCR headliner in either year. One authentic Instagram post from her will reach more people than our entire paid media budget. She needs to become our organic megaphone.
In 2025, Cumulus (400+ stations), Audacy (230+), and iHeartMedia (850+) gave us national reach. None are activated for 2026. Beyond ticket sales, these partnerships protect our eligibility for government cultural and tourism grants. This is a strategic imperative.
Kill every campaign returning under 2x ($5,178 currently wasted on zero-return engagement, video views, YouTube, and Vegas targeting). Pour that money into Google Search and Meta FB Conversions. Projected: $140K digital → $1.6M revenue at 11.8x ROAS.
His night sits at 754 tickets—less than half the pace of Miranda and Jon. His audience is not on mainstream country radio. Deploy $24,650 in Spotify Americana targeting, alt-country Meta ads, and influencer outreach. Go precisely where his people actually live.
At $2,500/day in digital we need $315K total—a $225K funding gap. Each additional $150K invested returns $600K–$800K in reduced losses. This is not spending; it is capital preservation.
Projected tickets sold and estimated P&L by intervention scenario
Every number in this report is derived from actual MCR performance data, measured channel economics, industry benchmarks, and Nashville market conditions. Here is the complete model.
The funnel is healthy: 2.68% conversion, 3.12 tickets per order. The bottleneck is traffic volume, not conversion quality. Charley Crockett's page has received 4,589 visits vs Miranda's 11,482—less than half the traffic despite higher conversion (2.88% vs 2.51%).
| Period | Tickets Added | Daily Velocity | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1–2 (Presale) | 1,100 | 79/day | Holiday launch spike |
| Weeks 3–4 | 1,000 | 71/day | Holiday hangover |
| Weeks 5–6 | 1,000 | 71/day | Stabilizing |
| Weeks 7–8 | 966 | 69/day | Current pace |
| 4-Week Avg (Wk 5–8) | 1,966 | 70/day | Baseline velocity |
Velocity has stabilized at ~70/day. Without intervention, industry data shows mid-campaign periods drop 30–40% before a late event-proximity spike.
| Factor | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Last-week ticket buyers | 57% | Weeztix Mid-Year 2025 |
| Walk-up rate (arena events) | 10–15% | Pollstar / VenuesNow |
| Nashville tourism multiplier | +5% | Nashville CVB |
| Rodeo walk-up premium | +3–5% | PRCA event data |
Based on 15% of projected final attendance. Nashville's tourist market and rodeo's family-friendly positioning support higher walk-up rates, but Chris Stapleton 5 days earlier may reduce some last-minute impulse buys.
Each channel's incremental ticket production, derived from actual 2026 ROAS data and 2025 historical performance.
| Channel / Intervention | Investment | ROAS | Est. Revenue | Incremental Tickets | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Search (scale up) | $50,000 | 12.44x | $622,000 | ~3,040 | HIGH — proven 2026 data |
| Meta FB Driveable Markets (scale) | $40,000 | 13.26x | $530,400 | ~2,590 | HIGH — proven 2026 data |
| Google Performance Max | $25,000 | 8.63x | $215,750 | ~1,054 | HIGH — proven 2026 data |
| Video liners (all 3 artists) | $30,000 | ~14x (est.) | $420,000 | ~2,050 | MEDIUM — 21.8x in 2025, discounted 35% for non-founding artists |
| Miranda Lambert social post (8.2M) | Organic | — | ~$38,000 | ~309 | MEDIUM — 15% reach → 0.3% CTR → 2.68% conv |
| Jon Pardi social post (1.8M) | Organic | — | ~$8,500 | ~69 | MEDIUM — same funnel model |
| Charley Crockett social post (387K) | Organic | — | ~$2,000 | ~16 | MEDIUM — smaller reach |
| Radio chains (Cumulus/Audacy/iHeart) | $90,000 (existing) | — | ~$150,000 | ~1,200 | MEDIUM — 2025 reference, awareness channel |
| Brand awareness uplift | Indirect | — | ~$100,000 | ~800 | MEDIUM — organic lift from combined efforts |
| Diminishing returns adjustment | — | — | — | -35% | HIGH — standard media saturation curve |
| Economic headwind (-12%) | — | — | — | -12% | HIGH — consumer spending growth 2.9% (was 5.7%) |
| Competition adj. (Stapleton/Bruno) | — | — | — | -7% | MEDIUM — wallet share impact on late sales |
Incremental tickets = gross attributed tickets × 60% incrementality (standard for digital), then reduced by diminishing returns, economic headwinds, and competition.
Google Search + Meta FB Driveable + PMax have measured ROAS above 8x in live 2026 campaigns. These are not projections—they are current performance.
Funnel model: Followers → 15% organic reach → 0.3% click-through → 2.68% order conversion → 3.12 tickets/order
| Artist | IG Followers | Est. Reach | Est. Visits | Est. Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miranda Lambert | 8,200,000 | 1,230,000 | 3,690 | ~309 |
| Jon Pardi | 1,800,000 | 270,000 | 810 | ~69 |
| Charley Crockett | 387,000 | 58,050 | 174 | ~16 |
| Total from organic posts | 10,387,000 | 1,558,050 | 4,674 | ~394 |
This is from one post each. Ongoing content, stories, and reels would multiply this 3–5x over the remaining 17 weeks.
In 2025, artist video liners returned 21.8x ROAS—the highest-performing creative asset. 2026 artists are hired performers, not founding members, so we discount by 35%.
We currently have zero video liners from any 2026 artist.
Consumer spending growth: 2.9% (down from 5.7% in early 2024). 60% of consumers report skipping events due to cost. Post-pandemic "funflation" boom is over.
Bruno Mars (May 6–7, 50K seats) and Chris Stapleton (May 23, 50K seats, direct country overlap 5 days before MCR) compete for the same Nashville entertainment wallet.
Standard media saturation curve. First $50K in a proven channel delivers highest marginal return. Each incremental $50K delivers less as you exhaust the target audience. Gross ROAS discounted by 35% for net incremental impact.
Nashville is the #1 bachelorette destination and a top-5 U.S. tourism market. Memorial Day weekend draws organic visitors who can be converted to walk-up ticket buyers.
From current 4,066 → Do Nothing 10,966 → With Full Action 21,066
The "Do Nothing" projection of 10,966 tickets (30%) includes a natural late-surge and walk-up estimate of ~1,500. The "With Action" projection of 21,066 tickets (58%) requires $245K in additional marketing, all three artist video liners, organic social activation from Miranda/Jon/Charley, and reactivation of national radio chains. All figures are net of economic headwinds (-12%), competition (-7%), and diminishing returns (-35%). The difference between the two scenarios is ~$1.24M in preserved revenue at $123 ATP.
Music City Rodeo is in Year 2. We do not have decades of brand equity. We are not Houston, where families mark the calendar every February regardless of lineup. We are not San Antonio, where rodeo is a civic religion. At this stage of our life, every ticket we sell is driven by the drawing power of the artists on the marquee.
Last year's sellout was not because "Music City Rodeo" was a household name. It happened because Tim McGraw, Reba McEntire, and Jelly Roll—three Founding Members with equity stakes in the event—appeared together in a coordinated launch video that captured lightning in a bottle. Their combined star power and genuine ownership enthusiasm sold 9,080 tickets before we had spent $2,000 on advertising. The brand did not sell the event. The artists did.
Charley Crockett is an immensely talented artist with a devoted following in the Americana space. But he typically fills 2,000–3,000-seat theaters. We are asking him to anchor a 12,100-seat arena night. That is a 4–6x stretch beyond his natural draw. Without massive marketing support, that gap will not close on its own.
| Artist | Spotify Monthly | Typical Venue | MCR Ask | Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miranda Lambert | 8.2M | 17.5M | Arenas (15–20K) | 12,100 | Aligned |
| Jon Pardi | 1.8M | 9.8M | Amphitheaters (8–15K) | 12,100 | Aligned |
| Charley Crockett | 387K | 4.2M | Theaters (2–3K) | 12,100 | 4–6x stretch |
| Jelly Roll (2025) | 5.6M | 28M | Arenas + Stadiums | 12,100 | Over-delivered |
| Tim McGraw (2025) | 8.4M | 20M | Stadiums | 12,100 | Sold out |
| Reba McEntire (2025) | 6.8M | 14M | Arenas | 12,100 | 62% by Wk 9 |
Current sales vs. equal-share target per night
Instagram followers in millions—the organic amplification engine
Had we invested more in talent, we would have had a better outcome. Period. The 2025 founding artists were not just bigger names—they were equity partners who promoted MCR as their own event, generating $897K+ in earned media before we spent a dollar on advertising. The 2026 lineup is composed of hired performers with no ownership stake and significantly less commercial draw. Talent is the single largest lever we have. Saving on the artist line does not save money—it costs revenue at a rate far exceeding the savings. Every dollar under-invested in talent has cost us roughly $4–$6 in lost ticket revenue.
Rodeo and cowboy content is important for brand-building, but the data shows it does not drive ticket sales at the scale we need. Artist content outperforms brand content by an order of magnitude—across every metric, at every rodeo, at every scale.
| Account | Relative Reach | Engagement Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Music City Rodeo (brand) | 13,000 | 1x (baseline) | ~0.4% (brand avg) |
| 2025 Artists Combined (Tim + Reba + Jelly Roll) | 20.8M | 1,600x MCR brand | 5–7% (artist avg) |
| 2026 Artists Combined (Miranda + Pardi + Charley) | 6.5M | 500x MCR brand | 5–7% (artist avg) |
A single artist Instagram post reaches more people than every MCR brand post combined for the entire year. Artist content generates 10–15x higher engagement rates than brand content.
| Rodeo Event | Brand Age | Posts | Est. Engagement Rate | Est. Likes/Post | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PBR (Bull Riders) | 32 yrs | 3,000,000 | 22,000 | ~0.3% (verified) | ~9,000 | Varies |
| Houston Rodeo | 93 yrs | 740,000 | 4,843 | ~0.5–1.3% | ~3,700–9,600 | 2.7M+ |
| NFR (Wrangler NFR) | 39 yrs | 456,000 | 5,902 | ~0.5–1.3% | ~2,300–5,900 | ~170K |
| Calgary Stampede | 113 yrs | 218,000 | 4,646 | ~0.7–1.5% | ~1,500–3,300 | 1M+ |
| San Antonio Rodeo | 74 yrs | 138,000 | 3,081 | ~0.8–2.0% | ~1,100–2,800 | 2.5M+ |
| Fort Worth Stock Show | 126 yrs | 94,000 | 1,747 | ~1.0–2.0% | ~940–1,900 | ~1.2M |
| Cheyenne Frontier Days | 128 yrs | 91,000 | 2,223 | ~1.0–2.0% | ~910–1,800 | ~300K |
| Music City Rodeo | 1 yr | 13,000 | 151 | ~2–5% (micro) | ~260–650 | 35,000 |
Engagement rates based on Rival IQ 2025 and Hootsuite benchmarks by account size tier. PBR rate verified via HypeAuditor. MCR falls in the micro-account range (10K–50K) where higher ER% is expected but absolute engagement remains low.
MCR brand posts (cowboy clips, rodeo lifestyle, western content) average ~300–500 likes. Here is what happened when the artists posted about MCR:
| Content | Platform | Likes | Comments | vs. MCR Brand Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reba “Trailblazer” live from MCR | TikTok | 383,300 | 1,544 | ~1,000x |
| Tim’s daughters performing at MCR | TikTok | 130,300 | 713 | ~350x |
| Tim “Live Like You Were Dying” at MCR | TikTok | 48,800 | 544 | ~130x |
| Tim post-event: “NASHVILLE!! I love this town!!!” | TikTok | 13,300 | 804 | ~35x |
| Jelly Roll covers “Flowers” at MCR | TikTok | 12,100 | 212 | ~32x |
| Tim original teaser: “sure would be nice if someone fixed that” | TikTok | 7,906 | 795 | ~21x |
| Reba post-event thank you | TikTok | 4,125 | 322 | ~11x |
| MCR brand post (cowboy/rodeo content avg.) | ~300–500 | ~5–15 | 1x (baseline) |
Tim, Reba, and Jelly Roll together on camera—voiceover and in-person. This single video, shared across 20.8M combined followers, drove 9,080 presale tickets in 48 hours on just $1,651 in ad spend. It generated an estimated $85,000 in earned media value and was picked up by Billboard, Rolling Stone, iHeart, Fox News, and dozens of country radio stations. That video was the engine that sold out 2025.
Rodeo lifestyle TikToks (e.g., “It’s a lifestyle that can’t be bought”) generated so few views they were not indexed by any analytics platform or search engine. No MCR brand post was ever cited or shared by any press outlet for engagement performance. Our 151 Instagram posts across 2 years have built 13K followers—while a single Reba performance clip from our stage earned 383,300 likes.
Our brand account has 13K followers. Our 2025 artists had 20.8M combined. Posting cowboy content, rodeo clips, and western lifestyle imagery is important for long-term brand equity—but it is not a ticket-selling strategy at our current scale. With 1 year of brand history, virtually every ticket sale traces back to artist awareness, paid advertising, or earned media. The shift toward brand-led organic content and away from the artist-driven, paid-amplification model that sold out 2025 has contributed to the gap we see today. This is not a failure of effort—it is a structural mismatch between the strategy and where we actually are as a brand. The data says: invest in what moves tickets now (artist content, paid ads, radio partnerships) and build brand equity as a parallel track, not a replacement.
MCR 2025 filled Bridgestone Arena across three nights—26,590 tickets, $3M+ revenue, Tim McGraw's night sold out completely. That was not luck. It was a coordinated machine of founding-artist equity, national media, radio blitzes, promotional giveaways, and community engagement. Here is every activation, itemized.
Every activation that contributed to 2025's sellout, with estimated equivalent media value. These are real events that happened—not projections.
| Activation | Detail | Reach / Impact | Est. Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARTIST MEDIA APPEARANCES | |||
| Jelly Roll on Entertainment Tonight | National TV segment promoting MCR as Nashville's new signature event | 4.5M daily viewers | $95,000 |
| Reba McEntire ACM Awards Promotion | MCR mentioned during ACM Awards press cycle; Reba leveraged award season visibility | 6M+ ACM viewership | $75,000 |
| Tim McGraw Satellite Radio Tour | Multi-market SiriusXM interviews + terrestrial radio; 10+ appearances across The Highway, syndicated morning shows | Est. 15M listener impressions | $45,000 |
| Tim McGraw Cross-Promotion | Every radio interview promoted all three artists + MCR; listener giveaways | Amplified across all markets | $25,000 |
| CONTENT & VIDEO | |||
| Tri-Artist Launch Video | Tim, Reba, and Jelly Roll together on camera—voiceover and in-person. Founding members sharing genuine ownership enthusiasm | 20.8M combined IG followers; viral sharing | $85,000 |
| Video Liner Campaign (21.8x ROAS) | Short "get your tickets" clips from all three founding members, deployed across Meta & YouTube | Highest-performing creative in MCR history | $65,000 |
| PROMOTIONAL ACTIVATIONS | |||
| Ford Bronco Giveaway | Register-to-win a Ford Bronco (est. $50K+ vehicle). Massive social engagement, email captures, organic shares across all platforms | 100K+ contest entries; social viral loop | $120,000 |
| Radio Flyaway Promotions | Win a trip to Nashville + MCR tickets. Run across Cumulus, Audacy, and iHeart partner stations nationally | Multiple stations, weeks of on-air mentions | $60,000 |
| Audacy Dedicated Sweepstakes (National) | Nationally syndicated sweepstakes across 22 Audacy country stations in 22 DMAs (Houston, Chicago, Detroit, Phoenix, Seattle, Miami, San Diego, NYC, etc.). Custom landing pages, on-air drops, presale code distribution, codeword entries at 7:30am/10:30am/3:30pm. Tim McGraw meet-and-greet as grand prize. | 22 stations × weeks of on-air mentions; 165M+ monthly Audacy listeners | $35,000 |
| COMMUNITY & PARTNERSHIPS | |||
| Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital Visit | Artist visits + photo ops at Vanderbilt. $50K+ donation. VUMC employee presale code (VANDY) activated institutional buying | Local press coverage; VUMC employee network (10K+ staff) | $25,000 |
| Grand Ole Opry MCR Night | Special rodeo-themed Opry show during 100th anniversary: Vince Gill, Marcus King, Lukas Nelson, Wyatt Flores | Opry's audience + Nashville cultural credibility | $65,000 |
| Goodnight Nashville After-Party | Jelly Roll's 4-floor Broadway bar served as official MCR after-party venue; cross-promotion across both brands, content shoot location | Broadway foot traffic + MCR audience overlap | $50,000 |
| PRESS & MEDIA COVERAGE | |||
| Billboard | Feature coverage of MCR launch and founding member announcement | National music industry reach | $35,000 |
| Rolling Stone | Artist-focused story on the intersection of rodeo and country music | National entertainment media | $45,000 |
| MusicRow | Industry trade coverage; positioned MCR as Nashville's next major franchise | Nashville music industry | $15,000 |
| American Songwriter + Nashville Lifestyles | Combined regional and national music press | Country music readership | $22,000 |
| Cowboy Channel / RodeoLIVE! | National broadcast coverage reaching PRCA fanbase | Rodeo-specific audience | $20,000 |
| WSMV + Local Nashville TV | Multiple local broadcast segments in Nashville DMA | Nashville market (1.9M HH) | $15,000 |
| TOTAL 2025 EARNED & PROMOTIONAL VALUE | $897,000+ | ||
2026 equivalent to date: ~$10,000. Gap: $887,000 in unreplicated promotional value.
Tim McGraw, Reba McEntire, and Jelly Roll did not just lend their names. They invested personal time at founding-member rates. At their actual performance fee levels ($500K–$2M/show), even partial-day promotional commitments represent enormous value.
| Artist | Activations | Est. Days | Day Rate (Promo) | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim McGraw | Launch video shoot, satellite radio tour (10+ interviews), NFR announcement, Vanderbilt visit, cross-promotion | 4–5 days | $75K | $300K–$375K |
| Reba McEntire | Launch video, ACM Awards promotion, press interviews, founding member narrative | 2–3 days | $75K | $150K–$225K |
| Jelly Roll | Launch video, Entertainment Tonight segment, social amplification, Goodnight Nashville after-party venue, voiceover | 2–3 days | $50K | $100K–$150K |
| Total Artist Time Value (2025) | $550K–$750K | |||
Founding Member • Grand Marshal
Down Home Entertainment (TMEH) serves as primary producer. 10+ satellite radio interviews. NFR stage announcement. Cross-promoted all three artists on every appearance.
Founding Member • Largest Equity
Largest artist equity stake. ACM Awards promotion cycle. The Voice judge crossover audience. Post value $30K–$73K each. "Rodeo is in my blood."
Founding Member • Cash Investor
Only artist who invested actual cash. Nashville native. Goodnight Nashville (4-floor Broadway bar) served as official MCR after-party venue. Entertainment Tonight national segment.
Industry-standard valuation across all categories. For $1.79M in talent costs, MCR received 7.1x return—more than double the industry benchmark of 3.4x for celebrity endorsements.
Miranda Lambert, Jon Pardi, and Charley Crockett are hired performers, not founding members. They have no equity stake. They have not recorded a single video liner, made a single social post about MCR, or done a single promotional interview. Zero artist promotional time invested in 2026. The total value gap is staggering: $12.7M in quantified value that is structurally impossible to replicate with hired talent. Even recovering 10% of the founding-artist promotional value would require an additional $1.2M+ in marketing investment.
Earned media + artist time + activations + press — all real, all itemized above
Promotional partnerships with Cumulus (400+ stations), Audacy (230+), and iHeartMedia (850+) blanketed country radio nationally. Radio flyaway giveaways, Audacy sweepstakes, and Tim McGraw's satellite tour ran concurrently. These partnerships also established documented promotional infrastructure for government grant eligibility.
"For eight decades, Nashville's music stars have been the soundtrack to America's iconic rodeos—country music and rodeo go hand in hand."
— Tim McGraw
"It's no secret that rodeo is in my blood, and I'm thrilled to be a part of starting a new Nashville tradition."
— Reba McEntire
"This felt like a chance to be a part of a history-making event for the city… feels like the same type of milestone."
— Jelly Roll
Industry best practice for event announcements is 8–12 weeks before the event—close enough to create urgency, far enough to allow planning. Houston Rodeo announces 53 days out. San Antonio, 84 days. MCR 2025 nailed it at 86 days. MCR 2026 announced 175 days out, during the single worst window of the year for discretionary spending.
Industry sweet spot is 56–84 days
"Invest more marketing budget early in your campaign. Early ticket buyers act as mini-ambassadors and push sales later. If you sell 30–40% early, your entire campaign will be much easier."
— Weeztix Mid-Year Ticketing Report, 2025
Houston Rodeo announces 53 days out. San Antonio announces ~84 days out. But they have 77+ years of brand equity. Fans mark their calendars regardless of lineup. MCR in Year 2 does not have that luxury—we need artist excitement to manufacture the urgency that legacy events get automatically.
The marketing budget allocated $50,000—more than 10% of the total—to NFR activation in December: sponsoring the Ariat Mainstage at Cowboy Christmas and Tim McGraw's announcement from the NFR stage. This generated rodeo-industry awareness, but it was spent before tickets were even on sale and was not coupled with the coordinated artist content, radio chain activation, or digital conversion campaigns that turn awareness into revenue. The NFR audience was in Las Vegas watching bull riding—not online buying Nashville concert tickets. Fifty thousand dollars spent with no conversion funnel behind it.
The structural differences between the two launches explain the gap. In 2025, founding artists with equity stakes drove a coordinated video launch backed by national radio, Audacy sweepstakes across 22 stations, and a promotional machine we built together. In 2026, the decision to launch in December, tighter budget constraints, and a shift in how marketing decisions were being made resulted in a quieter rollout. These were not bad intentions—but the data shows the cumulative impact.
The 2025 partnerships with Cumulus, Audacy, and iHeartMedia were not just promotional—they established the documented marketing infrastructure that government agencies require when evaluating cultural and tourism grant applications. Radio chain partnerships demonstrate economic impact, promotional reach, and institutional legitimacy. If we do not reactivate these relationships for 2026, we jeopardize our standing for government grants that are critical to MCR's financial model going forward. The $90K allocated to radio must be deployed through these national networks, not scattered across local buys.
Ticket sales follow a well-documented curve: a launch spike, a flat middle period, and a late event spike. The key to a successful campaign is capturing enough volume in the launch spike to build word-of-mouth momentum that carries through the middle. In 2025, we captured 43% by Week 7 and 52% by Week 8. In 2026, we sit at 11% at Week 8. We are deep in the murky middle with no organic momentum to pull us through.
2025 actual vs. 2026 actual + projected vs. industry standard pattern
You cannot re-launch an event that has already been announced. The news cycle moved on seven weeks ago. The longer a campaign runs without momentum, the harder it becomes to generate urgency. We are asking people to get excited about something that has been on sale for nearly nine weeks with no visible buzz—while Chris Stapleton is selling 50,000 tickets five days before us at Nissan Stadium.
Total paid sales: 4,066 tickets generating $500,345 in revenue. Average ticket price is $123.06—7% higher than 2025's $114.91, confirming premium pricing works. The problem is not price. It is volume.
May 28 • Friday Headliner
May 29 • Saturday • LAGGING
May 30 • Sunday Headliner
| Metric | Miranda | Charley | Jon Pardi | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Visits | 11,482 | 4,589 | 9,083 | 25,154 |
| Total Orders | 288 | 132 | 255 | 675 |
| Total Tickets (via site) | 878 | 408 | 817 | 2,103 |
| Conversion Rate | 2.51% | 2.88% | 2.81% | 2.68% |
| Avg Tickets / Order | 3.05 | 3.09 | 3.20 | 3.12 |
Conversion rate is healthy at 2.68%. The problem is traffic: Charley's page has received less than half the visits of Miranda's. People who find the event buy tickets. We need more people to find it.
Current ROAS by campaign — $27K spent, $87K revenue (3.26x blended)
$5,178 is generating zero ticket sales. Redirected to Google Search at 12.44x, that same money would produce ~$64K in revenue.
2025 artist video liners outperformed every other format by 3x
In 2025, short clips of artists saying "Get your tickets to MCR" delivered 21.8x ROAS. Fans trust their favorite artist more than any brand ad. We do not currently have video liners from Miranda, Jon, or Charley.
We are not operating in a vacuum. Consumer discretionary spending is tightening, live-event attendance is declining nationally, and Nashville's May 2026 calendar is the most competitive in memory. Fifty-seven percent of event buyers now purchase within one week of the event. Historical walk-up rates for arena events run 5–10% (lower post-COVID), but Nashville's Memorial Day weekend tourism surge (+5%), PRCA rodeo walk-up premium (+3–5%), and spring buying behavior (tax refund season March–April) push our realistic walk-up estimate to 10–15% of attendance—approximately 1,500 tickets in a do-nothing scenario. We have to plan for a spring surge and late walk-up wave—but also do the work to make sure that wave actually materializes.
Live entertainment is in the grip of a pricing correction. The post-pandemic "funflation" boom drove ticket prices to record highs—but consumers have hit their ceiling. Arena events averaging $123+ per ticket face direct resistance from a market where 60% of consumers report skipping events due to cost.
Our $123 ATP is 7% above 2025's $115. Premium pricing works for conversions (buyers who reach checkout complete at strong rates), but it suppresses the top of the funnel. At $400+ per family of four, MCR competes directly with weekend getaways, not just other concerts.
The live events industry has been hit by a wave of structural cost increases that compress margins even when tickets sell:
The post-pandemic "funflation" boom is over
A family that drops $400+ on Bruno Mars or Chris Stapleton may not have another $400 for MCR two weeks later. Alan Jackson’s farewell (June 27)—with our own headliners Miranda Lambert and Jon Pardi on the guest list—is already sold out at $550+ resale. This is the most competitive spring/summer window in Nashville concert history—the pressure starts in April and extends through June.
| Event | Date | Venue | Capacity | Wallet Threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APRIL — PRE-MCR WALLET DRAIN | ||||
| Thomas Rhett | Apr 10–11 | Bridgestone Arena | ~18,000 | MEDIUM — Country overlap, same venue |
| Morgan Wallen | Apr 18–19 | Nissan Stadium | 60,000+ | HIGH — Country mega-event, $300+ tickets |
| MAY — DIRECT COMPETITION WINDOW | ||||
| Florence + The Machine | May 2 | Bridgestone Arena | ~18,000 | MEDIUM — Same venue, different demo |
| Bruno Mars | May 6–7 | Nissan Stadium | 50,000+ | HIGH — $400+ tickets, mass market |
| Chris Stapleton | May 23 | Nissan Stadium | 50,000+ | CRITICAL — Direct country overlap, 5 days before MCR |
| Music City Rodeo | May 28–30 | Bridgestone Arena | 36,300 | — |
| JUNE — POST-MCR ALTERNATIVES | ||||
| CMA Fest | Jun 5–8 | Nissan Stadium + Downtown | 80,000+ | HIGH — Nashville's marquee country event, same demo |
| Bonnaroo | Jun 12–15 | Manchester, TN (60 mi) | 80,000 | MEDIUM — Festival budget competition |
| Alan Jackson — FINAL SHOW EVER | Jun 27 | Nissan Stadium | 50,000+ (SOLD OUT) | CRITICAL — Once-in-a-lifetime farewell. Miranda Lambert & Jon Pardi performing as guests (our 2026 headliners). $550+ resale. Every country fan in Nashville will be there—or recovering financially. |
Nashville audiences face 7+ major events in the April–June window. Alan Jackson’s sold-out finale (June 27) features Miranda Lambert and Jon Pardi—our own 2026 headliners—performing as guests, partially cannibalizing our artist exclusivity. A family spending $800–$1,500 on Wallen, Stapleton, CMA Fest, AND Jackson’s farewell has already exhausted their live-event budget before MCR tickets cross their mind.
Not everything is negative. MCR has built institutional credibility that most Year 2 events never achieve. Our PRCA designation, Opry partnership, and charity relationships are genuine assets. The sponsorship pipeline is deep. And our digital ads—where properly allocated—are outperforming industry benchmarks. These are the building blocks. We just need to activate them.
One of only 60 rodeos in the country to earn this elite PRCA designation. Top athletes compete for NFR qualification. Prize pool exceeds $300,000. Featuring Cody Webster & Dusty Tuckness (15 combined Bullfighter of the Year titles) and Smith Pro Rodeo (11x Stock Contractor of the Year).
The Opry hosted a rodeo-themed show for MCR's inaugural year as part of its 100th anniversary, featuring Vince Gill, Marcus King, Lukas Nelson, and Wyatt Flores. This partnership provides Nashville cultural legitimacy and traditional country credibility that cannot be purchased.
Official charity partner for both years. Donated $50,000+ in Year 1. Ranked #1 in Tennessee by U.S. News. This relationship provides philanthropic credibility, family-friendly positioning, and VUMC employee presale access that converts directly to tickets.
Sponsorship is a genuine bright spot. Despite ticket velocity challenges, the sponsorship team has secured approximately $700K in committed sponsorship revenue with time remaining to close additional deals. This validates MCR's brand value independent of ticket sales.
Active across construction, beverage, hospitality, auto, and Western industries. Key partners: Cinch, Shane Trucking, Gallagher Platforms, Embassy Suites, plus seven radio partners and Cowboy Channel broadcast. Pipeline has 150+ additional leads.
Down Home Entertainment (Tim McGraw's media company) serves as primary producer, in partnership with Skydance Media (Top Gun: Maverick studio). Humes Rodeo provides PRCA production through Pat Humes, who noted: "No other city built better for rodeo than Nashville."
Tim, Reba, and Jelly Roll were designated "Founding Members"—not performers. Their equity stakes explain the coordinated enthusiasm in 2025. The 2026 artists are hired talent, not owners.
Lane Frost Brand collaboration brings authentic rodeo heritage to MCR merchandise—honoring the legendary bull rider whose legacy is preserved through the iconic brand. MCR also served as official sponsor of the Ariat Mainstage at Cowboy Christmas during the 2025 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
Sponsors watch ticket velocity. The Opry will not repeat a partnership for a half-empty event. Grant-making bodies evaluate attendance. Every institutional relationship MCR has built is contingent on demonstrating that Nashville shows up. Low attendance in 2026 doesn't just cost us this year—it threatens the partnership ecosystem we've spent two years constructing.
The 2026 pro forma targets $4.3M in ticket revenue across three nights. At current velocity, we project roughly $1.35M—a $2.95M shortfall on tickets alone, with downstream impact on merchandise, F&B, and future sponsorship leverage. Here is what each level of intervention delivers.
Where every dollar is going—and where it should be going
| Scenario | Tickets | Capacity | Ticket Revenue | Add'l Marketing | Est. P&L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Pace (No Changes) | ~10,966 | 30% | $1.35M | $0 | -$3.1M to -$3.5M |
| Moderate Push (+$150K) | ~16,000 | 44% | $1.97M | $150K | -$2.5M to -$3.0M |
| Aggressive Push (+$245K) | ~21,066 | 58% | $2.59M | $245K | -$2.0M to -$2.5M |
| Best Case (Viral Moment) | ~26,000 | 72% | $3.20M | $245K | -$1.3M to -$1.8M |
| 2025 Actual (Reference) | ~35,000 | 96% | $4.3M | $90K | Profitable |
The math: Digital returns 12.44x. NFR returned zero measurable ticket sales. We spent $50K on awareness with no conversion funnel and $90K on the channel that actually sells tickets. That ratio needs to invert.
The channels work. The strategy exists. The partnerships are in place. We proved it all in Year 1. But right now, the marketing engine is not running. Decisions on budget, timing, and execution have consolidated in a way that is unintentionally slowing us down. This is not about blame—it is about recognizing what the data is telling us and course-correcting together before the window closes.
The marketing team needs the authority and budget to run. Not next month—now. We have proven channels (13x Meta, 12x Google, 21.8x video liners), proven partnerships (Audacy, Cumulus, iHeart), and a proven playbook. The December launch, budget constraints, and centralized decision-making have put us in this position. Loosening the reins on marketing execution is the single highest-ROI decision available.
This is not additional spending. It is revenue preservation. Every $1 in Google Search produces $12.44 in ticket revenue. Every $1 in Meta Driveable produces $13.26. The math says: invest in ads, content, partnerships, local and national radio—and increase spend overall. The alternative is absorbing a far larger loss.
In 2025 we reached 1,480+ stations nationally. Audacy ran a dedicated sweepstakes across 22 country stations. Cumulus ran a parallel flyaway. None of this is activated for 2026. Beyond ticket sales, these partnerships protect our government grant eligibility. Deploy the $90K radio budget now.