Jay-Z’s Made in America music festival has run afoul of the city of Philadelphia, as the city wants the event to be held elsewhere.
The event has been held at the Ben Franklin Parkway since 2012, where it has drawn massive crowds to Philadelphia to enjoy a fun weekend of music during Labor Day. But mayor Jim Kinney has decided the event would need to move to a different location this year, a move that has upset founder Jay-Z.
In a statement released to the press, Jay-Z said he is disappointed with the mayor’s decision, primarily because the event has been held at the same place since 2012.
Now, Milwaukee officials have reached out to Jay-Z in a bid to get the whole festival to jump ship and move to Milwaukee.
Milwaukee Alderman Khalif Rainey sent a letter to Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s company, describing the Wisconsin city as the “city of festivals†because it hosts several events annually. Rainey and four colleagues signed the letter asking Jay-Z to consider moving the Made in America festival to Milwaukee as a permanent home.
This year will be the last time that the event can be held at Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Kenney says the city is looking for alternative sites to host the event, but if Jay-Z chooses to take up the city of Milwaukee’s offer, they may lose the festival entirely.
Alderman Rainey is a native-born Milwaukee citizen. It’s no surprise that the city is trying to be competitive with Philadelphia — especially considering that Summerfest is already held in the city.
Jay-Z has yet to respond to the offer, but it’s likely that the city of Milwaukee is hoping the extra publicity surrounding this offer will help sway the decision in their favor.
Incidentally, the city of Philadelphia has not responded to the Milwaukee offer yet, either.
Source: Digital Music News
