As the home of country music, Nashville is a major destination for music lovers. It’s also a great place to ring in the new year. One of Music City’s biggest events, Jack Daniel’s New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash, is a hot ticket with a night full of live music, fireworks, and the midnight Music Note Drop. Like the famous ball in Times Square, Nashville’s own Music Note Drop is a fun and festive way to celebrate as the clock strikes midnight. 

While revelers experience the drop as a seamless part of the atmosphere, it takes a lot to make it happen. At MadeFirst, we know firsthand. We built the music note along with signage and a photo op for the event. We love being part of what makes New Year’s Eve in Nashville special. 

How the Music Note Drop Came to Be

The Music Note is a nod to Music City, and it’s a symbolic way to ring in the new year. It represents the last musical note of the old year and the first of the new. The tradition evolved as Nashville emerged as a popular location for New Year’s Eve festivities. We have always been impressed with the local music scene, and most local venues are booked and packed with partygoers celebrating the holiday. 

In response to widespread live music during Nashville New Year’s Eve, event holders saw the need to memorialize our city's top priority. Shortly before the first Music Note Drop, Nashville dropped a guitar as the clock struck midnight, but the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp wanted to move away from that tradition to better differentiate our city’s celebration from others. 

They approached our owner and creative director, Jonathan Hammel, and collaborated on the note, which is 16 feet tall and weighs about 300 pounds. Hammel came up with multiple designs before the team landed on the red note that is known and loved today. 

Making It a Reality

To bring this vision to life, the MadeFirst team uses local artisans who build and construct the music note and other parts of the installation for the event. We understood that the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp wanted to make the note in Nashville, and we have a shop here. The effort is a collaboration of local talent. 

Once we landed on a design for the Music Note Drop, we worked with our fabricators to build it. We needed a note that could be mounted on a 145-foot-high scaffolding and slowly lowered to kick off the new year. We also had to consider the stage design to blend the note in with the rest of the scenery. The biggest challenge to the project is making a setup that can withstand weather. In Nashville, we get wind and cold, wet nights in the winter. The Big Bash kicks off six hours before midnight, so our note has to withstand any weather that happens before then. 

The whole setup takes about three weeks to build. Just the note takes us about half that time, because we also have to run LED wiring to make it light up and change colors as it drops. Our team is proud of the Music Note Drop. Visitors really respond to it, and we’re glad we can be part of the fabric of Nashville during the holidays. 

To learn more about MadeFirst or hire us for your next event, reach out today. We've got shops in Nashville and LA that can bring your dreams to life.