At its inception, the music festival Jambaloo was designed, in part, to help address challenges facing local music venues in the lean winter months.
Jambaloo succeeded in drawing attention and attendees to four different venues, spread between Dallas, Fort Worth and Denton, generating an estimated economic impact of $3.5 million.
Now, Jambaloo is again providing a cushion against the hard realities of owning and operating a music venue in North Texas. The event’s organizers, Mullen & Mullen, in conjunction with the Fort Worth Music Office, have introduced the Jambaloo Venue Prize, a $20,000 cash award given to an independent, locally-owned music venue in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.
The inaugural recipient? Fort Worth’s The Cicada, a beloved Near Southside haunt which was on the verge of closing its doors before this award materialized.
“It means everything,” said Tyler Stevens, owner of The Cicada. “When you’re running a small venue, especially one that champions weird, independent art and music, just knowing someone sees the value in what you’re doing can be the thing that keeps you going.
“Mullen & Mullen and the Fort Worth Music Office showing up for us isn’t just about money — it’s about validation. It tells us we’re not alone in this and that what we’re building matters to the city we’re in.”
The Jambaloo Venue Prize, which includes ongoing marketing and promotional support along the infusion of cash, will be offered again in the coming year.
“The operational support is there in an informal way,” said Corey Pond, general manager of Spune and co-founder of Jambaloo. “Maybe it’s marketing, accounting, finance, working with landlords — or maybe just connecting [venues] with people we know who also want to help. … While money is obviously important, if we can assist in other ways, we will.”
Venues will be able to submit themselves for consideration from February to May, with a recipient chosen by a panel of judges.
“It’s important to remember that Jambaloo didn’t even exist nine months ago,” said Joseph Morrison of Mullen & Mullen. “It will continue to evolve over time. We’re hopeful others will take note of what we’re doing and realize you don’t have to put your name on the jumbotron at American Airlines Center to get out in front of people. You can connect with people in smaller spaces. In doing so, you can partner with local artists and venues that truly need the support.”
For its part, the Fort Worth Music Office, which has long been at the forefront of enabling the creative infrastructure of America’s 12th largest city, is thrilled to have partners as invested as it is.
“I don’t know of any place where something like this is happening,” said Tom Martens, director of the Fort Worth Music Office. “There has always been philanthropy in the arts, but this is another level of support. This is supporting a local music venue to be the stage that artists can grow [on], find their voice and become the launchpad for their career.”
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky (@prestonjones.bsky.social).Our work is made possible by our generous, music-loving members. If you like how we lift up local music, consider becoming a KXT sustaining member right here.
