The State of Live Music Venues: Interview with Chris Cobb of NIVA and Exit/In

We switch gears this week and talk with Chris Cobb, owner of the Exit/In music venue in Nashville, TN, OG Nutbutter Campmate, and precinct captain of the newly formed National Independent Venue Association. NIVA was formed to help preserve the ecosystem of independent venues across the country while they are force to close throughout the pandemic. Chris shared some eye-opening insights about the state of live music and told us what he thought it would take for a large festival like Bonnaroo to resume. Also: has Brad found the perfect festival food?______ CaveFest at The Caverns, Oct 10-11, 2026 | Get Tickets Here! 🎧 LISTEN LINKS Website: https://thewhatpodcast.com Spotify: https://thewhat.co/spotify Apple Podcasts: https://thewhat.co/applepodcasts YouTube Music: https://thewhat.co/youtubemusic Amazon Music: https://thewhat.co/amazonmusic 📱 SOCIAL LINKS Discord: https://discord.gg/zShHTeCYGn YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thewhatpodcast X: https://x.com/thewhat_podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhatpodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewhatpodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewhatpodcast The What Podcast theme: "Aquarius" by *repeat repeat, used with permission. Other music provided by Midist and used with permission. We love to hear from you! Send us an email at [email protected] or call (423) 667-7877 and leave us a voicemail. We might just feature it on the show.