Folk Alliance to leave Memphis, Organization moving headquarters, annual conference to Kansas City, Mo., in 2014

[Following the 2012 conference] "The Folk Alliance and its annual conference are leaving Memphis."

"The folk music organization -- which started in 1989 and has been based in the Bluff City since 2007 -- has decided to move its operations to Kansas City, Mo., for five years, beginning in 2014."

"In 2009, the Folk Alliance announced a one-year move to Toronto for 2013, part of a pledge to membership to take the event to Canada every five years.

"And last month, after looking at more than 30 cities, and narrowing it down to a final three (Memphis, Louisville and Kansas City), the organization's governing board elected to find a new home for the conference for the five-year period running from 2014 through 2018."

The main reasons for leaving Memphis are that the size of conference hotel (not big enough) and the higher cost of flights to that airport.

~ Becky in Long Beach