The four-day event featured Americana and Roots music. The festival generated nearly $2 million in economic development for the community. There were three 'main' stages for the festival, Lawrence University’s Memorial Chapel, and outdoor stages at Houdini Plaza and Jones Park. The Mile of Music's sophomore year had more than 60 venues, had more than 200 performers, and had 625 live performances. The 107 musical acts included Rodney Crowell, Justin Townes Earle, Cory Chisel, Hillary Reynolds Band, Nicole Atkins, The Candles and an unofficial appearance by Norah Jones. The inaugural year of the festival had over 220 performances in 40 venues. The event is modeled after other music festivals, most notably South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. The festival changes with each year, as it introduces more venues, and adds more charity events. The festival spawned its own beer, the Americana Pale Ale by Stone Arch Brewpub. The festival's success over the years has benefited the local community, through significant creative economic impact as well as local youth music education and other scholarships. Almost every show at the festival is free to the public.
Its focus is on showcasing largely undiscovered, touring musicians and bands with the mantra, "Artists you may not know but should." The festival is "cover-free," meaning no cover songs and no cover charges. The festival features original music of varying styles – from folk and indie rock to soul, alternative, R&B, blues, country, and others – with on average 225+ performers and nearly 1,000 total performances. Willems recruited then Nashville-based touring artist and Appleton homeowner Cory Chisel to join the founding team along with Willems' staff. The festival concept was created by marketing executive Dave Willems and Willems Marketing, Inc which specializes in community and non-profit projects. Started in 2013, the four-day festival runs the first weekend in August, Thursday through Sunday, and is a collaborative community event with support from nearly 50 business and community sponsors. Mile of Music (also known as MoM or The Mile ) is an annual all-original music festival located in downtown Appleton, Wisconsin. Americana, Roots, Folk, Indie, Indie rock Singer/Songwriter