BLANK CANVAS: The 1,000-capacity Decca Live, shown in a rendering, is to open in mid-December. (Courtesy venue)
BLNK CNVS company is the venue’s exclusive talent buyer
The live business has a new partner in Jacksonville, Florida, with Decca Live.
The 1,000-capacity venue in downtown Jacksonville is scheduled to open in mid-December. Housed in a former hardware store specializing in ship chandlery that later became the headquarters for the Florida State Theater Company, the historic venue was refreshed and reimagined by a group of four local partners including co-owner Eric Fuller, whose BLNK CNVS company is the venue’s exclusive talent buyer.
For Fuller, the opening moves him farther away from festival dirt to brick and mortar.
“The festival model doesn’t make sense,” said Fuller, who toured the Life In Color festival concept around the globe. “It’s a ton of risk. You have a million different variables, weather, artists that don’t show up. When you own a venue – especially if you can own the real estate – it’s so much more consistent. Yeah, you aren’t hitting home runs, but you are getting on first base.”
Decca Live was transformed from 1900s warehouse to entertainment hub for $5 million with architectural design by JAA Architecture, interior design by Moyano Productions and production and stage design by Collyns Design. The space features a massive steel structure as the main stage, a 360-degree mezzanine and a rooftop bar with views of the St. John’s River and city skyline.
The new venture is a big step forward for Miami-based BLNK CNVS, which launched in 2017 and is known for event production in the electronic music industry.
Company highlights include being the largest event promoter for Miami Music Week. In 2024, the BLNK CNVS hosted 35 events selling 40,000 tickets including the first-ever DEF x Miami Music Week show, a B2B set with Dutch DJ Martin Garrix and surprise appearances by popular EDM touring artists Alison Wonderland and Kaskade.
Jacksonville, which had a population of 950,000 in 2020, has a diverse audience, which means a mix of music genres and content type for Decca Live.
“The talent comes down to obviously what’s the best talent you can offer to the fans that demand it, and that’s for us to figure out,” said Fuller, adding that the independent venue will be open to offers from all promoters.
DECCA REVIVE: Decca Live, built inside a former hardware store, was transformed from 1900s warehouse to entertainment hub for $5 million. (Courtesy venue)
“We are going to do some internal programming ourselves, and then we’ll just keep the venue open for promoters,” said Fuller. “Good promoters and good operators that are trustworthy and deliver for their fans and for the artists.”
The Decca Live partnership with co-owners Shawn Rouf and Evan Rajta moves Fuller closer to his mission of establishing sustainable nightlife destinations across the U.S. including the transformation of iconic venues like 700-capacity Celine Orlando in the Disney capitol and other projects under discussion.
Fuller found his passion for live music and events while attending the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. He served as chief operating officer of Life In Color and has contributed to various ventures including Advanced Concert Productions and Club Space Miami.
Key learnings from his festival experience that he applies to his venue mindset is the speed of operations.
“Festivals you want to get people in as quickly as possible, and as safely as possible,” Fuller said. “A lot of venues, especially clubs, they may not always think that way. It’s the nightclub mentality, they want to see a line of people out front, a better look. My thought is to get people in as quickly as possible and get a drink in their hand and get them off the street.”
Regardless of location – festival or venue – Fuller has a consistent philosophy: “You give people the best possible experience you can for the best possible price and they will stick with you,” he said. “As we develop the venue, we are keeping that at the front and center.”
