Georgia Music Hall of Fame may close

By LEON STAFFORD

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Georgia Music Hall of Fame could close at the end of the year unless officials with the Macon facility can raise $225,000 by the group’s Oct. 27 board meeting.

The announcement came Thursday as the Hall of Fame’s authority met in Atlanta to discuss the facility’s future. The museum has taken several cost-cutting measures recently to address cuts in state funding and earned income during fiscal 2009.

Full-time staff was reduced from nine to four positions, furloughs went into effect this month and the museum began closing on Sundays and Mondays for the first time last Sunday.

The museum celebrates the music and lives of more than 100 inductees, including Ray Charles, R.E.M., Alan Jackson, Usher, the B-52s and Johnny Mercer.