The 4th annual Island Hopper Songwriters Fest presented by BMI, the Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel, and iHeart Media’s Cat Country 107.1 wrapped up last weekend as festival organizers reported record crowds. The ten day songwriters festival featured 85 BMI singer-songwriters performing in more than 20 venues on Captiva Island, Fort Myers Beach and Downtown Fort Myers, and provided an opportunity for the communities to heal after Hurricane Irma devastated many areas in Southwest Florida.
In addition, the festival gave BMI songwriters the opportunity to help many businesses that support them throughout the year through their licensing fees by bringing their stories and songs to the venues and in turn helping to boost food and beverage revenue for dozens of bars and restaurants who had to close for more than two weeks because of the effects of Irma. Several establishments commented that the songwriter shows helped them achieve record revenue and help heal the many communities that sustained significant damage from the hurricane.