INDIE INSIDER
PUTTING MUSIC CITIES ON THE MAP
Municipalities large & small are developing music city strategies , but what does that mean ?
Pt . 1
By Michael Raine
In
2012 , when Music Canada released its report Accelerating Toronto ’ s Music Industry Growth : Leveraging Best Practices from Austin , Texas , it unleashed a pent up demand across Canada and the world by municipal governments and organizations seeking to leverage their own cultural assets to boost their local economies and tourism through the development of vibrant music scenes .
MUSIC CANADA EVP AMY TERRILL
“ There was so much response to that report and we would get a lot of calls from smaller Ontario communities or other cities in the U . S ., as an example , asking us , ‘ We see what you ’ ve recommended for Toronto . What would you recommend we do ?’” recalls Music Canada Executive VP Amy Terrill , who led the research . “ Without having studied them , usually we would just say , ‘ Well , there are some really great principles in that report that Austin has employed , so just right-size it to your community and use that as a model .’”
Knowing that response wasn ’ t adequate and that the level of global interest warranted more research , Terrill and Music Canada set out in 2014 to study cities around the world – from Toronto to Melbourne to Bogotá –
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where the musicians , governments , music industry , private sector , non-profit organizations , and others were working cooperatively to boost their city ’ s music scene . They weren ’ t doing so altruistically ( at least not solely ), but because they recognized the shared economic benefits of a vibrant music scene .
The culmination of interviews in 25 cities , in addition to secondary research and international focus groups , was the report The Mastering of a Music City : Key Elements , Effective Strategies & Why it ’ s Worth Pursuing , which Music Canada published in June 2015 . ( The full report is available on Music Canada ’ s website .) Across Canada , municipalities of all sizes are embracing the Music City concept . Particularly in Ontario , the concept has spread quickly , with Hamilton , London , Kitchener , and others already implementing their own music city strategies , while elsewhere in the country , Halifax , Calgary , Victoria , and other municipalities are expressing interest or taking initial steps . Recently , Canadian Music Week announced it ’ ll host a one-day Music Cities Summit .
From its initial findings on what makes an effective music city strategy , Music Canada prioritized five key characteristics that lay the groundwork . Those are : 1 . Artists and musicians ; 2 . A thriving music scene ; 3 . Spaces and places ; 4 . A receptive and engaged audience ; and 5 . Music-related businesses . “ Those focus groups , the consensus was that artists and musicians are the heart of a music city , obviously , so you ’ ve got to have a lot of them or at least a healthy , robust number ,” says Terrill . A thriving music scene , Terrill says , essentially means the live music scene , while spaces and places doesn ’ t just mean live venues , but also places for music education , rehearsal , live / work spaces , affordable housing where artists can live , and more . The fifth key element , music-related business , covers the “ larger ecosystem ,” Terrill explains , meaning record labels , record stores , promoters , agents , managers , radio and arts-focused media outlets , etc .
Of course , there are other elements that help set the foundation for a music city , such as music history and identity , which surprisingly didn ’ t rank in the top five key elements . “[ That ] was a bit of a surprise , but in another way , it is actually good because it means that cities that don ’ t have decades and decades of history could still strive to be a music city ,” says Terrill . “ Some obviously have that rich history , and the point that we make in the report is , if you ’ ve got it , make sure you protect it and use it , but if you don ’ t have it , then hope is not lost .”
For those cities where the fertile ground is sowed , where all or most of those five key characteristics and others are found , how do they move forward ? Here , Music Canada ’ s report lays out seven key strategies : 1 . Music- and musician-friendly policies ; 2 . A music office or officer ; 3 . A music advisory board ; 4 . Engaging the broader music community to get their buy-in and support ; 5 . Access to spaces and places ; 6 . Audience development ; and 7 . Music tourism . Municipal governments must enact music- and musician-friendly policies . This covers a wide gamut of areas , from business and liquor licensing to busking permits and noise curfews that greatly impact live venues and festivals . “ Compliance requirements should be appropriate without becoming a barrier to doing business ,” the Mastering of a Music City report states . “ Many communities face challenging decisions regarding land-use planning as a result of gentrification and urban growth . In some cities , historically