Survey open to anyone identifying as part of the Nashville music industry living in the 14 counties in and around Nashville
Time to Let Our Voices be Heard
March 1st, 2024, Nashville, TN – With nearly 100 Community Engagement Partners and Creatives Connectors signed on, the Greater Nashville Music Census officially opened its doors today and will begin accepting survey respondents for the next four weeks.
“We are excited to welcome so many important new voices to this initiative,” said Kelly Walberg, VP of Communications for the Community Foundation of Middle TN. “The mix of national, statewide, and local stakeholders is truly a testament to how important our industry views this Census and its potential impact.”
The census is now open to anyone that is over 18 years old and identifies as being a part of Nashville music industry in any way. It is also open to anyone living in the 14 counties in and around Nashville. A full list is available on the census website.
“The Census will officially be live and collecting data for the month of March,” said Chris Cobb, President of the Music Venue Alliance of Nashville. “We are now calling on all of our community partners, friends, neighbors, and coworkers to fill it out and spread the word to every corner of our music industry. It’s time to let our voices be heard.”
“We are going to come out of this census with some real tangible opportunities to improve the lives of Nashville’s music industry,” said coalition Steering Committee Member Jamie Kent, “our hope is that many of the respondents also feel inspired to stay involved and advocate for some of these policy recommendations that we will be presented with.”
The Greater Nashville Music Census is live and interested individuals can learn more and take the survey at:
musiccitycensus.com.For press inquiries, interview requests, or additional questions, please contact Jamie Kent at jamie@backstagestrategies.com.
Fostering a Vibrant Cultural Landscape Across Tennessee
Announced only one month ago, the coalition behind the Greater Nashville Coalition has grown astronomically, welcoming the likes of established Nashville power players like CMA and Visit Music City, down to individual creatives hoping to spread the word within their networks.
“From rising rents and grocery bills, down to the newly added costs just to park on the street throughout Nashville, Music City has become harder and harder place to make a living playing music,” said local musician and Creative Connector Matthew Szlachetka. “We’ve got to find ways to make Music City more music-friendly for those of us working our butts off to make the Nashville experience memorable for so many.
“That said,” Szlachetka continued, “I’m personally excited to spread the word to my bandmates and friends in the scene, so the voices of the creative working class here in Nashville are truly reflected in the data collected.”
As previously reported, Nashville joins a national cohort including 20 cities collecting similar data and sharing best practices and results with one another. Some believe this may even set the stage for similar work within other Tennessee cities that proudly foster their unique music scenes.
“We are proud to join this cohort of exceptional partners supporting the Greater Nashville Music Census, which will be crucial in providing a comprehensive understanding of the local music scene, showcasing the diverse talents and genres present.” said Bob Raines, Executive Director of the Tennessee Entertainment Commission. “The data will aid in developing targeted initiatives and support systems for musicians, as we work to foster a vibrant cultural landscape across Tennessee.”
To aid partners and creatives spreading the word, the Census Steering Committee has created a Social Media Tool Kit and Communication Tool Kit available for anyone to download from the census website. Additionally, because the census will remain anonymous for all participants, the coalition has created a separate sign up form on the website for those interested in participating in future advocacy initiatives that emerge from the census results.
Music Venue Alliance of Nashville (MVAN) is an organization of passionate and fiercely independent music venue owners and operators committed to retaining and nurturing the fragile yet complex ecosystem of every individual aspect of our famous music scene here in Nashville, TN. MVAN seeks to enlighten, educate and heighten awareness of what it means to be truly independent, and in this mission of advocacy and renewed appreciation, hopes to ensure many more decades of passion-fueled small business success and prosperity.
Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee unites compassionate individuals and worthy causes to build a more thriving and inclusive community by transforming thoughtful generosity into positive change. Its generous donors span the community and are driven by a shared commitment to addressing diverse needs. www.CFMT.org
Nashville Musicians Association, AFM Local 257, was founded in 1902. Our mission is to promote respect for musicians, the work they do, and the intellectual property they create, in a constantly evolving business environment. We represent studio musicians, touring bands, symphonic musicians, vocalists, arrangers, composers, contractors, and more. We negotiate and administer contracts, track additional uses of songs recorded under AFM union contracts, and represent musicians in all genres of music from jazz to rock, pop, bluegrass, gospel, and yes, country music.
Since 1973, the heart of music row has flowed through Belmont. Beginning with a music business program designed to prepare people for operational, administrative, creative and technical careers in the music industry, Belmont has expanded its degree programs to encompass all aspects of the entertainment industry. The Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business was established in 2003 and is a world leader in music business and entertainment industry education.
The mission of the Broadway Entertainment Association (BEA) is to preserve the unique culture of entertainment and popularity of Lower Broadway through advocacy and education. BEA consists of small business owners who operate entertainment establishments on and around historic Lower Broadway in Downtown Nashville. BEA is committed to the preservation and continued development of Lower Broadway.
Based in Austin, Texas, Sound Music Cities was established from a rich blend of experiences in music-related policy, music development program design, and sound management initiatives. With profound expertise spanning the music industry and municipal governance, the team stands as a respected authority in the field, making them a go-to source for music ecosystem studies and music census endeavors in the US. Members of the Sound Music Cities team, during their tenures in municipal roles, crafted policies and legislation that marked the most substantial overhaul of music permitting and sound enforcement protocols in decades. Beyond these accomplishments, Sound Music Cities proudly hosts the Music Cities Think Tank—an exclusive, annual assembly of music policy specialists and practitioners from over 20 cities worldwide. This invite-only event is curated to foster in-depth conversations, allowing a select cohort to delve into contemporary challenges and strategies in the music world.
Backstage Strategies is a strategic communication and government relations firm specializing in music, arts, entertainment, and health. Founded by singer/songwriter and strategist Jamie Kent, Backstage Strategies was formed from a unique experience in both music and government relations to help broker solutions and conversations that support TN’s creative working class. Kent’s story and strategies have helped unite the creative community on a variety of issues across the political spectrum, and his work has resulted in bipartisan laws passed at both the state and local level in Tennessee. Kent is also the founder of The BAM Group, an advocacy agency that provides services ranging from coalition management, to PR and media design/placement.
