Unlocking the Power of Data: Sound Music Cities Invites Music-Friendly Cities to Join Census Cohort

AUSTIN, Texas, June 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Sound Music Cities, the leading experts in music ecosystems, is proud to announce the launch of their groundbreaking Multi-City Music Census Cohort. This pioneering initiative invites music-friendly cities to join forces and gain valuable data and insights while fostering collaboration with experts and peers across the nation. Cities joining the cohort recognize that vibrant music scenes drive marketing, economic growth, and civic identity. The Music Census collects key data points to better understand music people and their economic activity within a specific geography and provides a baseline for policymakers and the larger community to understand and take action.

The Multi-City Cohort provides an extraordinary opportunity for cities to:

• gain comparable datasets
• exclusive opportunity to benchmark progress with other cities
• assess post-pandemic industry recovery status
• identify unique opportunities and constraints specific to their regions
• engage in peer-peer learning and collaborative problem-solving sessions

This invaluable opportunity to understand and grow their creative sector comes at an affordable price point of $18,500, which can be funded through various avenues such as community foundations, local non-profits, chambers of commerce, tourism offices, downtown associations, city government, or a combination of these entities. 

Limited to 25 cities, more than half the spots in cohort are filled. Anchoring the cohort, Austin, Chattanooga, and Sacramento have already implemented the census and bring robust datasets and processes to other cities who join. The cohort opened in June 2023 and runs through June 2024. The deadline to join the Multi-City Cohort is September 1st, 2023. With many cities planning to launch their Census this summer or fall, all cities will start their Census within the first 10 months (by March 2024).

“The team at Sound Music Cities has been essential to the birth and development of the local music census as a key tool for advocates, policymakers, and other stakeholders to have a full understanding of their local music ecosystem,” states Michael Bracy, Co-Founder of Music Policy Forum. “This cohort is a clear and critical evolution in the sector, providing important collaborative infrastructure to ensure cities have the advantage of peer-based learning while maximizing return on investment on the research itself.”

The Music Census delivers three core deliverables to the community:

1. Summary Report contains key insights and recommendations.
2. Data Deck presents comprehensive data in a user-friendly, transparent manner.
3. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Report offers novel insights on DEI topics, parsed by demographic subgroups to shed light on bias within the music community.

Chris Cobb, President of Music Venue Alliance Nashville, attests to the efficacy of Sound Music Cities, “Sound Music Cities knows how to engage the people whose voice needs to be heard and measured, and they bring us necessary data on a timeline that ensures the message isn’t antiquated before it hits policymakers’ desks, all for an extremely reasonable cost.”

To explore this transformative opportunity, interested parties are encouraged to schedule an exploratory call with Sound Music Cities.

About Sound Music Cities: Based in Austin, Texas, Sound Music Cities was founded in 2017 by Don Pitts, former Manager of the City of Austin’s Music & Entertainment Division. The company brings together a team of experts with extensive experience in music industry, municipal government, music-related policy, music development program implementations, and sound management initiatives. The company hosts the annual Music Cities Think Tank, a gathering of thought leaders in government and nonprofits working with creative industries in their communities.

For more information: [email protected] or visit www.soundmusiccities.com

Don Pitts, Sound Music Cities
[email protected]
512-844-1363

SOURCE Sound Music Cities