Protomen, East Side Bowl, April 27, 2024
Photo: Steve Cross
Two initiatives focused on Nashville's music community ecosystem released data about their efforts this week.
Between March 1 and April 1, the Greater Nashville Music Survey collected responses from individuals involved in various sectors of the music industry. The survey program was developed by Austin, Texas, consulting firm Sound Music Cities and conducted in various communities across the country, including New Orleans, Minneapolis and Chattanooga.
Preliminary findings released by the Nashville Census show Music City leads participating municipalities in several areas, including the number of events per venue in a given year and the average amount of income respondents make from music. Additionally, Nashville's survey set a new record with 4,265 respondents. Organizers also cited parking as a top concern among respondents.
“Attendees were vocal about their concerns, from incredibly expensive private lots and garages to new on-street parking policies that work against musicians, venues and fans,” Chris Cobb of the Music Venue Alliance Nashville told The Tennessean's Audrey Gibbs.
A special event will be held in early September to celebrate the release of the full census results, which will be housed on a public data dashboard, and the city has several other events planned, dubbed community engagement “tours.”
In 2021, spearheaded by then-City Councilman Jeff Syracuse, the Metro City Council passed a resolution to commission a study of Nashville's independent music venues. Throughout 2023, Vibe Lab, CultureShift Team and the University of Pennsylvania's Penn Praxis conducted the Nashville Independent Venues Study, which released its full report this week.
“By combining data analysis and community consultation, we detail the challenges venues face, including real estate pressures, costs and the corporatization of the events industry,” said Michael Fichman of PennPraxis in the release. “We developed a set of targeted recommendations to help metro governments, communities and civic organizations protect and nurture small, independent, community-focused music spaces.”
The release (which refers to independent music venues as “IMVs” throughout) said the report identifies a range of potential measures that metro governments could take, either on their own or in partnership with private entities, to help sustain independent venues. Key findings included a surprising measure of venue density: For our size, we have a higher concentration of music venues than New York City or Tokyo. Our independent music venues also tend to be located further away from downtown than music venues that are not independently owned or operated (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, as they're closer to a variety of communities), and independent venues also tend to be in properties with lower average assessed values, making it more difficult for them to stay ahead of rising real estate prices.
Five main themes emerged from the study.
Support live music through civic leadership and a “whole of government” approach. Coordinate with Metro’s interagency and “music coalition” of engaged civic leaders, with Metro’s Nightlife Office at the core. Strengthen government capacity, strategy, and data practices to more effectively support IMV. Support venues with policy, regulatory, and development tools. Launch an independent music venue land trust and legacy business program to increase music venue space using land use regulations. Reduce the challenges and costs of opening and operating new venues. Develop the next generation of IMV operators, initiate space “matchmaking” between prospective operators and real estate partners, provide financial assistance to venues, and streamline the permitting process. Make urban mobility work for live music venues, employees, and patrons. Improve urban mobility options and conduct pilot projects and experiments that benefit venues. Expand music-related investments to more genres and more neighborhoods through events, marketing, fundraising, and policy investments in IMV-rich areas outside of Downtown. Prioritize independent operators in Metro’s spaces and events.
Census organizers said their effort complements the Independent Venue Survey. Even without the full information of the census, both projects clearly agree that mobility and transportation — a central theme of Mayor Freddie O'Connell's administration — will play a big role. In the coming months, we'll know what the census shows on topics like how real estate and other economic pressures are impacting the music community. Then it'll be up to Metro to act on the recommendations.
” [Nashville Independent Venues Study] “This report provides incredible data that confirms the crisis independent venues continue to face, while also highlighting the important role we play in Nashville's music ecosystem and the city as a whole,” MVAN's statement said. “It also provides a menu of recommendations, some bold and some simple, that we'd like to explore with our partners at both the public and private levels. Combined with the Greater Nashville Music Census and the Chamber's Music Industry Report, we have all the tools we need as a city, industry and community to meet this crisis head on.”
