COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on the creative sector, which has shifted the strategy of many performing arts and cultural organizations working together to sustain the arts. The performing arts sector in particular has suffered a great loss in job numbers and performances since COVID-19 cases in the United States began rapidly increasing in March 2020. As a result, many once-thriving music venues have shut down and are working to initiate new ways to safely open back up to the public. During these times, it is increasingly important to underscore the impact of the music industry on our communities’ greater creative economy.
CVSuite Launches the Top 10 Music Cities You Need to Know About
Given the struggles so many creative communities are experiencing as a result of the pandemic, it is more apparent than ever the significant impact the music industry has on the creative economy. To showcase the vibrancy of the music industry in smaller communities, the CVSuite team recently launched a new Creative Vitality List: the Top 10 Music Cities You Need to Know About. Our team of creative economy experts identified 817 core-based statistical areas (CBSA), metropolitan divisions, and combined statistical areas (CSA), as defined by the Census, with populations of less than 500,000. The team analyzed the components of economic and creative vitality in the regions, focusing on the economic contribution of musicians, singers, and related workers. These communities continue to demonstrate their vitality and resiliency within the creative economy time and time again.
Music Cities Together: CVSuite in Conversation with Michael Bracy
The CVSuite team recently engaged in a conversation about its latest Creative Vitality List: the Top 10 Music Cities You Need to Know About with Michael Bracy from Music Cities Together, a joint initiative between the Music Policy Forum and Sound Music Cities that assists states and cities in unleashing the potential of local music in their creative economy by helping them develop music strategies, commissioning and executing music censuses, developing best practices guides, and convening leaders from across sectors in a variety of platforms to work, define, and strengthen the music strategy field. In this conversation, Bracy highlighted the awareness of the music field generated by the Creative Vitality List and considered ways we can think differently about using data.
“During these times, how can we rethink data and its uses? How do we challenge data-keeping to have a better reflection of the complexity and the artistic experience?” – Michael Bracy
Bracy elaborated on the idea that there are many different methodologies for utilizing data to uplift the arts. He also noted that, generally, music industry data do not include the work of individuals working alongside musicians, which he believes they should.
Bracy described the CVSuite data used for the Creative Vitality List project as a great example of how we can use data efficiently to emphasize and embrace evidence-based policy making within the music industry, while still making the information fun and easily digestible. Let’s take, for example, the visual below, which illustrates the year-over-year music industry earnings trends from 2011-2018.
Featuring counties that make up the Reopen Every Venue Safely (REVS) pilot city participants. Notice that between 2017 and 2018, these regions collectively saw the fastest earnings growth since 2010.
The top performing-art-based nonprofits graphic below illustrates that three of the top four nonprofit organization types deal directly with musical performance, as classified by program revenues. These organizations generated $1.7 billion in program revenues, which helps demonstrate the impact of the music industry on the overall economy.
Make a Difference
The performing arts industry needs all of our support during this challenging time. What will you do to support the performing arts industry? A few great examples of organizations working to sustain the health of the music industries include Music Cities Together, Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP), and Save Our Stages.
Use CVSuite as a Resource
The CVSuite team is here to help! We can help you decide where to start with analyzing your data or figuring out which data are most suitable for your needs—that’s what we’re here for! Not interested in a data subscription? We also offer customizable reports for your special projects. Contact us today to learn more about what CVSuite can do for you at cvsuite@westaf.org.
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