Tracking the location of musicians and music groups in the United States from 1970 to 2004, we find that the music industry has become significantly more concentrated. New York and Los Angeles remain dominant, while Nashville has emerged as a third major center. We also find that musicians are attracted to some smaller locations with particular characteristics.

Authors
Richard Florida, Martin Prosperity Institute, Rotman School of Management
Scott Jackson, U.S. Agency for International Development, Washington, DC, USA

Published in: Journal of Planning Education and Research, Volume 29, Number 3, March 2010, pages 310 – 321

Subjects: Music, Musicians, Entertainment, Economic Geography, Clusters, Scale

Related Projects: Creative Industries & the Creative Economy, Mega-regions, Music & the Entertainment Economy

Available through Sage Journals in PDF format (Restricted Access).

Previous working paper versions are also available: March 2009 (PDF) and January 2008 (PDF).

Abstract
Our research tracks the location of musicians and music establishments in U.S. regions from 1970 to 2004. We find that the music industry has become significantly more concentrated over time. New York and Los Angeles remain dominant locations, with Nashville emerging as a third major center. This reflects the economic and artistic advantages of large markets. We also find evidence of the persistence of musicians and music scenes in some smaller locations throughout the United States. This reflects demand for music in some small locations with more affluent, higher-human capital populations, location-specific assets, and technological changes that have lowered the costs for producing, distributing, and consuming music across locations.