The Results are in
The 2024 Northeast Tennessee Music Census was a community-led initiative to gain a better understanding of the current needs of the Northeast Tennessee music community. The music census launched on May 8-July 2, 2024 and collected 1,213 responses from people working in music the Northeast Tennessee Region in any capacity who are 18 years or older.
The Northeast Tennessee Music Census was initiated as a collaborative effort between the Tennessee Entertainment Commission (TEC), Tennessee Department of Tourist Development (TDTD), Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNDECD), and the East Tennessee State University Research Corporation. This groundbreaking initiative was designed to engage musicians, venues, music industry professionals, educators, and music nonprofits to better understand the needs and opportunities within the region’s music ecosystem. The Census provides critical data to inform strategies for strengthening the music community and fostering economic and cultural growth.
Key Findings:
Economic Impact: The Census revealed that total annual economic activity from music earnings in the region amounts to $75.9 million, with music contributing significantly to local culture and commerce.
Ecosystem Composition: Music creatives make up 78% of the ecosystem, with venues and industry professionals comprising 11% and 10% respectively.
Music Localism/Community Advocacy: Strong interest in forming a Northeast Tennessee community-based collaborative to pull together the region and collectively advocate for and develop music as an economic and cultural force.
Career Concerns: Rising costs of living and stagnant pay rates are among the top challenges facing music professionals in Northeast Tennessee.
Venue Insights: Small venues dominate the scene, hosting over 1,590 live events annually. However, regulatory hurdles and limited support for diverse genres pose challenges for growth. There is a need to increase the number of performances at existing venues and also to expand genre diversity.
High Levels of Experience but Low Entry of New Talent: A large proportion of respondents have over 10 years of experience, indicating a highly seasoned community with few new entrants into the industry.
Community Needs: Respondents emphasized the need for communal spaces to collaborate musically and access to audience development tools like local media and gig calendars.
Industry Services: Many music creatives manage their own booking, publicity, and merchandise, indicating a lack of accessible industry services in the area.
About the NETN Music Census
The Northeast Tennessee Music Initiative, spearheaded by the Tennessee Entertainment Commission (TEC), is a community-led effort to strengthen the region’s music ecosystem and economy. A key component is the Music Census, designed to gather critical data on the Northeast Tennessee music community, including insights into workforce demographics, occupation types, economic opportunities, and the challenges of affordability, diversity, and funding.
A vibrant music scene enhances a city or region's cultural appeal, making it a more attractive destination for both businesses and residents. This broader appeal stimulates diversified economic activity, reinforcing the integral role of music in holistic economic development. Our entire state is a vibrant music scene:
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Tennessee has the largest concentration of music industry workforce in the country
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Economic impact of music to Tennessee is $5.8 billion dollars
Sound Music Cities' Census™ work is considered a best practice and is sought out to inform economic development strategies, actions, and related policies. Economists regularly use and amend their work based on Music Census™ because it offers otherwise non-existent or difficult to gather data needed to quantify and understand local music ecosystems as part of growing culture, the music sector, entertainment districts, and local economies.
Northeast Tennessee is the first region selected by the State for this work.
The census is surveying the Northeast Tennessee region, which includes the 8 counties and Bristol.
