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Nashville Becomes 'Silicon Valley of Music Business'

By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff

Posted May 22, 2009 3:45 PM CDT

(Newser) – Nashville really is Music City, Richard Florida writes in the Atlantic. Charting the demographics of the music industry from 1970 to 2004, Florida found that “Nashville was the only city that registered positive growth. In effect, it sucked up all the growth in the music industry.” It’s not just stars and bars, either: The city is home to a staggering 180 recording studios and 80 record labels, across many genres.

“While conventional wisdom holds that modern technology allows musicians to work from anywhere,” Florida writes, “the reality is music, like many other industries, is actually becoming more concentrated and clustered.” So it’s not surprising that a city that in 1970 was a provincial country music capital is “now the center for multiple musical genres from country and gospel to rock and pop.”

Members of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Members of the Country Music Hall of Fame.   (AP Photo)
People walk among the honky-tonks on Broadway in Nashville, Tenn.
People walk among the honky-tonks on Broadway in Nashville, Tenn.   (AP Photo)
A roaming guitarist at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn.
A roaming guitarist at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn.   (AP Photo)
The White Stripes have made Nashville their new home.
The White Stripes have made Nashville their new home.   (AP Photo)
Nashville in the morning.
Nashville in the morning.   (Flickr)
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It's turned into the Silicon Valley of the music business, combining the best institutions, the best infrastructure, and the best talent. And ... for multiple musical genres. - Richard Florida, on Nashville

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COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 2 comments
wwwonderer
May 26, 2009 5:05 AM CDT
There will prolly be certain 'entertainment' captials of this nation: NY, LA, Chicago, Nashville, Miami, Atlanta. Anyone serious about trying to move to where the action is ought to consider one of these places. When I considered relocating (from Chicago) for music, Atlanta was the best mix of access to big connections (NY, LA WIN) and AFFORDABILITY (NY, LA LOSE).
Observer
May 22, 2009 8:54 AM CDT
Yea Nashville - You are almost as cool as Austin TX is now.

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