Namir Blade, 30 $ALE$ and AndréWolfe wow the crowd with Six One Trïbe at The Basement, 1/26/2024
Update, Friday, March 29: The deadline to participate in the Greater Nashville Music Census has been extended to 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 1.
In late January, a coalition of local organizations including Music Venue Alliance Nashville, Belmont University and the Nashville Musicians Association announced its plan for the Greater Nashville Music Census. A new release notes that the number of partners in the coalition now numbers more than 50 entities, and the census will open Friday, March 1.
The project intends to collect information from local professionals and students over age 18 who are part of the music industry — “if you contribute any type of music-related work, with or without compensation, and you believe your skills and commitment are worthy of acknowledgment and support,” per the frequently asked questions page on the GNMC website. Participants must live in one of 14 counties including Davidson.
The goal is to gather additional details to complement data already being collected in PennPraxis’ Nashville Independent Venues Study and make further recommendations for legislative solutions to issues affecting Nashville’s music ecosystem. Those run the gamut from the challenges of making ends meet as a professional musician to the difficulty of keeping an independent music venue or nonprofit music organization in place as rents increase. Several types of partners are still being sought to spread the word about the census within their network.
“So far the venues and musicians are showing up, the nonprofits are showing up, and the big associations are showing up,” Eric Holt — an assistant professor at Belmont University who co-founded concert promoter Lovenoise — says in the release. “The excitement is real, but we need more voices at the table from the songwriting community, the publishing community and the production side of things. We know you’re out there hustling, come lend your voice.”
If you'd like to hear more, an open meeting is set for Monday, Feb. 26, at 3 p.m. Central via Zoom; Backstage Strategies' Jamie Kent and Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee's Kelly Walberg are your contacts for additional details. The census isn’t available to view just yet, but will be accessible online at launch. They’re looking for thorough and thoughtful responses, but don’t wait too long: The census will only be open for one month.
