How to build a thriving music scene in your city | Elizabeth Cawein

How does a city become known as a "music city"? Publicist Elizabeth Cawein explains how thriving music scenes make cities healthier and happier and shares ideas for bolstering your local music scene -- and showing off your city's talent to the world.

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more.

[alistairhume]

Whatever anyone else thinks, as a musician I am very happy TED chose to let someone talk about this. Local music is so important.

[vanessajazp]

As a musician who has struggled for many years in a city that is home to some of the biggest names of the rock era, I can tell you first hand that exposure is the key ingredient. But exposure means some club owner, or venue owner, looking at his/her finances and deciding that spending X-dollars on a band is a better investment than spending Y-dollars on a DJ. Usually, the DJ wins out because Y is less than X. The other option is the willingness of band members to put in the time and effort necessary to have a 3 to 4-hour gig, but get paid next to nothing for it. Week after week, until you garner a big following or hit that lucky jackpot with an A&R person in the audience when you're hitting your stride.

There's some exceptional talent that never gets 'discovered', and a lot of average talent that hits it big.

[JakeBroe]

Shout out to Bon Iver and my college town of Eau Claire, Wisconsin!

[endrankluvsdaloko]

I really think the insane cost of going out has been what really hurt seeing live music. I mean, people could stay home and for a few dollars a month watch countless shows on their smart TV's snuggled up with their significant loved ones or they could go to some bar and pay $8 a drink and worry about getting a DUI to see some random local band perform. Hmm it's not hard to see why local music is hurting these days.

[nickolasvieira]

I find it amazing that everything I'm looking for can be found in Ted Talks hahaha

[thedarkener]

Awesome talk. I couldn't have said it better myself, and I've been trying to for 11 years now.

[keepkalm]

ASCAP and other publishers shut down a lot of live music venues. Open mic night at coffee houses get phone calls threatening legal action in many instances.

[terrancekayton]

Great. Each one of us who watch this will be able to convince of our city's to watch this

[BRYDN_NATHAN]

Portland Oregon USA 97205 October 2018 thanks for keeping it real.

[debbieomi]

I live in a rural community that generally does not support live music. Recently, two restaurants tried hosting local acoustic acts and got visits from a licensing agency. They either had to pay a licensing fee or stop the music. Both eateries are small, struggling, and thought music might help sell a few more entrees. It was helping a little. Neither decided to get the license.
We also have a brand new used book store/coffee shop that had hoped to host open mics but that is now on hold due to the situation the restaurants faced. I'm not against writers and artists getting paid but it seems corporate music is digging its reach even deeper, preventing small venues from hosting a singer, guitar player without it costing too much money.

[marksoberay]

She doesn't mention the most important music asset. Rehearsal studios

[newsongguitarcollaboration]

I see a lot of pessimism here. Pessimism never created anything. If you are a musician, it is time to take the tools taught here and use them. You need to move out of the spare room in your house. Contact people, coffee shops, restaurants and take the chance. I get a lot of "no's", then I walk over and knock on the next door. Rejection is part of creation. You will find places that want to see, hear, and be involved in the creation. Find other people who will create with you. It isn't easy to make money at all the gig's. There you have to make a choice, love to play, play for tips, work your way up to the paying gig's. Or don't play at all.

[picklevoncrunchnmunch]

i wish i knew how to grow a thriving fungal community in my bathtub

[aydnofastro-action]

Sounds like the Europeans are way ahead of us again. Well, Joseph Campbell pointed out that in Europe, the streets are named after great poets, writers, musicians philosophers etc. While in America, the streets are named after businessmen. You can do the math Let’s follow the advice in this video, and maybe America can regain its soul!

[leepshin]

Unfortunately there are too many local councils in the UK who would rather have ghost towns because the police are too lazy to do their jobs often advising licensing boards to deny businesses permission to expand thus leading to said ghost towns instead of vibrant social communities.

[miguelguerrero]

TED, you should SERIOUSLY put up a warning when you're posting a TEDx keynote vs an actual TED presentation. Most of your subscribers can already tell a difference in quality between actual TED presentations and independent TEDx.


Most of this presentation is "GUESS WHAT, MUSIC IS IMPORTANT".

[andyharrier]

I had a music production company for 8 years with my girlfriend. At that time I tried to build a scene in my town and I documented it well it didn't work but I had a lot of fun trying I live in Allentown Pennsylvania I'm high

[kierankong]

Powerful music








Lil pump: *Existes*

[mhtinla]

Music scene is bottom up, not top down. The more you manage it, the less authentic it becomes. Ban music all together in your city, if you want vibrant underground music.

[YEE]

The city full of haters. Why u think Atalanta been on top the whole
Time. No one wanna help each other. Like u said at the beginning we have the internet now, everyone for themselves