Matt
July 9th, 2008, 07:45 AM
Linky (http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/thebusiness/080131/)
The findings in “Chicago Music City,” which crunched data from 2004 for the nation’s 50 largest urban areas and specifically compared Chicago to ten other major music cities, included these: Based on government records, there are 53,000 people working in music-related businesses here, though just 2,000 of them are musicians. We have a whopping 400,000 seats for music fans, but 93 percent of them are in places like the United Center and Soldier Field. And according to data collected by Pollstar, Chicago hosts 1,093 concerts by touring groups annually; the group lacked the financial resources to track local groups or include the Lyric Opera, city festivals, or anything else produced by nonprofits. There are holes in the “Chicago Music City” picture big enough to drive Symphony Center through—some of those numbers sure seem low—but the study’s basic point is undiminished: Chicago’s music industry, though small potatoes com pared to New York’s or LA’s, offers value, quality, diversity, and a rich history. The researchers conclude that Chicago is “a music city in hiding.”
Amazing steps have been taken in recent years, such as Lollapalloza and Pitchfork Music fests. How do we help propel Chicago's Music scene to a larger spotlight?
The findings in “Chicago Music City,” which crunched data from 2004 for the nation’s 50 largest urban areas and specifically compared Chicago to ten other major music cities, included these: Based on government records, there are 53,000 people working in music-related businesses here, though just 2,000 of them are musicians. We have a whopping 400,000 seats for music fans, but 93 percent of them are in places like the United Center and Soldier Field. And according to data collected by Pollstar, Chicago hosts 1,093 concerts by touring groups annually; the group lacked the financial resources to track local groups or include the Lyric Opera, city festivals, or anything else produced by nonprofits. There are holes in the “Chicago Music City” picture big enough to drive Symphony Center through—some of those numbers sure seem low—but the study’s basic point is undiminished: Chicago’s music industry, though small potatoes com pared to New York’s or LA’s, offers value, quality, diversity, and a rich history. The researchers conclude that Chicago is “a music city in hiding.”
Amazing steps have been taken in recent years, such as Lollapalloza and Pitchfork Music fests. How do we help propel Chicago's Music scene to a larger spotlight?