TEDxMemphis
Elizabeth Cawein: How to build a thriving music scene in your city
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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.
Elizabeth Cawein - Publicist, strategist and music advocate
Elizabeth Cawein is dedicated to the belief that smart cities are music cities. Full bio
Elizabeth Cawein is dedicated to the belief that smart cities are music cities. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
Each of these songs
represents a scene, a movement,
represents a scene, a movement,
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in some cases, a sonic revolution
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that completely altered
the course of popular music.
the course of popular music.
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They're all also calling cards,
almost, for those cities,
almost, for those cities,
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songs totally linked
with their city's identity,
with their city's identity,
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and it might be why you probably
consider them to be music cities.
consider them to be music cities.
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Now, the magical mythical thing,
the thing we kind of all love
the thing we kind of all love
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about stories like these
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is that those cities weren't doing
anything in particular
anything in particular
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to make those moments happen.
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There's no formula for capturing
lightning in a bottle.
lightning in a bottle.
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A formula didn't give us grunge music
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or introduce Tupac to Dr. Dre,
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and there's definitely no blueprint
for how to open your record business
for how to open your record business
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in a South Memphis neighborhood
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that, turns out,
is home to Booker T. Jones,
is home to Booker T. Jones,
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William Bell and Albert King.
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So this is just something
that happens, then, right?
that happens, then, right?
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When the stars perfectly align,
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great music just happens.
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And in the meantime,
New York and Nashville
New York and Nashville
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can churn out the hits
that come through our radios,
that come through our radios,
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define our generations
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and soundtrack our weddings
and our funerals
and our funerals
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and everything in between.
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Well, I don't know about you,
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but the very idea of that
is just deadly boring to me.
is just deadly boring to me.
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There are musicians all around you,
making powerful, important music,
making powerful, important music,
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and thanks to the internet
and its limitless possibilities
and its limitless possibilities
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for creators to create music
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and fans to discover that music,
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those zeitgeist songs
don't have to be handed down to us
don't have to be handed down to us
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from some conference room
full of songwriters
full of songwriters
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in a corporate high-rise.
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But also, and more importantly,
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we can't decide that it's just
something that happens,
something that happens,
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because music is about
so much more than hits,
so much more than hits,
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those big, iconic moments
that change everything.
that change everything.
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It's more than just entertainment.
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For so many of us,
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music is truly a way to navigate life.
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A means of self-expression, sure,
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but it also helps us find our self-worth
and figure out who we are.
and figure out who we are.
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It connects us with other people
as almost nothing else can,
as almost nothing else can,
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across language barriers,
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across social and cultural
and economic divides.
and economic divides.
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Music makes us smarter
and healthier and happier.
and healthier and happier.
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Music is necessary.
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What if you lived in a city
that believed that,
that believed that,
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that said, "We're not waiting
for that hit song to define us.
for that hit song to define us.
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We're a music city
because music is necessary."
because music is necessary."
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By seeing music as necessary,
a city can build two things:
a city can build two things:
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first, an ecosystem to support
the development of professional musicians
the development of professional musicians
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and music business;
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and second, a receptive and engaged
audience to sustain them.
audience to sustain them.
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And those are the two critical
elements of a music city,
elements of a music city,
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a city whose leaders recognize
the importance of music
the importance of music
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for our development as individuals,
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our connection as a community
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and our viability
as a vibrant place to live.
as a vibrant place to live.
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See, smart cities, music cities,
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know that thriving nightlife,
a creative class, culture
a creative class, culture
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is what attracts young,
talented people to cities.
talented people to cities.
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It's what brings that lightning.
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And no, we can't predict
the next egg that will hatch,
the next egg that will hatch,
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but we can create a city
that acts like an incubator.
that acts like an incubator.
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To do that, first,
we've got to know what we've got.
we've got to know what we've got.
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That means identifying
and quantifying our assets.
and quantifying our assets.
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We need to know them backward and forward,
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from who and what and where they are
to what their impact is on the economy.
to what their impact is on the economy.
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Let's count our recording studios
and our record labels,
and our record labels,
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our historic landmarks
and our hard-core punk clubs.
and our hard-core punk clubs.
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We should count monthly free jazz nights
and weekly folk jams,
and weekly folk jams,
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music schools, artist development,
instrument shops,
instrument shops,
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every lathe and every luthier,
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music museums open year round
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and music festivals
open just one weekend a year.
open just one weekend a year.
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Now, ideally through this process,
we'll create an actual asset map,
we'll create an actual asset map,
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dropping a pin for each one,
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allowing us to see exactly what we've got
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and where organic momentum
is already happening.
is already happening.
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Because it's not enough
to paint in broad strokes here.
to paint in broad strokes here.
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When it comes to specific support
for music locally
for music locally
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and a broad understanding
of a music brand nationally,
of a music brand nationally,
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you've got to have the receipts.
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Next, we'll need
to identify our challenges.
to identify our challenges.
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Now, it's important to know
that, for the most part,
that, for the most part,
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this won't be just
the opposite of step one.
the opposite of step one.
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We won't gain a whole lot
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by simply thinking
about what's missing from our map.
about what's missing from our map.
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Instead, we need to approach this
more holistically.
more holistically.
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There are lots of music venues on our map.
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Awesome.
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But are they struggling?
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Do we have a venue ladder,
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which just means, can an artist
starting out at a coffee house open mic
starting out at a coffee house open mic
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see a clear path for how they'll grow
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from that 25-seat room
to a hundred-seat room and so on?
to a hundred-seat room and so on?
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Or are we expecting them to go
from a coffeehouse to a coliseum?
from a coffeehouse to a coliseum?
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Maybe our challenges lie
in city infrastructure:
in city infrastructure:
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public transportation, affordable housing.
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Maybe, like in London,
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where the number of music venues
went from 400 in 2010
went from 400 in 2010
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to 100 in 2015,
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we need to think about
protections against gentrification.
protections against gentrification.
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The mayor of London,
in December of last year,
in December of last year,
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actually added something called
the "Agent of Change" principle
the "Agent of Change" principle
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to the city's comprehensive plan.
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And the name says it all.
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If a real-estate developer
wants to build condos
wants to build condos
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next to an existing music venue,
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the developer is the agent of change.
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They have to take the necessary steps
for noise mitigation.
for noise mitigation.
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Next, and this is a very big one,
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we need leadership,
and we need a strategy.
and we need a strategy.
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Now we know there's a lot
of magic in this mix:
of magic in this mix:
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a lot of right people,
right place, right time.
right place, right time.
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And that will never stop being
an important element
an important element
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of the way music is made,
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the way some of the best,
most enduring music is made.
most enduring music is made.
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But there cannot be a leadership vacuum.
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In 2018, thriving music cities
don't often happen
don't often happen
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and don't have to happen accidentally.
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We need elected officials
who recognize the power of music
who recognize the power of music
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and elevate the voices of creatives,
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and they're ready to put
a strategy in place.
a strategy in place.
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In music cities,
from Berlin to Paris to Bogotá,
from Berlin to Paris to Bogotá,
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music advisory councils
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ensure that musicians
have a seat at the table.
have a seat at the table.
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They're volunteer councils,
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and they work directly
with a designated advocate
with a designated advocate
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inside of city hall
or even the chamber of commerce.
or even the chamber of commerce.
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The strongest strategies will build music
community supports like this one inward
community supports like this one inward
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while also exporting music outward.
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They go hand in hand.
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When we look inward, we create that place
that musicians want to live.
that musicians want to live.
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And when we look outward,
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we build opportunities for them
to advance their career
to advance their career
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while also driving attention
back to our city
back to our city
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and leveraging music
as a talent-attraction tool.
as a talent-attraction tool.
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And here's something else
that will help with that:
that will help with that:
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we've got to figure out who we are.
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Now, when I say Austin,
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you probably think "live music capital."
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And why?
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Because in 1991, leadership in Austin
saw something percolating
saw something percolating
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with an existing asset,
and they chose to own it.
and they chose to own it.
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By recognizing that momentum,
naming it and claiming it,
naming it and claiming it,
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they inevitably caused
more live music venues to open,
more live music venues to open,
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existing spaces to add
live music to their repertoire,
live music to their repertoire,
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and they created a swell
of civic buy-in around the idea,
of civic buy-in around the idea,
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which meant that it wasn't just a slogan
in some tourism pamphlet.
in some tourism pamphlet.
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It was something that locals really
started to believe and take pride in.
started to believe and take pride in.
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Now, generally speaking,
what Austin created
what Austin created
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is just an assets-based narrative.
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And when we think back to step one,
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we know that every city
will not tick every box.
will not tick every box.
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Many cities won't have
recording studios like Memphis
recording studios like Memphis
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or a songwriter and publishing
scene like Nashville,
scene like Nashville,
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and that's not a dealbreaker.
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We simply have to find the momentum
happening in our city.
happening in our city.
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What are our unique assets
in comparison to no other place?
in comparison to no other place?
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So, if all of that sounds like something
you'd like to happen where you live,
you'd like to happen where you live,
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here are three things you can do
to move the needle.
to move the needle.
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First, you can use your feet,
your ears and your dollars.
your ears and your dollars.
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Show up. Be that receptive
and engaged audience
and engaged audience
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that is so necessary
for a music city to thrive.
for a music city to thrive.
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Pay a cover charge.
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Buy a record.
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Discover new music,
and please, take your friends.
and please, take your friends.
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Two, you can use your voice.
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Buy into the assets-based narrative.
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Talk about and celebrate
what your city has.
what your city has.
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And three, you can use your vote.
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Seek out leadership that doesn't
just pay lip service to your city's music,
just pay lip service to your city's music,
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but recognizes its power
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and is prepared to put a strategy in place
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to elevate it, grow it
and build collaboration.
and build collaboration.
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There really is no telling
what city could be defined
what city could be defined
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by a certain scene or a certain song
in the next decade,
in the next decade,
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but as much as we absolutely
cannot predict that,
cannot predict that,
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what we absolutely can predict
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is what happens
when we treat music as necessary
when we treat music as necessary
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and we work to build a music city.
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And that is a place where I want to live.
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Thank you.
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09:53
(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Elizabeth Cawein - Publicist, strategist and music advocateElizabeth Cawein is dedicated to the belief that smart cities are music cities.
Why you should listen
Elizabeth Cawein founded Signal Flow Public Relations, a boutique media firm dedicated to serving the Memphis music industry, in 2011. Her portfolio of clients includes the Memphis Music Hall of Fame, The Recording Academy, Royal Studios and more. In 2014, she dreamed up and launched Music Export Memphis, a nonprofit that leverages public and private support to function as an export office for Memphis music, creating opportunities for musicians and driving economic development through music and culture.
Cawein is an adjunct professor of music publicity at the University of Memphis. In 2015 she was honored by the British Council at its Education UK Alumni Awards, and in 2016 the Greater Memphis Chamber selected Signal Flow PR as one of its "10 to Watch" companies in 2017. Cawein has moderated panels at international music conference SXSW and has presented showcases at Folk Alliance International, SXSW and AmericanaFest.
Elizabeth Cawein | Speaker | TED.com