Which U.S. cities are best for musicians in 2025? A new analysis puts Nashville at #1 – no shocker there, as Music City boasts an incredible 4.66 live music venues per 100k residents (meaning ample stages for performers). Los Angeles and Las Vegas also make the top ranks, fueled by big audiences and industry presence. But the real eyebrow-raiser is #5 on the list: Hartford, Connecticut. This unassuming New England city cracked the top five...
Who says beach towns can’t rock? Ocean City, Maryland – better known for boardwalk fries and summer tourists – is launching its first-ever Boardwalk Rock Festival. The two-day music fest hit the sand this weekend with an “epic lineup of rock’s biggest names” (their words) to jumpstart the season. It’s brought to you by the same folks behind the successful Oceans Calling country music festival, so the city is hoping for a similar...
Turning Hymns into a Happening Venue Hamilton’s century-old New Vision United Church (pictured above) is slated to go from hymns to headliners. City Council is voting to invest $900,000 to transform the church’s sanctuary into a 994-seat concert hall. Local officials are finally hitting a high note by funding roughly 80% of the project’s first-phase renovation costs. This long-awaited venue will fill a major gap in the city’s music...
Bryan-College Station, Texas, is firing up the smokers and amps to keep its economy humming while the big stadium sits quiet. With Texas A&M University’s Kyle Field not hosting blockbuster concerts this summer, the twin cities are pinning their hopes on the Troubadour Festival, a barbecue and country music extravaganza, to draw crowds and cash. Last year, a George Strait show and international soccer match at the stadium brought huge...
Crowds in Chicago’s Millennium Park (featuring the famous “Bean”) – the city has been tapped to host International Jazz Day 2026 All-Star Global Concert. UNESCO and the Herbie Hancock Institute just announced Chicago as the 2026 Jazz Day capital, meaning the world’s largest jazz celebration is headed to the birthplace of the blues. City officials are beyond jazzed, framing it as a cultural coup that honors Chicago’s musical soul:...
London is literally putting its grassroots music scene on the map – the Tube map, to be precise – in a new campaign to boost the city’s independent venues. Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson has teamed up with London Mayor Sadiq Khan to champion the capital’s 179 small music venues, which collectively hosted over 4.2 million audience visits and 328,000 performers last year. These tiny clubs and pubs are the breeding ground for tomorrow’s...
There is only one city named "Music City", but any city can be a music city with the right connection between music, people and place. But in addition to Nashville, there are other cities that when you think of them, music often is your very next thought. Cities that are known for specific genres, like country, jazz or grunge, and cities that are known for certain types of music expression, like live music or recording. These are our initial...
There are thousands of places around the country that have music, but there are a few special places that were actually made by music. Places that would not exist, at least not as they are now or were at a special moment in time, without the presence of music that infiltrated everything around it. Sunset Strip, West Hollywood 6th Street, Austin Haight Ashbury, San Fransisco Lower Broadway and Printer's Alley, Nashville Fort Worth Stockyards...
There are some cities that are defined by their musicians. That when you think of the city, that musician might come to mind, and when you think of that musician, it is likely that their city, or something about their city, pops into your head. Our initial list of city defining musicians is here. Louis Armstrong, New Orleans Motley Crue, Los Angeles Grateful Dead, San Fransisco Elvis, Memphis Jimmy Buffett, Key West Bonus: Detroit is definitely...
There are thousands of music related events around the country every year, but very few even make the cut for consideration for TheMusicCities inaugural list. We're not interested here in the big, famous music festivals like Coachella or Ultra. We want events that contribute year-round to a place's identity as one of TheMusicCities. Music events that make you think of a place, and make you want to visit that place for its music even when the...
