How Strong is Cleveland's Music Scene? We’ll Find Out Soon

In the words of Ian Hunter, we all know that "Cleveland Rocks." But how much does it rock?

A new music scene census aims to answer that question, gathering information from the people who keep Cleveland’s entertainment scenes going to gauge the strengths and needs of the local music world.

Local nonprofit Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present & Future and the Cleveland Independent Venue Association teamed up with Sound Music Cities and the Cleveland Foundation to host the project. 

The census opened on Nov. 8 and remains open until Dec. 1.

Creatives (musicians, live performers, music educators), presenters (venue and festival operators, talent bookers) and industry professionals (agents, producers, music journalists, music therapists and more) are encouraged to share their experiences in the online survey.

Some local music professionals say this kind of survey is needed. The last time Cleveland had an entertainment study or survey was more than a decade ago, with the Remix Cleveland study done by Cleveland State University’s College of Urban Affairs and the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, according to a news release.

This time around, the Greater Cleveland Music Census aims to hear from performers and music industry workers from a variety of fields. The goal is to gather data that can then be used to identify and support the needs of Cleveland’s music community.

(It's not the only survey of its kind occurring in Ohio; the Greater Columbus Music Census also recently launched.)

Questions in the survey — which takes about 15 minutes to complete — explore what it’s like to be a musician or music industry worker in Cleveland and what challenges those communities face. It also gathers information about the diversity of Cleveland’s music scene.

“We are truly excited about understanding the collective impact and large-scale vision of this project,” said Rhonda Brown, the senior strategist of arts, culture & creative economy for the City of Cleveland, in a news release. “With that said, we are encouraging comprehensive participation from for-profit and not-for-profit venue owners and promoters to generate inclusive data that is representative of the full spectrum of live entertainment in every neighborhood in the City of Cleveland.”

Take the survey here.

For more updates about Cleveland, sign up for our Cleveland Magazine Daily newsletter, delivered to your inbox six times a week.