2023 Greater Cleveland Music Census kicks off today

CLEVELAND, Oh— Sean Watterson and Cindy Barber, owners of live music venues The Happy Dog and Beachland Ballroom, respectively, announced a Greater Cleveland Music Census last month.

The effort aims to measure the economic impact of live music and entertainment across the region, as well as the overall health and wellbeing of the ecosystem it originates from.

This morning, the rubber hits the road. The census gathering process launches today (November 8) on the Greater Cleveland Music Census survey portal page.

“We’ve managed to sign up over 100 Community Engagement Partners and Ambassadors to help us spread the word to all parts of the music and live entertainment ecosystem,” Watterson told Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer in an email. “That’s far more than any other city in the Sound Music Cities multi-city cohort!”

The endeavor is a partnership with Austin-based Sound Music Cities, Barber’s Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present, Future nonprofit and The Cleveland Independent Venue Association, with support from the Cleveland Foundation.

The Census itself is set up as a survey with tracks that allow people in different parts of the live entertainment ecosystem in Northeast Ohio to answer questions tailored to their roles. Those individuals with more than one role in it can answer all questions that pertain to their work.

Census tracks are as follows:

• Creatives – Musicians, songwriters, music educators, and other live performers, including comics, burlesque performers, spoken word, etc.

• Presenters – Venue, festival and promoter owners & operators and talent bookers

• Industry Professionals – Music media, recording, labels, agents, managers, lawyers, publishing, producers, marketing, venue workers, music therapists, music manufacturer workers, etc.

“In addition to these tracks, there is a short track for music fans and others who are not part of the industry side of the ecosystem,” said Watterson.

The survey will be open through Friday, December 1, 2023.

Greater Cleveland Music Census aims to boost health, economic impact of regional live entertainment scene

“It turns out that Columbus is doing their census during the same time frame, so we have a friendly competition to see which city is truly the music capital of Ohio,” said Watterson. “We already know it’s Cleveland, but we want to set the record straight by getting the most responses.”

Watterson said that though survey is online and in English, partners at Assembly for the Arts have offered to assist anyone with translation or accessibility needs, “to make sure the survey is truly inclusive.”

The 2023 Greater Cleveland Music Census survey can be found at www.research.net/r/GCleveMSa.