It’s a musician’s dream to move to a city where you can embark on a full-time music career, especially if you’re living somewhere with not much of a music scene. So we’ve put together a list of the top cities to consider when pursuing a music career – in the States and beyond!
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is an obvious one, but we had to include it. Widely known as “the music city,” it serves as a musical hub for many different genres – country, rock, jazz, pop, blues, and soul, to name but a few. It is home to some of the big record labels, including Sony and Warner, and has produced many acts like Paramore, Miley Cyrus, and Kings of Leon. Up and move to Nashville, and you could be mingling with some of the best musicians and industry professionals in the world.
Los Angeles, California
LA is definitely on many people’s maps for their music careers. As well as serving a hip-hop culture, bands like Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Black Eyed Peas, and the Beach Boys all made it in LA. It is pretty expensive to live out there; however, LA prides itself on having the highest hourly wage for musicians so that you could find some success in the largest city of California.
New York City, New York
The “Big Apple” is the busiest city in the world, and it’s pretty easy to see why it has become well known for starting music careers. It’s home to some big record labels and has seen pretty much every famous musician pass through its streets. If you moved to New York, you could brush shoulders with some of the best professional musicians seen anywhere, and there is a place for every genre of music ever created. It is one of the most expensive cities to live in the world, though, so you’d have to figure out if it’s worth a punt to start your music career here.
Austin, Texas
Dubbed the “live music capital of the world,” Austin is undoubtedly a good location choice for musicians. While Nashville is the hub for country music, Austin has become well known for Americana and rock over the years. The city hosts the famous South By Southwest Festival every year too, so if that’s the sort of gig you’re headed for, Austin may be the city for you.
Seattle, Washington
Known for its association with rock and grunge rock, Seattle could be the place to pursue a music career if these genres are up your street. Having seen Nirvana, Foo Fighters, and Pearl Jam’s birth, Seattle has a vastly diverse music scene and hosts some well-known music festivals.
Chicago, Illinois
The Windy City of Chicago isn’t such a contender in record labels or music events as some of the above cities. However, Chicago’s music scene is full of blues, jazz, rock, and house music, particularly with Chicago Blues becoming a sub-genre of its own. This city was the starting point for Kayne West and Fall Out Boy’s careers, and you could be added to this list if you rooted down in Chicago.
Dublin, Ireland
As soon as you land in Dublin, you’re overcome with traditional folk music from every bar, pub, and club. It has been the making of several prominent artists like The Corrs, Glen Hansard, The Dubliners, and The Script, and is one of the best places in the world to busk (if that’s your thing). If you’re launching a career in folk music and you hope to get started by getting some live performance experience on the Dublin music scene, this Irish city is for you!
London, England, UK
London is home to some incredibly famous places like Royal Albert Hall and Abbey Road Studios and has a vibrant music scene. The UK’s capital is home to some pretty big record labels and some great festivals and music events. Mainly serving popular music, London has seen the birth of Queen, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Adele, Florence + the Machine…the list goes on! Central London living comes with an expensive price tag, however, so you’ll have to weigh up the cons with the pros of feeling the London music buzz.
Perhaps you’ve decided on pursuing a music career in a new city and are already packing your suitcase! If so, remember that BandMix is here to hook you up with musicians wherever you are. When you’ve made a move to a different city (in the States or otherwise), you can use our location search to find like-minded musicians in your new area. Log in to your BandMix account and start your search today.
