2024 Minneapolis Music Census

Minneapolis Music Summit

Following 2024’s Minneapolis Music Census, join the City of Minneapolis Arts & Cultural Affairs Department, in partnership with the Minnesota Independent Venue Alliance for a day of community-building, celebrating and imagining the future of Minneapolis music. Whether you are a musician or a promoter, working in management, recording, venues, studios, or policy, and whatever your genre, you are invited.

Get connected to resources, give feedback on policy ideas, and be a part of the conversation – registration, agenda & speakers to come!


When: 11AM-5PM, Saturday, May 10, 2025
Where: Green Room, 2923 Girard Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408

2024 Minneapolis Music Census

Full report is now available

What was it?

The Minneapolis Music Census was a community-led initiative to learn more about the needs of the music ecosystem in our city. It aimed to gather important information about the music industry in Minneapolis to help the city and the community make more informed, data-driven decisions. The music census launched on April 12, 2024 for three weeks. A special thanks to all who participated and for our partners and sponsors, shown below.

The survey was launched to provide the Minneapolis music community with data to create policies and solutions. It was conducted by Sound Music Cities, a Texas based company specializing in music ecosystem research, in partnership with the Arts & Cultural Affairs Department (ACA) and local public and private organizations.

The results will be shared in three reports: Summary Report, Data Deck and a DEI report, all offering valuable insights to music professionals, venues, nonprofit groups, educators, government agencies, and music lovers who support Minneapolis’ live entertainment scene.

The 2024 Minneapolis Music Census was the most extensive music survey of Minneapolis to date.

  • 15 minutes is all it takes to shout out what you need as a musician in Minneapolis. Let’s get our voices heard.” — Rodney P. Fair, Singer, Sounds of Blackness

  • “Everyone in our industry needs to be a part of this census. ¡Adelante caballeros!” — Joaquin Delgado-Ortiz, Minneapolis musician for over 15 years

  • Three-time, Grammy Award-Winning Sounds of Blackness wants everyone who is part of the Minneapolis music ecosystem to take part in the most extensive music survey of Minneapolis to date! — Sounds of Blackness

  • “Soy la mas joven Latina acordeonista profesional de Minnesota. Quiero más oportunidades para tener éxito en Minneapolis y este censo puede mostrarles a todos lo que se necesita. Todas las personas con las que trabajo aman la música, es nuestra vida, pero necesitamos que sea sostenible.” — Jolette Rivera, Elegancia, LR

  • “We encourage all eligible individuals within the Minneapolis music community to participate in the census. Your insights are invaluable in shaping the future of our industry and ensuring its continued growth and vitality.” — Shayna Melgaard, President Minnesota Independent Venue Alliance (MNIVA)

  • “With this census performers and everyone in the music industry can describe what their lives are really like and to ask for what they need to thrive.” — Jaspar Lepak, Singer-Songwriter, Minneapolis Arts Commission

Thanks to all of our partners & supporters

Minneapolis Music Census - related questions

  • Music community leaders in Minneapolis recognized the importance of having measurable information to better support all those involved in music-related work. The census results will offer valuable insights to music professionals, venues, organizations, academia, and government agencies in Minneapolis, as well as music lovers who contribute to the city’s vibrant entertainment scene.

  • The census included questions about music workers’ backgrounds, jobs, and views on important topics like diversity and inclusion. It did not ask for personal details like names or addresses.

  • Sí, la encuesta estaba disponible en español. Una vez que el participante hacía clic en el enlace del censo, podía elegir entre inglés o español. La opción sólo estaba disponible en la primera página.

    Si alguien necesitaba ayuda, se le dirigía al personal de ACA por correo electrónico.

  • A voice in the final results, which was crucial for making sure everyone’s responses were included. Additionally, the final report will be available via this website for respondents and others to use to support their particular music related causes.

  • The census did not collect personal information. All responses were anonymous and identified as “Census Respondent” in the final results.

  • It typically look 10-20 minutes, depending on the participant’s role (creative, venue owner, or industry) and whether they chose to provide detailed comments. On average, respondents could spend as little as 13 minutes on the survey.

  • Anyone 18 years or older working or studying in the music industry in any capacity in Minneapolis was eligible to participate.

  • It was recommended they they join the census if they worked in the music industry in any capacity, whether paid or unpaid. Their contributions, skills, and dedication were important and valued.

  • It was suggested that respondents chose one primary identity (creative, venue owner, or industry) for the census, and for the sake of data analysis. Additionally, there were opportunities to share details about other roles participants had within the survey.

  • Respondents could use a desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone to complete the census. Although the same device had to be used to complete the census later.

  • The results of the Minneapolis Music Census would be released in the fall of 2024 through a downloadable PDF Report and a Dashboard

  • An emai forl Sound Music Cities was listed.

Additional Resources

In 2018 we completed historic context study of Minneapolis music history.  We did this from a historic preservation angle, having received a grant from the National Park Service through the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office.  We’re rather proud of the outcome and have presented about the report at several conferences.  We also organized a Minneapolis music history bus tour this past April at the National Planning Conference.  The final report can be found here on the City’s web site:    

https://www.minneapolismn.gov/resident-services/property-housing/preservation/historic-preservation/theme-studies/music-history/ 

one of the consultants who worked on the report has more recently developed a side business and app called SoundAround tours:  https://soundaroundtours.com/   

And one of the our former CPED staff people who worked on the report put together this cool page as part of our bus tour:  https://www.theplanninglady.com/music-history