Catch Up: How Music Makes Cities Better
How Music Makes Cities Better: Highlights from Bloom 2025
At Bloom 2025, our Global Head of Business Development Jett Glozier joined Future Yard’s Craig Pennington for a powerful panel discussion on the future of music, culture and place.
Titled How Music Makes Cities Better, the conversation explored the evolving role of music in urban development — from policy and placemaking to social impact and strategy.
Together, they unpacked big questions:
– What’s the real economic value of music and culture?
– How can cities future-proof cultural infrastructure?
– And how do we ensure local communities benefit from live music?
Liverpool and Memphis: Two Music Cities, One Lesson
“Liverpool is one of the few true music cities,” Jett reflected, noting the city’s historic prioritisation of music. But he offered a caution: “That title is yours to lose. It’s much easier to no longer be a music city if you fail to invest in the future.”
Drawing on Sound Diplomacy’s work in Memphis, Tennessee — including the city’s first-ever Memphis Music Strategy — Jett highlighted how global music cities must continually evolve. “They realised they were losing their edge by relying too much on legacy, not enough on the future.”
Music as Ecosystem, Not Ornament
“Without a healthy music ecosystem, you don’t really have a healthy city,” Jett argued. He outlined how an artist on stage is just one piece of a broader cultural infrastructure — made up of managers, producers, grassroots venues, promoters and policy support.
He also emphasised the need for public-private collaboration: “Not everything can be fully commercial or fully non-profit. The best music cities balance both — with councils and communities empowered to shape outcomes.”
The Importance of Accountability
One key insight that resonated with both panellists: “Participation is not the same as collaboration,” Jett said. “Unless communities have real power to affect change, stakeholder engagement risks becoming a box-ticking exercise.”
This theme ran throughout the session, from arena developments to venue ownership. “We need to move from music being a ‘nice to have’ to a ‘need to have’ – tied to real investment, policy and accountability.”