Baltimore Music Census

The Baltimore Music Census is an anonymous, voluntary survey designed to capture key information about the local music scene. The goal of this initiative is to support local musicians, educators, venues, promoters, industry personnel, and non-profits by giving them important, up-to-date data about the city’s music ecosystem. This data isn’t just about the community…it belongs to the community.  This initiative has been a long time coming. It took several years of writing grants and working with music industry specialists and community leaders to construct a series of questions that reflect Baltimore’s needs and interests.

Once the data has been collected, it will be accessible, free-of-charge to everyone, on this webpage. This data will offer valuable information that will be used to lobby the city and state for greater investment in Baltimore’s local music scene. For example, it will identify regulatory bottlenecks in Baltimore City and the surrounding communities. It will encourage informed investment of civic and philanthropic resources into the music ecosystem. It will identify underserved communities in Baltimore’s music ecosystem. It will reveal the infrastructure needs (i.e. venues, grants, tax breaks, education opportunities) of Baltimore’s DIY community. It will introduce planning and industry strategies that will better serve the city’s creative class. It will reflect the status of music education throughout the city’s schools. And perhaps most importantly, it will give everyone who participates a voice. 

The Baltimore Music Census is now closed. Please return to this webpage in September for the data results and a final report.

If you contribute any type of music-related work, with or without financial compensation, and you believe your skills and commitment deserve acknowledgement and support, then we would like to hear from you. This includes part-time work, rarely paid work, volunteer work, and/or administrative work connected to the music community. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. It will be open to everyone in the music community who is 18 years or older and living in the Greater Baltimore region.

If you are part of a Music Organization and you would like more information about this initiative, please reach out to Anna Celenza – [email protected].

Have questions? Read the Baltimore Music Census FAQ here.