What is a Music City?
A Music City, by its simplest definition, is a place with a vibrant music economy. And that's what we have right here in Sunderland.
Beginning with musicians and those who make a living through music, Music Cities are home to a broad range of people who support and encourage music and the music economy to develop.
A Music City has spaces for education, rehearsal, recording and performance, and fosters a live scene with an engaged and passionate audience that provides artists with a fertile ground for developing their craft. In doing so it delivers significant economic, employment, cultural and social benefits.
Sunderland Music City is not just about the music community, our initiative will impact education, business, voluntary bodies, and the community at large covering all musical genres, all ages and everyone who wants to play, sing, or listen.
European Music Cities
Our aim is to join the European Music Cities Network in 2025, joining Aarhus (Denmark), Berlin (Germany), Bergen (Norway), Groningen (Netherlands), Gothenburg (Switzerland), Hamburg (Germany), Manchester (United Kingdom), Reykjavik (Iceland), Sydney (Australia) and Valencia (Spain). Many of these cities are smaller in population than Sunderland, but have their own, unique music ecosystem like we do here on Wearside.
How Our City Will Benefit
