Move over, Eurovision—America’s music cities are staging their own global takeover.
A new report from SeatPick ranks the world’s best cities for music lovers, and three U.S. heavyweights made the top 10: Chicago (#3), Nashville (#5) and New York City (#7). Each scored high for concerts, venues and local talent, but with distinct vibes and sonic histories.
Chicago, home to more than 1,800 local artists and 1,000 concerts a year, took bronze overall. That’s no surprise for a city that gave the world house music, electric blues and a jazz scene so strong it rivals New Orleans. With nearly 300 music businesses driving the engine, the Windy City’s sound is as deep as its dish.
Nashville, of course, had to show up. The self-proclaimed “Music City” scored big with the second-highest number of music businesses (344), reflecting a tight-knit industry presence. While it ranked lower in concert volume (just 890 shows), Nashville’s studio-to-stage pipeline and influence on American music are unmatched.
And then there’s New York, which slid into seventh place. It may have fewer venues and festivals than Berlin or Vienna, but NYC is basically the blueprint when it comes to cultural impact. Hip-hop, punk, disco, salsa, bebop and Broadway? All born here. Its 3,219 homegrown artists were the most of any city surveyed—because, well, of course they were.
“Recent reports show that live music ticket sales are forecast to continuously increase until 2029, by 34 percent. Music ticket sales are therefore a driving force in the growth of the music industry, and are expected to continue to be highly in demand,” said Gilad Zilberman, CEO of SeatPick. “For this reason, concerts, festivals and venues are crucial to each city’s music scene and its ability to thrive and provide the highly demanded entertainment that the music industry offers.”
The rankings come as the music tourism market is exploding, projected to hit $267.85 billion by 2030. As tours get bigger and fans go further for the live experience, cities like Chicago and Nashville are becoming major travel destinations, not just music capitals.
Still, don’t count New York out. It might have dropped a few slots, but the city’s history, diversity, and unmatched cultural influence will always be one of the world’s loudest stages.