Top Five Places To Live if You Want To Work In Music
In this crazy world of self-quarantine and social distancing a lot of us have had the rare opportunity to sit back and really consider whether we are living our dreams or just working to live. If you are one of the many who took this time to really explore your musical talent and refine your instrumental skills, then you may have some big ideas about what you’re going to do when the restrictions life and you become free to move about the country.
For many people, the choice will LITERALLY be to move about the country to a location that is more in line with the way they want to live their life, and if you’re reading this here on CMNB, then more than likely that move will take you to one of the music hotspots of the nation. Of course, deciding where you want to live depends on many factors, the most important being affordability. Our friends at Zumper have created a handy calculator to help you figure out how much rent you can afford, based on your projected income.
Of course, where you live will also depend on what part of the music biz you want to get involved with, what kind of jobs you will take while working out your dreams, and what kind of lifestyle you want to live outside of work and stage play. We used Zumper to find the average monthly price of a 1bed, 1bath rental with a minimum of 800 sq ft within walking distance to the entertainment districts in the following towns. All other things being equal, here’s what we found:
Nashville, TN – If country music is your magic, then this is definitely the place to be, especially if you plan to work behind the scenes in production, publicity, or other aspects of music support.
Average rent starts at $1,800 +
Los Angeles, CA – Want to be a star on stage and screen? Recording studios and music venues are overflowing with hopeful stars in Hollywood and dreams are made and broken at Sunset & vine every night whenthe lights come up.
Average rent starts at $1,800 +
New York, NY – Television, live venues, Broadway, busking and more… if you want to be able to book a performance every night, and twice on Saturdays, then head to the Big Apple where the pace is only limited by how fast you can run to keep up.
Average rent starts at $2,100
Austin, TX – Grassroots and cowboy boots abound in an artist-built community that’s just now going commercial. Austin is an ecosystem all its’ own when it comes to collaborating with major talent while keeping it humble.
Average rent starts at $1,400
Tulsa, OK – Living on Tulsa time is a real thing, and when you want to play the stages, but not run yourself ragged, this is just the place. Historic venues, major legacy musicians and incredible cost of living is making Tulsa a major destination for the nation’s top talent.
Average rent starts at $1,200 +
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