Matt Brennan, Professor of Popular Music, University of Glasgow
keywords: music cities, UNESCO, Glasgow
A city’s music industry and culture may initially seem ephemeral and immaterial, but they rely on a significant and unglamorous infrastructure (buildings from pub to stadium, artist and audience transport, plastic and e-waste, not to mention the digital infrastructure supporting the city’s musical life online). This paper discusses a new project which aims to (1) map and qualitatively understand the infrastructure and complex systems underpinning music industry activity at the level of a city, using Glasgow as a case study; and (2) envision what role music sectors might play in the urban challenge of accelerating a just and green transition. Ultimately this paper considers a question: what does a ‘just and green transition’ mean in the context of a city’s music industry and culture, and how can music activity be integrated into the city's wider transition strategy?
Photo credit: Matt Brennan
Matt Brennan is Professor of Popular Music at the University of Glasgow. He has served as Chair of the UK and Ireland branch of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM), and has authored and edited several books in the field of popular music studies. His latest book, Kick It: A Social History of the Drum Kit (Oxford University Press 2020) was named one of the "best music books of 2020" by the Financial Times. He is currently researching environmental sustainability strategies for music cities, using Glasgow as a case study.