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I just spent 5 weeks on the road. I started in Canada, then headed over to Iceland and Greenland (yes, Greenland!), followed by 3.5 weeks across the USA, touching down in Nashville, Huntsville, the Shoals, Vegas, LA, Phoenix/Mesa, Atlanta and then New York City.

Here are a few takeaways from the trip.

- The world is not as divided as we think. We're being conditioned to think that we are losing agency, that things can't change. This is categorically untrue.

- There are thriving music ecosystems everywhere. The soft opening of the first 'artist house' in Nuuk, Greenland, was a revelation, revealing the potential of music to break down barriers. I'd recommend we all incorporate jam sessions into conferences going forward.

- The music industry, or whatever we all see it / think it to be, has to be better at uniting around shared causes. We can have our differences internally, but the more we air our 'dirty laundry' in public, the harder it is to get government and other external entities to engage with us and do things that benefit all of us.

- Small victories continue to happen, everywhere. The development of a new venue in Huntsville, the aforementioned 'artist house' in Nuuk, the investment by a development bank in a new local streaming platform in Nigeria, and the creation of the new Association of Music Offices. We have to elevate these because they are more important collectively than we think.

- Kindness in our industry is the best currency. You can't go far anymore, treating people with disrespect. Plus patience, something I need more of, is the second most valuable currency.

- The more precarious the world gets, the more important music is. But not just as something we consume, but something that forms the basis of who we are and how we can be better.

- There is SO MUCH good new music out there. It is overwhelming. But taking the time to find it is a privilege and we should recognise that, because it being a privilege means it's exclusive.

- There are powerful agents of change everywhere. Music is making a difference everywhere. And things can move in a better direction.

now, @sound_diplomacy's Music Cities Convention!

I just spent 5 weeks on the road. I started in Canada, then headed over to Iceland and Greenland (yes, Greenland!), followed by 3.5 weeks across the USA, touching down in Nashville, Huntsville, the Shoals, Vegas, LA, Phoenix/Mesa, Atlanta and then New York City.

Here are a few takeaways from the trip.

- The world is not as divided as we think. We're being conditioned to think that we are losing agency, that things can't change. This is categorically untrue.

- There are thriving music ecosystems everywhere. The soft opening of the first 'artist house' in Nuuk, Greenland, was a revelation, revealing the potential of music to break down barriers. I'd recommend we all incorporate jam sessions into conferences going forward.

- The music industry, or whatever we all see it / think it to be, has to be better at uniting around shared causes. We can have our differences internally, but the more we air our 'dirty laundry' in public, the harder it is to get government and other external entities to engage with us and do things that benefit all of us.

- Small victories continue to happen, everywhere. The development of a new venue in Huntsville, the aforementioned 'artist house' in Nuuk, the investment by a development bank in a new local streaming platform in Nigeria, and the creation of the new Association of Music Offices. We have to elevate these because they are more important collectively than we think.

- Kindness in our industry is the best currency. You can't go far anymore, treating people with disrespect. Plus patience, something I need more of, is the second most valuable currency.

- The more precarious the world gets, the more important music is. But not just as something we consume, but something that forms the basis of who we are and how we can be better.

- There is SO MUCH good new music out there. It is overwhelming. But taking the time to find it is a privilege and we should recognise that, because it being a privilege means it's exclusive.

- There are powerful agents of change everywhere. Music is making a difference everywhere. And things can move in a better direction.

now, @sound_diplomacy's Music Cities Convention!

I just spent 5 weeks on the road. I started in Canada, then headed over to Iceland and Greenland (yes, Greenland!), followed by 3.5 weeks across the USA, touching down in Nashville, Huntsville, the Shoals, Vegas, LA, Phoenix/Mesa, Atlanta and then New York City.

Here are a few takeaways from the trip.

- The world is not as divided as we think. We're being conditioned to think that we are losing agency, that things can't change. This is categorically untrue.

- There are thriving music ecosystems everywhere. The soft opening of the first 'artist house' in Nuuk, Greenland, was a revelation, revealing the potential of music to break down barriers. I'd recommend we all incorporate jam sessions into conferences going forward.

- The music industry, or whatever we all see it / think it to be, has to be better at uniting around shared causes. We can have our differences internally, but the more we air our 'dirty laundry' in public, the harder it is to get government and other external entities to engage with us and do things that benefit all of us.

- Small victories continue to happen, everywhere. The development of a new venue in Huntsville, the aforementioned 'artist house' in Nuuk, the investment by a development bank in a new local streaming platform in Nigeria, and the creation of the new Association of Music Offices. We have to elevate these because they are more important collectively than we think.

- Kindness in our industry is the best currency. You can't go far anymore, treating people with disrespect. Plus patience, something I need more of, is the second most valuable currency.

- The more precarious the world gets, the more important music is. But not just as something we consume, but something that forms the basis of who we are and how we can be better.

- There is SO MUCH good new music out there. It is overwhelming. But taking the time to find it is a privilege and we should recognise that, because it being a privilege means it's exclusive.

- There are powerful agents of change everywhere. Music is making a difference everywhere. And things can move in a better direction.

now, @sound_diplomacy's Music Cities Convention!

I just spent 5 weeks on the road. I started in Canada, then headed over to Iceland and Greenland (yes, Greenland!), followed by 3.5 weeks across the USA, touching down in Nashville, Huntsville, the Shoals, Vegas, LA, Phoenix/Mesa, Atlanta and then New York City.

Here are a few takeaways from the trip.

- The world is not as divided as we think. We're being conditioned to think that we are losing agency, that things can't change. This is categorically untrue.

- There are thriving music ecosystems everywhere. The soft opening of the first 'artist house' in Nuuk, Greenland, was a revelation, revealing the potential of music to break down barriers. I'd recommend we all incorporate jam sessions into conferences going forward.

- The music industry, or whatever we all see it / think it to be, has to be better at uniting around shared causes. We can have our differences internally, but the more we air our 'dirty laundry' in public, the harder it is to get government and other external entities to engage with us and do things that benefit all of us.

- Small victories continue to happen, everywhere. The development of a new venue in Huntsville, the aforementioned 'artist house' in Nuuk, the investment by a development bank in a new local streaming platform in Nigeria, and the creation of the new Association of Music Offices. We have to elevate these because they are more important collectively than we think.

- Kindness in our industry is the best currency. You can't go far anymore, treating people with disrespect. Plus patience, something I need more of, is the second most valuable currency.

- The more precarious the world gets, the more important music is. But not just as something we consume, but something that forms the basis of who we are and how we can be better.

- There is SO MUCH good new music out there. It is overwhelming. But taking the time to find it is a privilege and we should recognise that, because it being a privilege means it's exclusive.

- There are powerful agents of change everywhere. Music is making a difference everywhere. And things can move in a better direction.

now, @sound_diplomacy's Music Cities Convention!

I just spent 5 weeks on the road. I started in Canada, then headed over to Iceland and Greenland (yes, Greenland!), followed by 3.5 weeks across the USA, touching down in Nashville, Huntsville, the Shoals, Vegas, LA, Phoenix/Mesa, Atlanta and then New York City.

Here are a few takeaways from the trip.

- The world is not as divided as we think. We're being conditioned to think that we are losing agency, that things can't change. This is categorically untrue.

- There are thriving music ecosystems everywhere. The soft opening of the first 'artist house' in Nuuk, Greenland, was a revelation, revealing the potential of music to break down barriers. I'd recommend we all incorporate jam sessions into conferences going forward.

- The music industry, or whatever we all see it / think it to be, has to be better at uniting around shared causes. We can have our differences internally, but the more we air our 'dirty laundry' in public, the harder it is to get government and other external entities to engage with us and do things that benefit all of us.

- Small victories continue to happen, everywhere. The development of a new venue in Huntsville, the aforementioned 'artist house' in Nuuk, the investment by a development bank in a new local streaming platform in Nigeria, and the creation of the new Association of Music Offices. We have to elevate these because they are more important collectively than we think.

- Kindness in our industry is the best currency. You can't go far anymore, treating people with disrespect. Plus patience, something I need more of, is the second most valuable currency.

- The more precarious the world gets, the more important music is. But not just as something we consume, but something that forms the basis of who we are and how we can be better.

- There is SO MUCH good new music out there. It is overwhelming. But taking the time to find it is a privilege and we should recognise that, because it being a privilege means it's exclusive.

- There are powerful agents of change everywhere. Music is making a difference everywhere. And things can move in a better direction.

now, @sound_diplomacy's Music Cities Convention!

I just spent 5 weeks on the road. I started in Canada, then headed over to Iceland and Greenland (yes, Greenland!), followed by 3.5 weeks across the USA, touching down in Nashville, Huntsville, the Shoals, Vegas, LA, Phoenix/Mesa, Atlanta and then New York City.

Here are a few takeaways from the trip.

- The world is not as divided as we think. We're being conditioned to think that we are losing agency, that things can't change. This is categorically untrue.

- There are thriving music ecosystems everywhere. The soft opening of the first 'artist house' in Nuuk, Greenland, was a revelation, revealing the potential of music to break down barriers. I'd recommend we all incorporate jam sessions into conferences going forward.

- The music industry, or whatever we all see it / think it to be, has to be better at uniting around shared causes. We can have our differences internally, but the more we air our 'dirty laundry' in public, the harder it is to get government and other external entities to engage with us and do things that benefit all of us.

- Small victories continue to happen, everywhere. The development of a new venue in Huntsville, the aforementioned 'artist house' in Nuuk, the investment by a development bank in a new local streaming platform in Nigeria, and the creation of the new Association of Music Offices. We have to elevate these because they are more important collectively than we think.

- Kindness in our industry is the best currency. You can't go far anymore, treating people with disrespect. Plus patience, something I need more of, is the second most valuable currency.

- The more precarious the world gets, the more important music is. But not just as something we consume, but something that forms the basis of who we are and how we can be better.

- There is SO MUCH good new music out there. It is overwhelming. But taking the time to find it is a privilege and we should recognise that, because it being a privilege means it's exclusive.

- There are powerful agents of change everywhere. Music is making a difference everywhere. And things can move in a better direction.

now, @sound_diplomacy's Music Cities Convention!

I just spent 5 weeks on the road. I started in Canada, then headed over to Iceland and Greenland (yes, Greenland!), followed by 3.5 weeks across the USA, touching down in Nashville, Huntsville, the Shoals, Vegas, LA, Phoenix/Mesa, Atlanta and then New York City.

Here are a few takeaways from the trip.

- The world is not as divided as we think. We're being conditioned to think that we are losing agency, that things can't change. This is categorically untrue.

- There are thriving music ecosystems everywhere. The soft opening of the first 'artist house' in Nuuk, Greenland, was a revelation, revealing the potential of music to break down barriers. I'd recommend we all incorporate jam sessions into conferences going forward.

- The music industry, or whatever we all see it / think it to be, has to be better at uniting around shared causes. We can have our differences internally, but the more we air our 'dirty laundry' in public, the harder it is to get government and other external entities to engage with us and do things that benefit all of us.

- Small victories continue to happen, everywhere. The development of a new venue in Huntsville, the aforementioned 'artist house' in Nuuk, the investment by a development bank in a new local streaming platform in Nigeria, and the creation of the new Association of Music Offices. We have to elevate these because they are more important collectively than we think.

- Kindness in our industry is the best currency. You can't go far anymore, treating people with disrespect. Plus patience, something I need more of, is the second most valuable currency.

- The more precarious the world gets, the more important music is. But not just as something we consume, but something that forms the basis of who we are and how we can be better.

- There is SO MUCH good new music out there. It is overwhelming. But taking the time to find it is a privilege and we should recognise that, because it being a privilege means it's exclusive.

- There are powerful agents of change everywhere. Music is making a difference everywhere. And things can move in a better direction.

now, @sound_diplomacy's Music Cities Convention!

Greenland 🇬🇱

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Greenland 🇬🇱

Greenland 🇬🇱

Greenland 🇬🇱

Greenland 🇬🇱

Greenland 🇬🇱

Greenland 🇬🇱

Greenland 🇬🇱

Greenland 🇬🇱

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Continuing to fight the good fight to explain that investing in music is not just about music - it's about jobs, people, fighting poverty and creating a better planet. Thanks @devex_com for the opportunity to write about it for the development community.

https://www.devex.com/news/music-is-a-driver-of-development-and-must-be-recognized-as-such-112234

Well, all good things come to an end. It's been 2.5 years, over 90 dates in 17 countries, 7 languages, and thousands of books sold, I am doing my final book tour talks in #Porto and #Lisbon on March 29 and 30 at @fnacportugal with @lusitanianmusicpublishing.

and big news coming soon!

Well, all good things come to an end. It's been 2.5 years, over 90 dates in 17 countries, 7 languages, and thousands of books sold, I am doing my final book tour talks in #Porto and #Lisbon on March 29 and 30 at @fnacportugal with @lusitanianmusicpublishing.

and big news coming soon!

Well, all good things come to an end. It's been 2.5 years, over 90 dates in 17 countries, 7 languages, and thousands of books sold, I am doing my final book tour talks in #Porto and #Lisbon on March 29 and 30 at @fnacportugal with @lusitanianmusicpublishing.

and big news coming soon!

Privileged to be doing some work w/ the great @shainshapiro on the Center for #Music Ecosystem’s Music Development Initiative to create the economic infrastructure and policies for countries that don’t have these elements in place to pay #songwriters, #musicians, and rights holders globally or locally.

Why should you partner and support this crucial research alongside @universalmusicgroup, @ifc_org, @sunnylands, and @musicinafricaofficial? Doing so makes ALL #artists more💰while simultaneously creating an economic #musicindustry in 48 countries that are currently without royalty structures to pay artists for their music.

This research and work is nonprofit, so any contributions to making it happen for all receive a tax deduction. Linkinbio for more info / to contribute, feel free to reach out, and I’ll be contacting many of you who will financially benefit from this work in addition to the positive societal benefits for all. 🌎🎶❤️

Privileged to be doing some work w/ the great @shainshapiro on the Center for #Music Ecosystem’s Music Development Initiative to create the economic infrastructure and policies for countries that don’t have these elements in place to pay #songwriters, #musicians, and rights holders globally or locally.

Why should you partner and support this crucial research alongside @universalmusicgroup, @ifc_org, @sunnylands, and @musicinafricaofficial? Doing so makes ALL #artists more💰while simultaneously creating an economic #musicindustry in 48 countries that are currently without royalty structures to pay artists for their music.

This research and work is nonprofit, so any contributions to making it happen for all receive a tax deduction. Linkinbio for more info / to contribute, feel free to reach out, and I’ll be contacting many of you who will financially benefit from this work in addition to the positive societal benefits for all. 🌎🎶❤️

Privileged to be doing some work w/ the great @shainshapiro on the Center for #Music Ecosystem’s Music Development Initiative to create the economic infrastructure and policies for countries that don’t have these elements in place to pay #songwriters, #musicians, and rights holders globally or locally.

Why should you partner and support this crucial research alongside @universalmusicgroup, @ifc_org, @sunnylands, and @musicinafricaofficial? Doing so makes ALL #artists more💰while simultaneously creating an economic #musicindustry in 48 countries that are currently without royalty structures to pay artists for their music.

This research and work is nonprofit, so any contributions to making it happen for all receive a tax deduction. Linkinbio for more info / to contribute, feel free to reach out, and I’ll be contacting many of you who will financially benefit from this work in addition to the positive societal benefits for all. 🌎🎶❤️

Happy birthday to @sound_diplomacy. We're 13 today. On Feb 4, 2013, I registered the company. So many people to thank, to reminisce with, to look back fondly with... it's been a trip. Here's to the next 13.

Mistério revelado: o maestro das cidades inteligentes chegou! 🕵️‍♂️🎶

Shain Shapiro, o 1º Keynote confirmado para o #SCECWB26, já provou para mais de 130 cidades ao redor do mundo que a cultura deve estar no centro do planejamento urbano.

Autor do best-seller “O lugar onde quero estar”, Shain é PhD pela Universidade de Londres e o fundador da ONG Center for Music Ecosystems e da consultora Sound Diplomacy, que ajuda a definir estratégias para transformar cidades em hubs musicais e culturais.
Também foi o primeiro TEDx da história a falar sobre o papel da música nas cidades e agora traz essa bagagem para Curitiba.

🗓️ Anote na agenda: dia 25 de março de 2026
👉 Garanta seu ingresso pelo link da bio e venha descobrir como a música pode tornar as cidades mais inteligentes!

What if we had a small upload fee on all songs that were placed onto platforms, and that fee, like the £1 ticket levy, went to supporting grassroots music? This is the argument of my latest @forbes piece, reprinted on my Substack. Link in bio to have a read!

What I hope for in 2026 🕊️

- The global value of music copyright to increase by more than 10% (let's break the $50m barrier), fuelled by the growth of streaming and usage in Africa, LATAM, and the Middle East
- That growth supported by more countries realizing that we need robust, proactive, and supportive IP infrastructure (functioning CMOs of whatever coordination makes sense, capped admin fee, quicker payouts, investing in enforcement and comms to make people realize that music is a net economic benefit)
- A global rejection of the term STEM in education. We have to stop forgetting that maths and engineering are arts. Or let's rename it - 'Start Teaching Empathy & Music', maybe?
- A commitment to build music and culture into crisis, recovery and resilience plans. Rebuilding cultural infrastructure is like any other form of infrastructure
- More holistic investments in systems and processes, rather than just initiatives and capacity-building. Let's stop publishing cultural policies in countries that lack the basic foundation for treating culture as an economic good, and just fix the problem at the source.
- A more human-driven music industry and ecosystem. AI labelling (maybe?!), recognition that everyone starts somewhere and that somewhere could be anywhere.
- More collaboration with all of you to use music as a weapon of hope, optimism and economic benefit to fight the forces of nihilism and pessimism.

What I am looking forward to in 2026 👏

- Our inaugual #SoundDevelopment cultural real estate conference, in LA on Feb 2
- Sound Diplomacy's Music Cities Convention in Hull UK (June 9-11) and Calgary (September 30 - October 2)
- Continuing to grow the Music Economy Development Initiative with Global Citizen, Universal Music Group. PPL, The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands and others.
- The continued development of Sound Diplomacy, led by the brilliance of our team, not me.
- Taking the Music Policy Resilience Network to the next level, thanks to another grant from the Nordic Culture Fund and the Levitt Family Foundation.
- More writing (updating Substack regularly)
- More reading & cooking

Wherever you are, here's to you.. and to 2026.

This is a 4-page spread (no joke!) in Portugal's equivalent to the Sunday Times Magazine! Not something I'd ever expect to happen, but here we are.

I guess music is a universal language.

(not pictured, the audiobook)

Link in bio to order any of them

This has been a crazy week, in meetings 6 hours a day in Riyadh and Dubai, culminating in a partnership between CME and UN Tourism, supported by UMusic Hospitality and Lifestyle & Universal Music Group. TL:DR - we're gonna try and build a data set to qualify and quantify music tourism, so it can be invested in as a form of development. The mission of trying to build music into how places think about jobs and development continues, and this was a major step. And my face got to be on a massive screen, which was embarassing. Onward...

This has been a crazy week, in meetings 6 hours a day in Riyadh and Dubai, culminating in a partnership between CME and UN Tourism, supported by UMusic Hospitality and Lifestyle & Universal Music Group. TL:DR - we're gonna try and build a data set to qualify and quantify music tourism, so it can be invested in as a form of development. The mission of trying to build music into how places think about jobs and development continues, and this was a major step. And my face got to be on a massive screen, which was embarassing. Onward...

This has been a crazy week, in meetings 6 hours a day in Riyadh and Dubai, culminating in a partnership between CME and UN Tourism, supported by UMusic Hospitality and Lifestyle & Universal Music Group. TL:DR - we're gonna try and build a data set to qualify and quantify music tourism, so it can be invested in as a form of development. The mission of trying to build music into how places think about jobs and development continues, and this was a major step. And my face got to be on a massive screen, which was embarassing. Onward...

This has been a crazy week, in meetings 6 hours a day in Riyadh and Dubai, culminating in a partnership between CME and UN Tourism, supported by UMusic Hospitality and Lifestyle & Universal Music Group. TL:DR - we're gonna try and build a data set to qualify and quantify music tourism, so it can be invested in as a form of development. The mission of trying to build music into how places think about jobs and development continues, and this was a major step. And my face got to be on a massive screen, which was embarassing. Onward...

This has been a crazy week, in meetings 6 hours a day in Riyadh and Dubai, culminating in a partnership between CME and UN Tourism, supported by UMusic Hospitality and Lifestyle & Universal Music Group. TL:DR - we're gonna try and build a data set to qualify and quantify music tourism, so it can be invested in as a form of development. The mission of trying to build music into how places think about jobs and development continues, and this was a major step. And my face got to be on a massive screen, which was embarassing. Onward...

This has been a crazy week, in meetings 6 hours a day in Riyadh and Dubai, culminating in a partnership between CME and UN Tourism, supported by UMusic Hospitality and Lifestyle & Universal Music Group. TL:DR - we're gonna try and build a data set to qualify and quantify music tourism, so it can be invested in as a form of development. The mission of trying to build music into how places think about jobs and development continues, and this was a major step. And my face got to be on a massive screen, which was embarassing. Onward...