Quartz Ranks 10 U.S. Cities for Live Music, from Nashville Honky-Tonks to LA Clubs
Quartz has released a guide identifying the top 10 U.S. cities renowned for live music, evaluated by their venue activity throughout the year. The cities highlighted are Nashville, New Orleans, Austin, Chicago, Memphis, New York, Athens, Asheville, Los Angeles, and Seattle. In Nashville, Lower Broadway is known for its honky-tonks, alongside iconic locations like the Ryman Auditorium (established in 1892) and the Grand Ole Opry (operating since 1925). New Orleans is famous for jazz on Frenchmen Street, featuring Preservation Hall (founded in 1961) and Tipitina's (opened in 1977). Austin, recognized as the Live Music Capital of the World since 1991, includes venues like the Continental Club (since 1955) and Antone's (established in 1975). Chicago is celebrated for electric blues, while Memphis focuses on Beale Street and the Blues Foundation. New York boasts numerous jazz spots, Athens is known for the 40 Watt Club, Asheville highlights bluegrass, Los Angeles features the Troubadour (since 1957), and Seattle is a hub for grunge and jazz. Despite challenges like rising rents and noise regulations, these cities continue to foster vibrant music scenes.
Key facts
- Quartz selected 10 U.S. cities for live music based on year-round performances, not festival weekends.
- Nashville's Lower Broadway honky-tonks charge no cover and run live bands from late morning past midnight.
- The Ryman Auditorium, built in 1892 and seating 2,362, is known as the Mother Church of Country Music.
- New Orleans' Preservation Hall, founded in 1961, seats only a few dozen people and serves no alcohol.
- Austin adopted the slogan Live Music Capital of the World in 1991 based on its count of music venues per capita.
- Chicago's house music took shape in the early 1980s at the Warehouse club, where Frankie Knuckles built the style.
- Memphis' Sun Studio recorded Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and B.B. King.
- New York's Village Vanguard, open since 1935, still books sets seven nights a week.
- Athens, Georgia, produced R.E.M. and the B-52's within a few years of each other around 1980.
- Asheville's Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, founded by Bascom Lamar Lunsford in 1928, is among the oldest events of its kind in the U.S.
- Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl, operating since 1922, seats more than 17,000 and is the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
- Seattle's Showbox has operated near Pike Place Market since 1939.
Entities
Artists
- Louis Armstrong
- King Oliver
- Professor Longhair
- Stevie Ray Vaughan
- Buddy Guy
- Muddy Waters
- Howlin' Wolf
- Frankie Knuckles
- Thomas A. Dorsey
- Al Capone
- W.C. Handy
- Elvis Presley
- Johnny Cash
- Carl Perkins
- B.B. King
- Otis Redding
- Isaac Hayes
- Booker T. & the M.G.'s
- Sam & Dave
- John Coltrane
- Bill Evans
- Sonny Rollins
- Ella Fitzgerald
- R.E.M.
- The B-52's
- Bascom Lamar Lunsford
- Elton John
- James Taylor
- The Eagles
- The Doors
- Nirvana
- Pearl Jam
- Soundgarden
- Ray Charles
- Jimi Hendrix
- Macklemore
- Frank Gehry
Institutions
- Quartz
- Tootsie's Orchid Lounge
- Robert's Western World
- Ryman Auditorium
- Grand Ole Opry
- The Basement East
- Bluebird Cafe
- Preservation Hall
- Tipitina's
- Snug Harbor
- The Spotted Cat
- Continental Club
- The Broken Spoke
- Antone's
- Austin City Limits
- Moody Theater
- University of Texas
- South by Southwest
- Mohawk Austin
- Stubb's Bar-B-Q
- Elephant Room
- Buddy Guy's Legends
- Chess Records
- Rosa's Lounge
- Smart Bar
- Pilgrim Baptist Church
- Metro
- Thalia Hall
- The Hideout
- Millennium Park
- Jay Pritzker Pavilion
- Green Mill
- Sun Studio
- Stax Records
- Stax Museum of American Soul Music
- Memphis Blues Trail
- Blues Foundation
- International Blues Challenge
- Church of God in Christ
- Madison Square Garden
- Village Vanguard
- Smalls
- Blue Note
- Birdland
- Dizzy's Club
- Jazz at Lincoln Center
- Apollo Theater
- Music Hall of Williamsburg
- Brooklyn Steel
- Central Park SummerStage
- 40 Watt Club
- University of Georgia
- Nuçi's Space
- Georgia Theatre
- Flicker Theatre and Bar
- The Orange Peel
- The Grey Eagle
- Asheville Music Hall
- Rabbit Rabbit
- Shindig on the Green
- Mountain Dance and Folk Festival
- New Belgium
- Highland Brewing
- Troubadour
- Whisky a Go Go
- Roxy Theatre
- Hollywood Bowl
- Los Angeles Philharmonic
- The Echo
- Zebulon
- The Crocodile
- The Showbox
- Sub Pop Records
- Jazz Alley
- KEXP
- Seattle Center
- The Vera Project
- Neumos
- The Tractor Tavern
- Marymoor Park
Locations
- Nashville
- United States
- New Orleans
- Austin
- Chicago
- Memphis
- New York
- Athens
- Georgia
- Asheville
- Los Angeles
- Seattle
- Lower Broadway
- East Nashville
- Music Row
- Green Hills
- French Quarter
- Faubourg Marigny
- Frenchmen Street
- St. Claude Avenue
- Bywater
- Royal Street
- Jackson Square
- Sixth Street
- South Congress Avenue
- South Lamar Boulevard
- Red River Cultural District
- East Austin
- South Loop
- Logan Square
- West Loop
- Pilsen
- Wrigleyville
- South Side
- Beale Street
- Bronx
- Harlem
- Brooklyn
- Bushwick
- East Williamsburg
- Manhattan
- Central Park
- Times Square
- West Village
- Columbus Circle
- Seventh Avenue South
- Sunset Boulevard
- West Hollywood
- South Central
- Long Beach
- Echo Park
- Frogtown
- Belltown
- Pike Place Market
- Jackson Street
- Central District
- Capitol Hill
- Ballard
- Redmond
- Blue Ridge Mountains
- North Carolina
- Pack Square
- Greenwich Village
Sources
- Quartz —