Music/City
American Festivals and Placemaking in Austin, Nashville, and Newport
- Contents
- Review Quotes
Table of Contents

Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: City and Stage
1. The Unlikely Rise in Importance of American Music Festivals
2. Music in Ruins: The Newport Folk Festival
3. “When Country Comes to Town”: Nashville’s Country Music Festival
4. Part-Time Indie Music Club: Austin’s South by Southwest
5. The Long-Term Effects of Fleeting Moments: Part One
6. The Long-Term Effects of Fleeting Moments: Part Two
Conclusions: Festivalization as Good Policy
Encore: Toward a Sociology of Occasions
Appendix A: The Lineup (Methodological Note and List of Interviewees)
Appendix B: Music City Set List
Notes
References
Introduction: City and Stage
1. The Unlikely Rise in Importance of American Music Festivals
2. Music in Ruins: The Newport Folk Festival
3. “When Country Comes to Town”: Nashville’s Country Music Festival
4. Part-Time Indie Music Club: Austin’s South by Southwest
5. The Long-Term Effects of Fleeting Moments: Part One
6. The Long-Term Effects of Fleeting Moments: Part Two
Conclusions: Festivalization as Good Policy
Encore: Toward a Sociology of Occasions
Appendix A: The Lineup (Methodological Note and List of Interviewees)
Appendix B: Music City Set List
Notes
References
Review Quotes
Howard S. Becker, author of Becoming a Marihuana User
“In Music/City, Wynn takes on an important, ambitious, and well-executed project that cross-cuts a number of fields. The result is a compendious book with something for everybody. The characters we encounter here are charming, and the quality of the research as valuable. Music/City has broad appeal—to sociologists and musicians alike.”
Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class
“Wynn’s Music/City provides important new insight into the role of music in shaping the culture, economy, and attractiveness of cities. Combining a sociologist’s eye with the ear of a musician, Wynn shows how music festivals like the Newport Folk Festival and Austin’s SXSW, have become increasingly important platforms as much for cities and their economies as for the careers of musicians. Wynn’s book is a must read for mayors, economic developers, downtown leaders, and urbanists who endeavor to build and live in more attractive, vibrant, and economically successful cities.”
Tegan Quin, singer-songwriter for the Grammy–nominated band Tegan and Sara
“In Music/City Wynn stitches together an entertaining and enlightening look into the social, economic and historic elements that go into city based music festivals. As a professional musician who rarely sees festivals from any perspective but the stage I found Music/City jam-packed with fascinating and indispensable information. Wynn has created a must read for music fans and festival goers the world over while also generating a how-to for the prospective host communities.”
Alan Light, former editor-in-chief, Vibe and Spin magazines
“It’s common knowledge that festivals are increasingly important to the music business, but before Wynn, no one had really examined their full impact and potential. With Music/City, his innovative, street-level research gives us new ways to think about the culture, community, and economy of our large-scale, high-volume gatherings.”
American Journal of Sociology
“Music/City is a resounding success. The book is elegantly written, combines multiple methods, and joins sociological imagination with musical insight. It could be assigned in both undergraduate and graduate courses in the areas of urban sociology, urban policy, culture, and music. Academics, musicians, and city leaders will all learn from Wynn’s sensitive analysis of the promises and pitfalls of festivalization.”
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