Editor’s Note: The Stratton Setlist is a community partner for the Greater Detroit Music Census.

A local organization is seeking feedback from the community about the Detroit music ecosystem.

The Detroit Music Collective is conducting the Greater Detroit Music Census, a survey designed to gain a deeper understanding of the current state and future needs of the local music ecosystem.

“The questions for the census are tailored to give us an idea, collectively and comprehensively, what the local ecosystem looks like,” said Kevin Kay, founder and CEO of the Detroit Music Collective.

“It’s never been done here before, but the response from everyone so far has been: ‘Wow! This is something that we need.’ Everyone seems to be rallying together for an initiative like this.”

Launched earlier this month, the census is being administered by Sound Music Cities. It’s free to take and open to people 18 and older working in music within a 75-mile radius of the city.

“This is your chance to use your voice,” Kay said. “If there’s something bad, say it. If there’s something good, say it. Please don’t candy-coat it to think that you need to answer everything in a positive way. The only way we make change is if we know there are problems, and that’s what’s happened in all the other cities that have done the census so far.”

Sound Music Cities has previously administered censuses for Cleveland, Nashville, Charlotte, Austin, and Columbus, Ohio.

“Nashville did their census last year, and one of the things coming out of there from the creative sector and the artists were big complaints about how there are no loading or unloading parking spaces at venues, especially if they’re playing downtown,” said Kay, who once worked for Sony Music Nashville.

“They’re parking four or five blocks away sometimes, and if it’s summertime, they’re hauling gear, and they’re sweating. The organization that helped create the census for Nashville took the data, sat down with the city and the mayor’s office, and presented it to them. The city is now working on designating [parking] spots.”

The census is also receiving support from Portfolio Medics and several community partners, including local music media, artists and bands, music venues, and recording studios.

I recently spoke with Kay about the census, which is open until March 3.

Q: How did the census start with the Detroit Music Collective?

A: For the collective’s first initiative, I had already been talking with Don Pitts [from Sound Music Cities] about what a census looked like. I said, “This would be a great first initiative for us because we don’t really know anything, and this will give us a roadmap—give us an idea.” It’s a great initiative to start bringing the community together on something.

Q: What is the goal of the census?

A: Detroit’s music industry is a major cultural and economic driver, but like many creative industries, it lacks current reliable data. With the census, we’re aiming to:

• Map the size and scope of Detroit’s music workforce
• Identify opportunities for community investment
• Highlight gaps in resources, equity, and support
• Support Detroit’s long-term creative economy strategy
• Empower policymakers, businesses, and nonprofits with real data

Q: The census is open to people who live and work within a 75-mile radius of Detroit. What does that geographic area include?

A: For Detroit, we’re doing it differently than any city has ever done before. Our radius of 75 miles is bigger than what other areas have done for the census. We have designated a 75-mile radius encompassing the 10 counties of Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, St. Clair, Lapeer, Washtenaw, Monroe, Genesee, and Lenawee.

The way we looked at it, so many people work in music crossing county lines all the time. The 75-mile radius reflects the breadth and depth of the greater Detroit metropolitan area.

Q: Who can take the census?

A: The census is open to anyone involved in music in Detroit, including:

• Musicians, vocalists, DJs, bands, ensembles
• Producers, engineers, songwriters, beatmakers
• Labels, publishers, managers, agents
• Venue owners, promoters, live-event professionals
• Ushers, bartenders, waitstaff, security, street team members, merch makers, merch sellers
• Educators, nonprofit leaders, music-tech entrepreneurs
• Music media, publicists, PR professionals, podcasters, bloggers, vloggers
• Concert photographers, videographers, visual artists, graphic designers
• Interns for any aspect of music

When people take the census, the only thing that is recorded is their zip code. We don’t know their IP address, and we don’t capture anyone’s name. If you live outside the 75-mile radius, but you’re doing business within that region, then you should take the survey.

Q: What types of questions does the census ask?

A: We’re asking participants about their work, revenue streams, challenges, opportunities, and experiences living and creating within the region. All responses are confidential and will be analyzed only in the aggregate.

This is not a quick three-to-five-question survey—it dives deep. It asks about your sector, workforce development, music-friendly policies, culture and belonging, livability, economic activity, ecosystem development, ecosystem composition, and economic development.

Q: What is your response goal for the census?

A: We have a goal in mind of trying to get 5,000-plus to take this, and that’s a big number. Five thousand people is a big goal to make the commitment to sit down for 10 or 15 minutes and go through this in-depth survey.

Q: How many people have taken the census so far?

A: We’re currently at 897 responses, but we have received the most responses from the 40-54 age group. The second most is the 55-64 age group, followed by the 65-plus age group. After that, it’s the 25-39 age group, and then the 18-24 age group. For the younger groups, we’re leveraging social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat to reach them.

Q: How will the census results be shared publicly?

A: Once the data is released, it sits in the public domain. At the Detroit Music Collective, it will be available on our website, but anyone will be able to click it, download it, and use it. The public is able to use this data any way they want. If there’s an organization that sees something they might want to take on, they can lead that charge. We want to be able to work with any of the organizations out there to help as well, and ensure this data gets in front of the right people.

Q: How will the census data be shared with local and state government?

A: I’ve had conversations with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation—they know we’re doing this. They did a creator industry study in Detroit, so they’re going to share their data with me and vice versa. We have great support from Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, and she’s [eager] to see when the data comes back. There might be a way for her to help at the federal or local level. She has the Living Wage for Musicians Act, which she’s trying to get passed into law. We pledged our support to her on that, and she’s been gracious with us and loves what we’re doing.

Q: How will the census help build momentum for the local independent music community?

A: This is just going to be a good roadmap for everyone. This is not a magic wand whatsoever. This is a first step, and just to give us a roadmap to see—do we have problems? If we have problems, where are those problems? Can those problems be solved? What do we need to do? And what’s working? If something’s working, how do we make it better? That’s what this is about—it’s about bringing the community together. There’s so much to look at and really think about. The really interesting and exciting part is that we’ll be able to see things that we’ve never been able to see before.

Q: What about creating a census for other parts of Michigan?

A: I’m hopeful in talking to [executive director] Nicholas [Thomasma] of the Michigan Music Alliance [because] they’re very [interested]. I think Andrea “Dre” Wallace might have even had some conversations with the city of Grand Rapids, telling them, “Hey, look, Detroit’s doing this—let them get through this, and let’s see their data.” Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Lansing should all do one.  Traverse City could also do one in collaboration with a few of the smaller cities up north.

Q: What future plans do you have for the census?

A: There will be opportunities to do this again, but it’s not something that’s done every year. Once we complete the census, we may wait three to five years, and then look at doing another one.

For details about the census, visit Detroit Music Collective’s website. The census is open until March 3.