> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.theamericanquorum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Tennessee Forms Statewide Music Advisory Council - URL: https://www.theamericanquorum.com/state-news-tennessee-2026-09-17-b/ - Published: 2026-09-17T23:47:17.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-17T23:47:17.000Z - Description: Tennessee has formed a statewide Music Advisory Council to turn regional music-industry studies into economic and policy priorities. Its work will span creators, venues, tourism and regional development. - Author: News Desk - Tags: State News, Tennessee Tennessee has created a statewide Music Advisory Council charged with turning a growing set of regional music-industry studies into policy and economic-development priorities. Gov. Bill Lee, Deputy Gov. and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart McWhorter and the Tennessee Entertainment Commission announced the council Thursday. The [state announcement](https://tnecd.com/news/tennessee-entertainment-commission-announces-creation-of-tennessee-music-advisory-council-tmac/?ref=theamericanquorum.com) says its mission is to build a community-led advocacy organization supporting music professionals through economic opportunity, professional development, stronger networks and accessible spaces, while using partnerships and tourism initiatives to preserve regional musical heritage. The new body is statewide rather than Nashville-only. Its 12 appointees represent organizations and institutions in Memphis, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Northeast Tennessee and other regions. Ben Silverman of Cooley Public Strategies will chair it. Members include Music Export Memphis founder Elizabeth Cawein, Memphis creative-economy director Demarcus Suggs, Chattanooga arts administrator Monica Kinsey and professors from East Tennessee State University. Each appointee has agreed to join at least one council work group and participate in managing or implementing a regional music-ecosystem study. The state did not announce a timetable, budget or first public deliverables, so the council’s immediate significance lies in coordination: it gives regional research projects a single state-level venue for identifying common problems and possible responses. The Tennessee Entertainment Commission’s [music-studies hub](https://www.tnentertainment.com/music/music-ecosystem-studies/?ref=theamericanquorum.com) lists public work covering East Tennessee, Nashville, Chattanooga, Memphis and Northeast Tennessee. The commission says those studies are meant to give communities data for decisions about their music economies rather than relying only on industry anecdotes. That evidence points to substantially different regional conditions. The [Greater Nashville Music Census](https://www.greaternashvillemusiccensus.org/?ref=theamericanquorum.com) drew 4,265 responses from adults working or studying in the area’s music industry and was designed to identify support needs amid growth and rising costs. In East Tennessee, a [regional study](https://www.sounddiplomacy.com/east-tennessee/about-the-project?ref=theamericanquorum.com) surveyed creatives, music businesses and fans while examining an ecosystem anchored by Knoxville and Appalachian roots traditions. Memphis data illustrates why one statewide template may not fit every region. A [regional economic-development profile](https://memphismoves.com/industries/music-entertainment/?ref=theamericanquorum.com) estimates a $2 billion music-and-entertainment impact and projects modest overall sector growth through 2028, while showing declines since 2018 in musicians, singers, writers and independent artists. Those figures give the council a workforce problem to examine alongside tourism promotion and business recruitment. The policy questions are likely to be concrete. [Axios Nashville reported](https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2026/09/17/tennessee-creates-advisory-council-to-boost-state-s-music-ecosystem?ref=theamericanquorum.com) that council discussions could range from tax pressure on independent venues to parking access for musicians and audiences. The outlet also noted the tension between Tennessee’s large entertainment companies and the smaller creators and businesses the council is intended to support. The council will operate under McWhorter and the Tennessee Entertainment Commission. What follows will determine whether it becomes chiefly a networking forum or a mechanism for statewide action: officials have yet to specify which study findings will be prioritized, how recommendations will be measured, or whether proposals will require legislation, agency spending or local partnerships.