Asheville’s Music Industry Is Bigger Than It Was in 2016 — But Structurally Different

ASHEVILLE, NC (March 2026) —For years, music has been central to Asheville’s identity. It shapes the rhythm of downtown streets, fills neighborhood venues, anchors festivals, and draws visitors from across the region. What hasn’t always been clear is how that cultural energy translates into economic reality — and how the industry itself has evolved since the last major music study in 2016.

“Music has always been part of Asheville’s identity,” said Katie Cornell, Executive Director of ArtsAVL. “What these findings show is that it’s also part of our economic backbone. When we talk about stabilizing music, we’re not talking about preserving a vibe — we’re talking about protecting jobs, tax revenue, and a core driver of our local economy.”

Over the past year, ArtsAVL commissioned three complementary music studies to better understand the scope, structure, and sustainability of Buncombe County’s music economy: an economic contribution analysis and an occupation-level workforce review conducted by Riverbird Research, and the “Come Hear NC Music Communities” Asheville toolkit developed by Sound Diplomacy. Funding support from the North Carolina Music Office helped make all three studies possible.

“Music is one of North Carolina’s most powerful cultural and economic assets, shaping the identity of our communities and supporting thousands of creative professionals across the state,” said Jeff Bell, Executive Director of the North Carolina Arts Council. “Through the North Carolina Music Office, the Arts Council is proud to strengthen the infrastructure that helps musicians, venues, festivals, and music-related businesses thrive. By working with partners across the state, we are building a stronger ecosystem for music—one that supports artists, fuels local economies, and ensures North Carolina remains a place where music can grow and flourish.”

Together, the reports provide the clearest picture yet of an industry that is economically powerful, deeply rooted in live performance, and increasingly independent — but also more vulnerable than it may appear.

Music Is a Core Part of the Local Economy

The economic contribution analysis confirms what many have long believed: music is not simply an amenity — it is an essential economic driver.

In 2023, Buncombe County’s music industry generated $436 million in total economic activity, including nearly $199 million to local GDP. It supported approximately 2,190 jobs and produced more than $39 million in tax revenue across local, state, and federal levels. Workers earned roughly $121 million in labor income.

Those figures reflect direct industry activity as well as the ripple effects that follow. Music businesses rely on finance, real estate, legal services, accounting, marketing, hospitality, and technical support. When music workers spend their earnings locally, that spending supports housing, healthcare, retail, and food service sectors. The data makes one point clear: music’s impact extends far beyond the stage.

Importantly, this study does not capture music-driven tourism spending, informal gigs, or certain project-based work — meaning the numbers likely represent a conservative baseline.

“Music is both culturally vital and economically substantial,” says Heidi Reiber, Senior Director of Research at Riverbird Research, a division of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. ”The findings show that music in Buncombe County is very much a business. That combination isn’t present in every city. Here, it helps make the region distinctive and a draw for visitors and residents alike.”

Directionally compared to the 2016 study, the industry is generating more total output and income. Yet it is supporting fewer total jobs than before — a signal that something structural has shifted.

Occupation Employment Grew — But It Reorganized

The occupation-level workforce analysis adds insight on that structural story.

Between 2016 and 2025, total music occupation jobs increased by about 8 percent. However, that growth masks changes in how people are working. The music workforce is now notably more independent, more freelance-driven, and less reliant on traditional payroll employment.

The majority of music workers operate outside standard employer-based structures. Extended proprietors — individuals earning miscellaneous or secondary income in music — now make up 59 percent of all music occupation jobs. The share of self-employed workers also grew meaningfully over the past decade. Losses were comparable across the four worker classifications 2020-2021.

This shift matters. Independent work can offer flexibility and entrepreneurial opportunity, but it also limits access to benefits, unemployment insurance, and capital. A workforce dominated by contractors may be inherently more exposed to economic shocks.

Over the past decade, the occupational breakdown suggests this structural change. Traditional broadcast roles — such as radio DJs — saw declines. At the same time, disc jockeys outside of radio, sound engineering technicians, and other technical production roles grew. The industry is moving toward event-based production, live performance support, and technical services.

Musicians and singers remain the backbone of the sector, representing roughly 60 percent of all music occupation jobs. Asheville’s ecosystem is still fundamentally live-performance driven — which means venue infrastructure remains critical to its stability.

Wages Are Up — Stability Is Uncertain

The workforce analysis also shows that average hourly earnings have increased across most music occupations since 2016, with most roles now above the 2024 Just Economics living wage threshold. On paper, this suggests improvement.

But averages do not tell the whole story. When most workers are independent contractors or proprietors, income volatility can be significant. Higher reported hourly wages do not necessarily translate into predictable annual earnings, access to healthcare, or financial resilience.
The Toolkit Confirms What the Community Already Knows

In parallel with the Riverbird studies, ArtsAVL participated in the statewide “Come Hear NC Music Communities” initiative facilitated by Sound Diplomacy. While much of that document follows a standardized framework used in multiple cities, its local asset mapping and stakeholder-driven SWOT analysis are particularly relevant for Asheville.

More than 200 music-related assets were identified across venues, studios, festivals, education providers, nonprofits, and equipment businesses. The highest concentration is in live performance infrastructure, underscoring that Asheville’s music economy is built around stages, audiences, and events.

Stakeholders consistently described a community rich in creative talent, collaborative spirit, and strong audience support. Music is not peripheral to Asheville’s identity — it is central.

Yet sustainability emerged as the core challenge. Musicians cited low and inconsistent pay, heavy reliance on tip-based performance models, limited access to grant funding compared to other arts sectors, and difficulty building long-term careers locally. Infrastructure gaps were also identified, particularly a shortage of mid-to-large-sized venues, rehearsal spaces, listening rooms, and critical industry development roles such as artist management and entertainment law.

In short, the creative foundation is strong. The economic scaffolding around it is thinner than it needs to be.

Larger, Leaner, and at a Turning Point

Taken together, the three studies describe an industry that is larger than it was in 2016 and generating more economic output — but operating in a leaner, more independent, and less institutionally anchored form.

The 2023 economic data represents a pre–Hurricane Helene snapshot. The workforce data shows that overall job levels remained relatively stable into 2025, even after COVID and Helene, which speaks to resilience. But resilience in a highly independent workforce can also mean absorbing risk individually rather than structurally.

“We have the talent. We have the audience. We have the live music culture,” Cornell said. “The real question now is how we build the missing pieces — infrastructure, access to capital, and modern policy tools — so that musicians can build sustainable careers here, not just provide the soundtrack for our visitor and resident experience.”

Music in Buncombe County is not struggling because of a lack of creativity. It is facing questions of sustainability, workforce stability, and long-term structural support.

If the sector is already contributing nearly half a billion dollars annually, then supporting music is not simply a cultural investment — it is economic strategy.

And the next chapter will depend on how intentionally the community chooses to treat it that way.

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