Thanks, Taylor Swift: Nashville Has America's Most Robust Music Economy

Nashville is having something of a cultural moment. Home to musicians as varied pop-princess Taylor Swift and rocker Jack White, it has developed a powerful hold not just in country, but in folk, rock, pop and other music genres. ABC's Nashville, which is not only set but filmed in the city, has become a critical hit. There's even a new TNT reality show, Nashville Confidential, set to air early next year.

I've written about Nashville on this site frequently before, dubbing it the "Silicon Valley of the Music Business." Nashville's growth as a music center, according to my own accounting, has been explosive; since 1970 it accounts for almost all the growth in the music sector in the United States. Its resiliency and depth have undoubtedly contributed to the region's impressive job growth over the past several years.