This Must Be the Place: How Music Can Make Your City Better

Dr. Shain Shapiro is the Founder and CEO of both the Center for Music Ecosystems and Sound Diplomacy and visits Rhytmic Music Conservatory (RMC) on Tuesday 30 May to present his new book 'This Must Be the Place: How Music Can Make Your City Better'. Following the talk, he will join RMC’s Josh Greenberg for a moderated conversation, including questions from the audience.

'This Must Be the Place', released in September 2023 by Repeater Books, introduces and examines music’s relationship to cities. It explores the powerful impact music can have on how cities are developed, built, managed, and governed. Through personal stories from cities around the world - including London, Melbourne, Nashville, Austin, and Zurich - the book takes a truly global perspective on the integral role of music in everyday life, often neglected in public policy.

Arguing for the transformative role of artists and musicians in a post-pandemic world, 'This Must Be The Place' serves as both an examination of music's impact on cities and a practical guide for music lovers, artists, and activists to reinvent the communities they live in.

About Shain Shapiro

Shain Shapiro, PhD is the Founder and CEO of Center for Music Ecosystems and Sound Diplomacy. The nonprofit Center for Music Ecosystems advances research, policy and global thought leadership on how music best catalyzes economic, social, and human development. Their work demonstrates how music bolsters economies and improves livelihoods, working in collaboration with leaders and policymakers to foster policies that lead to social and economic development on a local, national, and global level.

Sound Diplomacy is the leading global advisor on growing music and night time economies in cities and places. Launching the Music Cities Convention, Sound Diplomacy has hosted the world’s largest event bringing together the music industry with city planners, developers, policy makers and executives. He has consulted in over 60 cities and countries, including developing the Cuban official music strategy for the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation.

He delivered the first ever music presentation at a UN World Urban Forum and consulted at length with the Greater London Authority, including working on the development of London’s Night Czar and across the Mayor of London’s music policy. He has delivered a TEDx talk on the value of music to cities and spoken at the European Parliament, MIDEM, MIPIM, SXSW, Smart Cities Expo, and others. He is also an accomplished journalist, frequently contributing to CityMetric, CityLab and others.

Learn more at centerformusicecosystems.com and sounddiplomacy.com

About Josh Greenberg

J/G’s brand is defined by relentless curiosity and a passion to shape culture. His career is a mash up of global adventures, ongoing learning, and relationship-building, all fueled by an entrepreneurial spirit.

He's guided icons like Red Bull Music (2001-2015) and Spotify (2016-2018) in their International brand strategy through key evolutionary phases, earning a reputation as both an "innovator" and "futurist."

Rooted in '90s America's dynamic DIY culture, J/G mastered music management from the ground up, covering every angle—from creation to production, promotion, and art presentation as both brand and business.

For the past six years, he's extended this expertise, along with his global network, continuing to authentically balance artistry and commerce through creative strategy, from his Copenhagen-based consultancy, Green Mountain Lodge.

After a few years as a guest lecturer and workshop facilitator RMC asked J/G to take the reigns of our Music Management programme’s Marketing and Communications Strategy class in 2021.

Learn more at greenmountainlodge.dk

The event is presented in a collaboration between RMC and SOUND.