Why Detroit ranks as one of 'best cities' for music and some think it should be No. 1
Detroiters already know they live in a music city. A recent study told them how it stacks up.
When SeatPick announced Detroit as its No. 11 choice among the "Best Cities for Music Lovers" in the world, a few rejoiced; many more wanted to know why the events-ticketing company didn’t rank their beloved Motown even higher.
Visit Detroit, the metro area's "official visitor site," proudly proclaimed the ranking on Facebook: "This just in! Detroit was just named one of the greatest music cities in the world. " Questions, skepticism and disagreement followed.
One commenter asked: "Is this 11th of all time or this year?" Another opined: "11th????? We are definitely higher than that!!!!" And there was this declaration: "Should have been #1. A lot of talent came out of Michigan! Motown rocks."
The Metro Times, an alternative weekly, piled on: No. 11 "should come as no real surprise."
Former President Barack Obama recently released his summer playlist, which included songs by Detroit-connected artists, including Stevie Wonder's "Golden Lady, "Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues," and Babyface Ray's "Drums."
In fairness, there’s a certain amount of subjectivity in any artistic ranking. SeatPick said it tried to use some sort of mathematical formula. And no matter what, there’s bound to be criticism.
To evaluate each city, SeatPick considered the “number of music venues per city, the upcoming music festivals and concerts in the city, the number of vinyl record and musical instrument shops, as well as how many artists and bands call the city their home.”
It picked, from the top, London, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Nashville, Seattle, Austin, Denver, Boston and Atlanta — and then Detroit.
It's America's soundtrack
Mike Mitchell, a professor of music of Oakland University, said as a city, Detroit tends to be underrated not just in music, but in all sorts of categories. But, he added, No. 11 isn’t too bad, especially for a global rating.
"There’s something to be said that a decade or more ago, people might have thought so little of our city they might not have put it on the list at all," Mitchell said. Detroit did go through the largest municipal bankruptcy ever. "But Detroit is synonymous with Motown music and the Motown period."
"And Motown," he said, "is the soundtrack of the ’60 and ‘70s of America."
Motown, of course, comes from the car industry, motor town. Berry Gordy, who started the label, sought to apply principles he learned working in the auto plant to the production of records.
He didn’t just want to make records. He wanted to make stars. He also envisioned a talent development process in which he said a "kid could walk in one door" and out another "a polished performer." There’s no denying that he did.
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Motown performers are a music history constellation, including Gaye, Wonder, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson, Martha Reeves, Gladys Knight, Lionel Richie and Rick James. Some of the buildings that the company left behind when it moved to Los Angeles are now a museum.
'World-class music city'
Beyond Motown, Mitchell said, there are other music genres, and artists, that also are closely tied to — or got started in — Detroit. They include classical, blues, jazz, gospel, R&B, rock, pop, punk, soul, rap, hip hop and techno.
Detroit’s jazz festival, he noted, is top notch. The city also is a headquarters for rap and hip-hop. Eminem, the professor said, came from a Detroit suburb. And as for rock, Detroit can claim Bob Seger and Iggy Pop and Jack White, who founded the White Stripes.
So yes, London has Queen, but Detroit has Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul.
New York has the historic Beacon Theater to hold concerts, but Detroit has the Fillmore.
And Nashville has the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and Elvis Presley’s gold-plated Cadillac, but Detroit has the Motown Museum, the home of Hitsville U.S.A., and Michael Jackson’s black hat and single silver, sequined glove.
"I don’t think there’s any question Detroit is a world-class music city," Mitchell said. "Eleven may be low, but it’s great to see, in an international ranking, that Detroit is on there. And maybe that gets us noticed and we move up in the next one."
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Detroit's music is among the best in the world
