What does the future hold for Atlanta music?
15 artists and promoters cast their gaze on where the city is heading
Photo credit: | “We are beginning a new chapter in so many ways. On one hand, I am heartbroken to see landmark creative spaces pushed out by raised rent or bulldozed and built over. On the other, I am excited to see how artists and musicians will react to and utilize the changing landscape. All these clever commercial/condo, live-work buildings will need to be balanced out by a larger underground scene with more DIY venues; it’s only natural. As long as we keep making opportunities for and supporting one another, our future is bright. Atlanta is a great place to be an artist: It’s approachable, it’s encouraging, and it’s relatively affordable. I hope we can keep it that way for as long as possible.” — Danielle Brutto, Pallas, co-founder Brutal Studio |
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“The future is fun to think on and romanticize, but I’m at a place in life where I don’t like to get caught up in it too much. I have no clue what the future holds for Atlanta music. Music today is already such a vast melting pot of art, innovation, and nuanced genres, it’s really exciting just being present. That’s the thing about creatives — we can’t stay still too long. A year ago I didn’t know what my own music would sound like today. There will always be opportunity here. There will always be platforms for artists. There will always be community. And most importantly there will always be music. So really, the future is already here. I can’t help but be thankful that I have a voice in it.” — Yani Mo | |
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“The music scene in Atlanta is continually growing, especially with the recent trend of development throughout the city. More people moving to town means more music lovers exploring their neighborhoods to see what kind of nightlife they have to offer. We’re already seeing additional venues open, or old ones moving to new locations to accommodate the city’s growth ... I’m hopeful that the future holds more new bands, more new venues, and more die-hard music supporters.” — Amos Rifkin, A. Rippin’ Productions | |
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“The West End may become an area that artists will flock to and I can easily see it becoming a mecca for the music scene. Houses are still relatively low-priced there and there’s undeveloped storefronts that could become DIY venues. There’s nothing like cheap rent to support a music scene. I could also see the genre gap between scenes possibly lessening. The younger artists in the rock scene seem to be far more interested in supporting hip-hop/R&B and vice versa. Yancey from Man Up, Yancey played me Yani Mo’s EP with a rapturous delight. I can’t remember the last time there was such cross promotion across the line. Genre-defying shows reflect the way we all really listen to music and the more done to push in that direction the better.” — Jonathan Merenivitch, Shepherds | |
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“In the future, Atlanta will be regarded as more than just a city for progressive rap or regressive garage rock. As residents, we know the score; we know the spectrum is wide enough already. However, what of Atlanta’s standing in the court of national or international opinion? In the future will it even matter? Will we even care? I would like to see Atlanta become more self-sufficient in terms of resources: labels, journalists, journals (blogs), photographers, videographers, better promoters, better sound systems, badder spaces, bigger parties. We’re already headed in that direction due to the efforts of so many across the city. We’re already en route, and we don’t have to rush ourselves. As Jason Dill put it, “I’m not looking towards the future anymore, we’re in the future ...” — Ryan Parks, Fit of Body | |
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“Atlanta has always been a watering hole for musicians and I think that it will continue to be. Unlike artists in New York City or Los Angeles, Atlantans aren’t pressed to impress anyone. We are the creators of our own lanes. Because of this we’ve managed to remain relevant and innovative. From jazz to funk and R&B to Young Thug and Kayla Steen ... I’d bet on my life that Atlanta’s talent pool has a long time to go before drying up.” — Kayla Steen | |
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“I hope to see more experimentation in the various music circles in Atlanta. I’ve seen the aesthetic and influence of each individual musical movement bleed into the next over the years and I think that’s one of the factors that gives music in Atlanta its unique style both sonically and visually. Communities like the Goat Farm and Eyedrum as well as establishments like 529 offer a haven for artists to experiment and collaborate with each other while providing access for listeners that may not be familiar with avant-garde art and music. The fact that Atlanta is a large city in the midst of the South gives it an advantage over other cities, in my opinion. We have so many different things to influence us artistically here, from gospel and blues to hip-hop, garage, and psych-rock. It’s almost overwhelming the number of progressive artists and musicians that populate this city. But at the end of the day, I believe that the greatest attribute that all of the artists in this city share is our openness to implement new ideas and I anticipate that to continue flourishing.” — Keith William, Wake | |
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“In the eight years I’ve been in Atlanta the music scene has changed a lot for the better. If it continues in the same direction there’s no reason Atlanta shouldn’t start getting the national and international credit it deserves. But the only things I know for certain about the future is more Cookouts will open, more condos will be built, Adam Babar Suffer Dragon, Faun and a Pan Flute will be in the Guinness Book of World Records for having written the largest catalog of songs with words that don’t make sense, and Mercer West will be president 2024.” — Chris Yonker, Hello Ocho, the Mammal Gallery | |
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“In the past couple of years, festivals like Shaky Knees have kind of monopolized on large touring bands coming through the city, ignoring local acts almost entirely. While I do think that’s harmful in many ways, it’s also doing a lot to foster closer relationships between bands, venues, and the people that book them. More shows at local venues involve acts in the DIY scene, and that’s getting those bands more press attention. It’s actually drawing the DIY scene closer to the forefront of Atlanta’s culture than it’s been in the past, and I think that’s really exciting.” — Ben Kinzer, Newark Wilder | |
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“I am hoping we get our own vinyl plant. I also hope the gentrification and typecasting of hip-hop specifically bring up enough emotion for everyone to just be more honest with their art. I see that happening. I see “Love and Hip-hop” turning more into Donald Glover’s “Atlanta” series. Just more balance. Less spectacle and more spectacular.” — Yamin Semali, Monday/Friday | |
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“I’m fully expecting Atlanta music to make its imprint on the national and global psyche, through the proliferation of our burgeoning movie business. I don’t see any other way with the sheer number of productions being made in Atlanta. It is conducive to the type of exposure that is to be had for Atlanta musicians, and I fully expect this scene of ours to take advantage of it. When I see things like my friend’s band, DIP, animated in a cartoon on Cartoon Network or hearing about Donald Glover’s new TV show on FX called “Atlanta,” or Javier Morales bringing the sax back with Deerhunter on ‘The Late Show,’ I see the potential for Atlanta music to be more known and more a part of the world’s cultural thesaurus.” — Max Wang, The Rodney Kings, Tight Bros Network | |
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“I’ve recently seen a shift in the music industry away from single artist tours to large festivals. A similar pattern is presenting itself on various scales in Atlanta music. From Shaky Knees to Wrecking Ball, music festivals appear to be bundling performers into single large-scale events that in prior years would’ve been standalone tours. On the flip side, with the amount of development and displacement happening in the city, I’ve seen a pretty strong house show scene grow — potentially in response. We’ll see more festivals and more house shows in the future, and I hope both address inclusivity issues commonly seen at their events, i.e. high ticket prices, low local representation vs. inaccessibility and exclusivity.” — Maria Sotnikova, co-founder JORTSFEST | |
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“In the future I hope to see more experimental music in all genres, as well as more shows with varieties of different bands that all make different music. I want people to get a taste of everything, absolutely everything that this city has to offer. The mixing of genres and bands can introduce and sustain a more eclectic and admirable blend of music and art. I hope I will be able to take part in that. I try to make sure every show I’m on or help book offers a range and variety of music for any type of listener. It would be great to see more of this family-type, community-oriented mentality spread, which might cause more people of various styles to merge together to create the ultimate unit of dope art of every kind. Imagine the possibilities. Let’s change things. Let’s work together and just make awesomeness spill through the city.” — Michael Myerz | |
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“All I have to say is I wanna hear more rock ‘n’ roll.” — Bryan Malone, booker the Star Community Bar | |
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“I am optimistic about the future of Atlanta music. Atlanta is already a cultural hub rivaling cities 10 times its size, and it’s only getting bigger. The wide range of sounds coming out of here is just incredible. I hope as the scene grows it will continue its efforts for greater inclusivity and acceptance.” — Madi Bailey, Dog Lover 420 | |