Tulsa Music Census Revisited

A city that listened to its music community, then got to work.

Every city we work with teaches me something, and I don't want those lessons sitting on a shelf. So, I'm starting a Revisited series here in Field Notes that goes back to the cities and regions in our first Music Census cohort, the group that launched in September 2023, to celebrate what each one learned and what it has built since. First stop: Tulsa.

Before I get to the numbers, I want to give a big thank you to Meg Gould, Executive Director and Film Commissioner, and Natalie Bowling, Assistant Director of Music Programs and Services, at the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts & Culture. They are simply awesome, and working with them was a joy from start to finish. Every census leans on local partners who believe in it, and Tulsa had two of the best.

Tulsa's census was led by their office, known locally as Tulsa FMAC, a division of Tulsa Regional Tourism. It ran from February 26 to April 1, 2024, and 1,003 music people answered. That kind of turnout comes from relationships. There are more than 100 names on the community partner list: bands, studios, churches, a guitar company, a flamenco group, the symphony, the blues society. They carried the survey into their own circles. That's what a community-led census looks like when it works.

What Tulsa has going for it

Start with the scene itself. Venue/Presenter respondents alone put on 3,028 live events a year. Music brings in $18.5 million in income across respondents. Creatives spend about $6,959 a year on their music work, more than $5 million all together, and 49% of that stays local. A local gig averages $400, which pays better than the average touring date.

The people are in it for the long haul, too. 70% have more than ten years in music, and 79% of creatives said “definitely yes” to still working in music three years from now. Tulsa creatives are remarkably self-reliant, too: 84% run their own publicity, 77% their own management and 75% their own booking.

And the culture is a real asset. Tulsa landed on the positive side of every culture measure we ask about. 86% described the scene as non-homophobic, 84% as safe, 80% as inclusive and 70% as cooperative. On the industry side, 54% of respondents were women, which you don't see in most music ecosystems. Respondents said it better than I can:

“We are a place for original music. Across genres and across generations Tulsa has made original music a priority.”

“The amount of talent in Tulsa is incredible. Everyone being nice and inclusive helps everyone.”

Same scene, different seats

One of my favorite parts of any census is reading the comments side by side, because they don't always agree. That's not a flaw in the data. It's one of the truest parts of it. How someone sees their music scene depends on where they stand in it: how long they've been around, which rooms they play, and whether they're on stage, behind the bar or booking the show. Tulsa gave us some great examples.

On community. One person wrote, “I love how supportive and open the DIY community is here.” Another wrote, “It is somewhat difficult to penetrate the small, elite circle of Tulsa musicians.”

On playing together. One person wrote, “I love that the musicians work together in various bands, rotating, covering for one another, including each other in shows.” Another wrote, “Venues are so loyal to their bands that they don't give outside bands a shot to play.”

On cost of living. One person wrote, “The cost of living here allows artists to pursue music for longer than most cities.” Another wrote, “Pay should be going up, just as the cost of living has.”

Read those again. The same loyalty that makes a band feel like family can make a newcomer feel like they're standing outside the door. The data shows why. 75% of creatives have been in music for more than ten years, and only 3% are newer than three. On the Industry side, 24% are newer than three years, and among Venue/Presenter respondents it's 22%. A veteran and a newcomer can walk into the same room and have two very different nights. Both are telling the truth.

The big picture is still a good one: 70% called the scene cooperative. The opportunity for Tulsa, and for every city, is making the door as easy to find as the family is to join. That's one more reason Mix and Master's networking hour matters.

What the community asked for

Like every city, Tulsa's music people told us where they want more support. Most keep a job outside music, and they want more paid gigs and more ways to build a career from home. The requests were clear and practical: a way to tour and represent Tulsa (54% called a music export fund definitely valuable), training in booking, event production and marketing (55% each), a place to connect with music services (66%), and more local music in public spaces (79%).

One finding stood out. 83% of respondents had never received financial assistance for their music work, and the top reason, at 60%, was simply that they hadn't heard about the opportunities. That's good news in disguise, because letting people know is one of the easiest things a city can do. And the kind of support people wanted most was modest: 61% preferred micro-grants with less paperwork.

What Tulsa did next

Here's the part I love. Tulsa didn't file the report and move on.

Touring support. One respondent wrote that they wished Tulsa had an “Export Tulsa Music” program. That same summer, the season the report came out, Tulsa FMAC launched Tulsa On Tour. It pays $250 to $1,000 per tour, up to $3,000 a year per artist, for Tulsa-area acts playing at least four dates in cities more than 100 miles away. The deal: list Tulsa, Oklahoma as your hometown everywhere you post. Applications are due every month. By the following summer it had backed 37 bands and 127 individual artists.

Think about what that does. It's the micro-grant size people asked for. It runs on a monthly cycle, so the word keeps getting out. And it treats touring as something you do from home, not a reason to leave. Every band that heads out with Tulsa on its profile becomes an ambassador for the city. That's the regional career most creatives in our censuses tell us they want.

Learning and connecting. In early 2025, FMAC and Sounds OK started Mix and Master, a free series that pairs an hour of networking with a panel. The first session, on accounting, drew more than 40 RSVPs. The second covered performing rights organizations and publishing, with ASCAP in the room. This August's session taught people to design their own show flyer. For a community that does its own marketing, that's exactly the right kind of help, and the networking hour gives people the place to connect they asked for.

Music in public places. Make Music Tulsa, now in its second year, fills the city with free performances on June 21. This year FMAC added small grants for host sites: $100 for a solo act, $200 for a band, from a $2,000 pool. Small money that makes sure musicians get paid for playing in public.

Health. FMAC's music resources page points musicians to Medicaid enrollment help, Music Health Alliance, Stagecare and the Oklahoma Musicians Mental Health Fund. One page, a lot of help in one place.

Keeping it visible. Tulsa Music Month reached its sixth year this July, and half of census respondents called it definitely valuable. This year's version added a live-to-vinyl recording of six local bands at Chimera.

Where Tulsa can go next

The census also points to some exciting next chapters, and Tulsa has the foundation to take them on:

More room to grow. Most venues in the census hold 100 people or fewer. Adding more rooms in the 200 to 500 range would give local acts a next step up and bring more touring shows through town.

Tools for presenters. Venue/Presenter respondents were enthusiastic about incentives to host live music (83%) and a single webpage of current live music rules (72%).

Smoke-free rooms. 76% of respondents prefer smoke-free venues, a chance to welcome more fans and more touring acts.

Even more voices on stage. Respondents asked to see more women and queer musicians on bills, building on a scene that already rates itself safe and inclusive.

Why it matters beyond Tulsa

None of what Tulsa did is expensive. Tulsa On Tour grants top out at $1,000 a tour. Mix and Master is free. The Make Music host grants total $2,000. No new department, no giant fund. Just an office that listened to its music community and answered with programs sized to fit.

The lesson travels: the support you have works best when people hear about it again and again. A monthly grant cycle, a monthly session, a music month every July. Tulsa keeps showing up, and that's how a scene learns what's available.

One respondent called Tulsa “a vibrant, raucous scene that most people have no idea exists.” Tulsa On Tour is helping a lot more people find out.

If you're in Tulsa and I missed something, a program, a venue, a person quietly doing the work, tell me. Leave a comment or send me a note. And if you're in another city wondering where to start, Tulsa is a great place to look.

Explore more insights at Tulsa Music Census