International Consultancy, Sound Diplomacy, Opens First North American Office in New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS – Today, Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.) and Sound Diplomacy announced the company has chosen New Orleans as the site of its first North American office. Sound Diplomacy’s selection of New Orleans is a significant win for the New Orleans Music Economy initiative.
“The fact that Sound Diplomacy chose New Orleans – and not Nashville or New York – for its U.S. office location is both practically and symbolically important,” said Michael Hecht, President and CEO at Greater New Orleans, Inc. “Practically, it begins to establish New Orleans as location for non-performance music jobs, and symbolically, it sends a message that New Orleans is a global music city, appropriate to host a global music company, like Sound Diplomacy ”
Sound Diplomacy is the global leading strategic consultancy that helps its clients achieve economic growth through music and the evening economy. They have delivered measurable outcomes for clients around the world, including the Mayor of London, United Nations, Walton Family Foundation, Lendlease, Arup, cities of San Francisco, Vancouver, Brisbane, Indianapolis, Cardiff and others across 100 projects in 40+ countries. Through their Sound Diplomacy Method, they deliver research and analysis, implement strategic planning, provide economic impact assessments and create award-winning events and conferences that determine the value of music and the evening economy for cities, governments, land owners and large organizations.
In January 2019, Sound Diplomacy was hired by GNO, Inc. to build an economic development strategy for the New Orleans Music Economy. The New Orleans Music Economy initiative was created to jumpstart a thriving full music economy in Greater New Orleans that provides jobs and wealth to support musicians, intellectual property managers, publishers, agents, labels, professional services, creative services and all other aspects of the “business of music.” NOME will be a key initiative under GNO, Inc.’s new Music, Food, and Art (MFA) focus sector.
Sound Diplomacy will manage a quantitative and qualitative 12-month process that will deliver a detailed, critical-path action plan with steps needed to fill in the gaps and realize the full economic potential and vision for the New Orleans Music Economy.
“We’re thrilled to be opening our first US outpost in New Orleans later this year. I believe New Orleans is the right fit for us. With its direct flight to London, competitive tax incentive structure, terrific universities and of course the music and culture, it’s perfect for Sound Diplomacy. And every step of the way we’ve had support, from GNO, Inc. to the Recording Academy, Iberia Bank to the music community embracing us. It’s a milestone for us and we’re exciting to grow and support the development of music, IP and business in town for years to come,” said Shain Shapiro, Founder & President, Sound Diplomacy.
The new Sound Diplomacy office will open in 2019, and the company is currently recruiting local staff.
Sound Diplomacy will develop an economic impact assessment of the music industry in New Orleans (with a focus on intellectual property management). To do so, GNO, Inc. and Sound Diplomacy will bring together and work with the breadth and depth of New Orleans’ creative and business community, to provide the statistical data and modelling to quantify music’s value, in its totality, to Greater New Orleans.
