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

“Dr. Shain Shapiro has synthesized what I have known all my working life. The more you care for music, the more music cares for you. In fact, you will mess around and fall in love. This is a seminal book by a seminal thinker and one I encourage all interested in music, cities and making our world better to read.”
—Al Bell, Original Owner, Chairman, Stax Records and Former President, Motown Records Group, songwriter and producer of “I’ll Take You There” (performed by The Staples Singers)

“Shain Shapiro is a long term and astute observer of the way music scenes interact with and bolster the cities they are in and he knows what makes for healthy ecosystems that serve the performers, venues, and public and This Must Be The Place is an engaging and inspiring read for people who believe that music changes lives and places.”
—Brian Richie, bassist of the Violent Femmes & Director of Mona Foma Festival

“Shain continues to be the most informed and capable voice on the subject of how music and culture is a critical and powerful component of any thriving community. I turn to him time and time again for insight and guidance, and I find his balance of research and applied learning really is remarkable.”
—Ben Lovett, CEO, tvg hospitality & musician, Mumford & Sons

“This book is a go to resource for anyone who wants to understand the positive impact that music has on our society, how we are underutilising it, and how we can more effectively integrate it into all areas of our community life. It breathes a passion for music as a force for positivity which everyone can, and should, embrace.”
—Mark Davyd, CEO, Music Venue Trust

“Engaging, insightful, and full of practical examples and advice, This Must Be the Place is an essential read for anyone interested in the power of music to shape our cities and our lives.”
—Harvey Mason Jr, CEO of the Recording Academy

“Shapiro’s book is one we have been waiting for. He shows how music and music scenes give life to our communities and provides a playbook for city leaders, musicians, artists, activists, and citizens to use music to make their neighborhoods stronger, more vibrant and inclusive.”
—Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class

“Whether you are a professional musician or simply a passionate listener, this must-read book will deepen your appreciation for the profound impact of music on our daily lives and its ability to shape where we live.”
—Margery Kraus, Founder and Executive Chairman, APCO Worldwide

“In a masterful take on the complex relationship between the music we love and the cities we live in, Shapiro shows us that music can be a powerful urban planning tool for the places we call home.”
—Panos A. Panay, President of the Recording Academy, and author of Two Beats Ahead: What Musical Minds Teach Us About Innovation

“With successful case studies and a focus on systems and policy, Shain Shapiro’s book brings the power of music and community back to the place it matters: your city.”
—Roy Christopher, author of Dead Precedents: How Hip-Hop Defines the Future

“A lovely, thought-provoking book, full of practical ideas and examples for those who share the goal of encouraging music to flourish in their city.”
—Matt Brennan, Convenor of MSc Music Industries, University of Glasgow

“Shain’s book exposes the contradictions and prejudices that music must navigate, and argues convincingly that our leaders have a responsibility (and an opportunity) to understand and engineer the material conditions to safeguard its future – and, by extension, all our futures.”
—Ramzy Alkaweel, author of How We Used Saint Etienne To Live

“Shain Shapiro convinces us that music is a foundational part of the ideal city and an indispensable civic right – and shows us, step by step, how we can claim it.”
—Lesley Chow, author of You’re History: The 12 Strangest Women in Music

“Shapiro has brilliantly merged analogue concepts about musicians and venues with our overarching contemporary need to chart new pathways for uniting artists and audiences together in community… In Shapiro’s brave new world, it’s the music that ineluctably matters.”
—Kenneth Womack, Professor of English and Popular Music, Monmouth University & author of Solid State: The Story of Abbey Road and the End of the Beatles and John Lennon, 1980: The Last Days in the Life

“This Must Be The Place is an incredibly important book that will empower people with the tools to impact their communities in ways that go far beyond music.”
—Aaron Bethune, author of Musicpreneur: The Creative Approach to Making Money in Music and Reality and The Positive Power of Perspective, CEO of We Write Stories, and Founder of Play it Loud Music

Shain Shapiro is a globally recognised thought leader at the convergence of music, culture and urban policy. This is showcased in his debut book, This Must Be The Place: How Music Can Make Your City Better, released on Repeater Books in September 2023.

This Must Be The Place sold out of its first pressing, has seen Shain embark on a 40+ date global tour and is being translated into Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Japanese and Brazilian Portuguese at present.

Shain has defined a new way to think about the value of music and the creative economy in cities and places and through it, influenced over 120 cities and places to invest in music and culture as founder and chairman of Sound Diplomacy and founder and executive director of the not-for-profit global Center for Music Ecosystems.

He has authored authoritative reports on the role of music and culture in cities, tourism, the night time economy, real estate, and recovery, including the most extensive guide to music and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ever written, in partnership with the United Nations. He has spoken at hundreds of global conventions, such as SXSW, with the OECD and the UN World Urban Forum, and delivered the first-ever TEDx talk on music’s role in cities. He is also the recipient of Folk Alliance International’s Spirit of Folk Award in 2022.

Shain holds a PhD from the University of London and lives in East London. He is also an accomplished academic, having authored courses for the Global Leaders Institute and Berklee College of Music and is also the co-founder of Unison Rights, a new copyright management entity in Spain.