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The City 97.7

Your city. Your sound. Your scene.

Latest Articles

Right Next Door and Totally Strangers: How the Internet Pulled Local Artists Away From the Collaborations Already Living in Their ZIP Code
Music

Right Next Door and Totally Strangers: How the Internet Pulled Local Artists Away From the Collaborations Already Living in Their ZIP Code

Digital production platforms promised to connect artists everywhere, but they may be quietly disconnecting musicians from the creative energy sitting three blocks away. Local producers and rappers are building with strangers across the country while the perfect collab is literally down the street. We looked into how the algorithm replaced the accidental studio session — and what the scene is losing because of it.
Sold to the Highest Bidder: The Iconic Venues Your City Lost to Luxury Developers
Music

Sold to the Highest Bidder: The Iconic Venues Your City Lost to Luxury Developers

All across America, the rooms where rock legends got their start and local scenes were born are being gutted, bulldozed, and flipped into high-end condos. We talked to the people who lived inside those walls about what really disappears when a venue goes dark for good. Spoiler: it's a lot more than just a stage.
No Algorithm Needed: How Group Chats and Word-of-Mouth Are Still Making Local Artists Famous
Music

No Algorithm Needed: How Group Chats and Word-of-Mouth Are Still Making Local Artists Famous

Streaming platforms keep promising they'll surface your next favorite artist, but ask any real music fan in the city how they actually found out about the act they can't stop talking about. Nine times out of ten, it wasn't Spotify. It was a text message from their roommate at 11:47 on a Friday night.
The Person Behind the Person: How Sound Engineers Are Really Making or Breaking Local Artists
Music

The Person Behind the Person: How Sound Engineers Are Really Making or Breaking Local Artists

Before a single track drops or a crowd hears that first note, a sound engineer has already made a dozen decisions that determine whether an artist sounds like a star or an amateur. These are the people quietly steering your city's sonic identity — and almost nobody knows their names.
You Can't Record What You Can't Afford: The Studio Access Problem Killing Local Talent
Music

You Can't Record What You Can't Afford: The Studio Access Problem Killing Local Talent

For every local artist who breaks through, there are dozens who never got a shot at a real recording session. The cost of studio time, the gatekeeping of sound engineers, and the geography of production resources are quietly deciding whose voice gets heard in your city — and whose doesn't.
One Wrong Move: How Reputation Makes or Breaks You in Your City's Music Scene
Music

One Wrong Move: How Reputation Makes or Breaks You in Your City's Music Scene

In your city's music world, getting blacklisted isn't a formal announcement — it's a slow fade nobody warns you about. We talked to promoters, sound engineers, and artists who've been on both sides of the rope to find out how reputation really works when the scene is this small.
Knock-Off or Nod of Respect? The Underground Merch Economy Feeding Your City's Music Scene
Music

Knock-Off or Nod of Respect? The Underground Merch Economy Feeding Your City's Music Scene

Unofficial band tees, fan-designed hoodies, and DIY screen-printed hats are quietly outselling official merch tables at local venues — and a surprising number of artists are totally fine with it. We dug into the grey market powering your city's music economy and found a hustle hiding in plain sight.
When the East Side Meets the West Side: The Cross-Neighborhood Collabs Redefining Your City's Sound
Music

When the East Side Meets the West Side: The Cross-Neighborhood Collabs Redefining Your City's Sound

Some of the most exciting music coming out of your city right now wasn't made in a single studio or a single zip code. It was born the moment two artists from completely different corners of town decided to get in the same room — and what happened next is changing everything.
Same Streets, Different Beat: How Gentrification Is Quietly Rewriting Your City's Sound
Music

Same Streets, Different Beat: How Gentrification Is Quietly Rewriting Your City's Sound

Walk through a neighborhood that looked completely different five years ago and you'll notice more than new coffee shops and condos — you'll hear something different too. The music coming out of rapidly changing urban neighborhoods is shifting in ways most people haven't stopped to name yet. We talked to the musicians living through it.
Behind Every Sold-Out Show Is Someone You've Never Heard Of
Nightlife

Behind Every Sold-Out Show Is Someone You've Never Heard Of

Before a single ticket gets scanned or a DJ drops the first track, someone behind a screen already decided whether you'd even know the night existed. Meet the social media managers and digital curators quietly running the show before the show even starts.
Staying Local on Purpose: The Artists Who Said No to Going Viral
Music

Staying Local on Purpose: The Artists Who Said No to Going Viral

A growing number of artists are deliberately turning their backs on the streaming rat race, choosing deep community roots over fleeting national attention. Turns out, selling out your hometown venue every weekend might be a smarter career move than chasing a Spotify playlist placement that disappears in two weeks.
Discover Weekly Doesn't Know Your City Exists — Here's Why
Music

Discover Weekly Doesn't Know Your City Exists — Here's Why

Streaming platforms keep promising they'll surface the next great artist right in your earbuds. So why does your Discover Weekly playlist look like a major label press kit? We dug into the math — and the money — behind why your city's best local talent keeps getting buried.
Priced Out, But Not Silent: How Displacement Is Changing the Music Your City Makes
Music

Priced Out, But Not Silent: How Displacement Is Changing the Music Your City Makes

When rents spike and longtime residents get pushed to the edges of the city, the music moves with them — and it sounds different on the other side of the freeway. We talked to artists, producers, and community organizers about what a neighborhood loses when its creative class can no longer afford to stay, and what the culture looks like when it has no choice but to reinvent itself.
Streams Don't Get You on Stage: The Local Promoters Who Actually Decide Who Blows Up
Nightlife

Streams Don't Get You on Stage: The Local Promoters Who Actually Decide Who Blows Up

You can have 100,000 monthly listeners and still not be able to get a callback from the right venue. Local promoters — the people who actually fill out the live music calendar — operate by a completely different set of rules than the streaming platforms, and understanding those rules might be the most important thing an emerging artist can do. We went behind the curtain to find out how the city's most powerful booking minds really make their decisions.
Last Venue Standing: What Happens to a Neighborhood When Its Music Spots Can't Afford to Stay
Nightlife

Last Venue Standing: What Happens to a Neighborhood When Its Music Spots Can't Afford to Stay

When a beloved dive bar or underground club gets priced out or polished up, it takes more than just a stage with it. We dig into the messy, complicated story of what music venues mean to a neighborhood's soul — and what's really lost when the rent wins.
From Bedroom to Mainstage: How TikTok Clout Is Rewriting the Rules for Local Artists
Music

From Bedroom to Mainstage: How TikTok Clout Is Rewriting the Rules for Local Artists

A new generation of producers is skipping the open mic grind entirely, racking up millions of views before they ever soundcheck at a real venue. We talked to the artists, bookers, and promoters navigating this wild new landscape to find out whether going viral actually fills a room.
Last Call, First Bite: The After-Hours Food Spots Your City's Music Scene Swears By
Music

Last Call, First Bite: The After-Hours Food Spots Your City's Music Scene Swears By

When the last song fades and the house lights creep up, the night doesn't have to end — not if you know where to go. Tucked between parking lots, down unmarked alleys, and behind unmarked doors, a whole underground food culture is feeding the music crowd long after most kitchens have gone dark.
Beats by Data: Are Club DJs Still Artists, or Just Spotify's Live Shuffle Button?
Nightlife

Beats by Data: Are Club DJs Still Artists, or Just Spotify's Live Shuffle Button?

Streaming platforms have fundamentally changed what gets played on dance floors across the country — and local DJs are caught right in the middle of it. We talked to the people behind the decks, the people who own the rooms, and the data nerds quietly pulling the strings to find out who's really controlling your Friday night soundtrack.
Who's Holding the Velvet Rope? A Real Look at the Power Players Running Your City's Nightlife
Nightlife

Who's Holding the Velvet Rope? A Real Look at the Power Players Running Your City's Nightlife

Every city has a nightlife ecosystem, but not everyone gets equal access to it. Behind the hottest events, the most buzzed-about venues, and the lineups that shape urban culture is a small, tight-knit network of promoters, DJs, and tastemakers who decide who's in and who's waiting outside. We're pulling back the curtain on how that world actually works — and asking the uncomfortable question of whether it's good for the rest of us.
Building the Blueprint: The Indie Labels Quietly Rewriting the Rules of Music From the Ground Up
Music

Building the Blueprint: The Indie Labels Quietly Rewriting the Rules of Music From the Ground Up

Long before a major label A&R rep slides into an artist's DMs, there's a good chance a local indie label already took the bet. We went inside the independent record labels operating out of your city's neighborhoods, studios, and living rooms to find out how they're shaping the sound of tomorrow — and why they're doing it better than the big guys.