'Conditions are set': Calgary poised to become the Nashville of the north

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNewsLocal News 'Conditions are set': Calgary poised to become the Nashville of the north Industry experts say the conditions are right after Premier Danielle Smith calls for massive growth of city's music scene Author of the article: By Devon Dekuyper Published Sep 04, 2026 Last updated 5 hours ago 4 minute read Join the conversation After a trip to Nashville. Premier Danielle Smith said she wants to see Calgary become the Nashville of the North, with a music scene that boosts the economy significantly. PHOTO BY BRENT CALVER/POSTMEDIA /Brent Calver/Postmedia Article content In response to Premier Danielle Smith’s aspirations for Calgary to become “Nashville North,” industry experts and city officials say the conditions are already in place to grow the city’s music industry. Article content During a personal trip to Tennessee this week, Smith met with the state’s chamber of commerce and tourism industry leaders to glean insight into how Nashville became a world-renowned music hub. Article content Article content Article content “I thought I’d take advantage of some of the expertise that’s down there,” Smith said, speaking ahead of the trip at an unrelated news conference on Tuesday. “We’ve been trying for some time to have Calgary become Nashville North.” Article content Noon News Roundup Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content Calgary’s music industry currently brings in around $2.3 billion in value, she said, compared to $28.3 billion in Nashville. Article content “There are a number of changes that they made 25 years ago in order to become what they are today,” Smith said. “I want to find out a little bit about what that is, and see if we can develop some excellent partnerships with the music industry so that we can do a transfer of talent and transfer of expertise.” Article content Music industry insiders say building blocks to turn Calgary into a music city are there Article content National Music Centre president and CEO Andrew Mosker said Friday that conversations around growing Calgary’s music industry have been ongoing for more than a decade. Article content “It’s really started to pick up speed, though, in the…