Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.) and Sound Diplomacy have announced a decision to choose New Orleans as the site of the first Sound Diplomacy North American office.

Sound Diplomacy is a global strategic consultant that helps clients gain economic growth through music and the evening economy. By using its Sound Diplomacy Method, the organization researches, builds strategic plans, gives economic assessments and creates events that reveal the value of music and the evening economy for cities, governments, land owners and large organizations.

“The fact that Sound Diplomacy chose New Orleans 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.”

GNO, Inc. hired the firm in January 2019 to help develop an economic strategy for the New Orleans Music Economy (with a price tag of $150,000) on the city’s music industry and its potential for growth. An initiative was created (NOME) to encourage a thriving music economy in New Orleans and provide jobs and wealth to support musicians, intellectual property managers, publishers, agents, labels, professional services, and more of the business. A 12-month plan will be put into place by Sound Diplomacy, helping to manage the full economic potential of the New Orleans music economy. A total of $250,000 was raised from Iberia Bank, the Helis Foundation and other sponsors to pay for the study and its implementation.

GNO, Inc. and Sound Diplomacy is working with New Orleans’ creative and business community in order to fulfill the complete economic plan. The new Sound Diplomacy office will open in 2019, and the company is currently recruiting staff.  

For more information, click here.