Cawein Uplifts Memphis Musicians

Elizabeth Cawein, the founder of Music Export Memphis, says the “magic is in the middle” for the local music industry. She spoke in Hyde Chapel about focusing on the “music middle class” – 60% of local musicians who would like to remain in the area and support themselves through music. Music Export Memphis creates opportunities for and subsidizes working musicians, allowing them to tour, build audiences outside the city, and sustain their careers while remaining rooted in the Mid-South.
“The research shows when we have a thriving music middle class in our cities, we all stand to benefit,” she said. “[Music] changes the way people think about our city; it encourages them to visit. It might even change someone’s mind about wanting to move here, wanting to live here where they can see, hear, and experience our vibrant music culture.”

Cawein, who serves as an adjunct professor of music urbanism at Rhodes College and an assistant director of the Curb Institute for Music, explained that Music Export Memphis finds its purpose at “the intersection of philanthropy and industry.”

Recognizing musicians are small businesses, the organization provides grants that help them make a sustainable living and develop industry connections.

Memphis is the perfect setting for Music Export Memphis, she says, because its music blends the old and the new. “We are a city with a music legacy, with music sites that draw tourists from around the world, but we are a city with a thriving contemporary scene as well. Not only that, but in the middle of that Venn diagram, we are a city where you can still go and make music in historic spaces.”

Cawein founded Music Export Memphis in 2016, and she plans to keep pushing for musicians and the City of Memphis. “If we keep doing what we do well, Memphis becomes a city of choice for musicians.”

In addition to her work with the organization and completing a doctorate at the University of Memphis School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy, she hosts Straight from the Source, a weekly all-Memphis-music program, on WYXR 91.7FM. You can find out more about her work by visiting her website.
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