About the Initiative
The Music Sustainability Initiative is an interdisciplinary project advancing the cultural, economic, and policy conditions that promote a more just and sustainable future for music.
The Initiative builds on Georgetown University’s 25-year legacy in music policy, artist advocacy, and cultural strategy, anchored in its stewardship of the Future of Music Coalition archive and public-facing scholarship. This initiative connects this legacy to the urgent and evolving challenges facing musicians in today’s increasingly unstable creative economy.
Artists are facing increasing precarity due to platform monopolies, inequitable streaming revenue models, and the decline of public funding for the arts. The digital transformation of music has significantly outpaced the development of labor protections, copyright frameworks, and sustainable support models for creators. Although cities, national governments, and international bodies are exploring policy reforms to address these issues, artists and academic researchers are often excluded from these discussions. The Music Sustainability Initiative aims to bridge that gap by centering artists, cultural workers, and communities in critical conversations about the future of music and the creative economy.
Georgetown is well-positioned to lead this work. Our faculty have long contributed to national NEA reports, local DC arts strategies, and international cultural policy discussions. We are also home to faculty practitioners and scholars who actively engage in music labor, law, cultural strategy, and research. Situated in Washington, DC, Georgetown is a vital connector between independent artists, advocacy organizations, government agencies, and academic researchers. The Music Sustainability Initiative builds on this strategic position by convening public dialogues, supporting research collaborations, and facilitating policy engagement that envisions and proposes sustainable pathways for music-making in the 21st century.