In early 2021, Whippoorwill Arts partnered with research powerhouse Slover Linett on a landmark survey of roots musicians. The resulting three-week-long window of data collection included more than 1,200 working musicians across multiple categories, as well as four focus groups and numerous cognitive interviews.
The data was unveiled during a webinar on October 21, and confirms what Hilary Perkins (a working roots musician herself, performing under the name Nell Robinson) and the team at Whippoorwill Arts had witnessed for years: the roots and independent music community is in crisis. The restoration of opportunity, economic equity and professional protections across age, gender, race, and more has never been more critical.
Member Organizations that participated in the survey project include American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 1000, Americana Music Association, Folk Alliance International, GlobalFest, The Blues Foundation, and the International Bluegrass Music Association.