Very few would bat an eye when ICT is mentioned in conjunction with Waterloo. The same can be said about biotechnology in Vancouver, and fashion in Toronto. But how does music fit into all this?
Wikipedia gives us a good starting-point for discussing clusters.
This term industry cluster, also known as a business cluster, competitive cluster, or Porterian cluster, was introduced and the term cluster popularized by Michael Porter in The Competitive Advantage of Nations (1990). The importance of economic geography was also brought to attention by Paul Krugman in Geography and Trade (1991). Cluster development has since become a focus for many government programs. The underlying concept, which economists have referred to has agglomeration economies, dates back to 1890, and the work of Alfred Marshall. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_cluster)
Interesting to note the inclusion of Porter in the definition – and this is were the waters become muddied when defining a music cluster. Clusters – in their original form as defined by Porter – require competitiveness (specifically strong competitive environments in the cluster’s geographic region); however, most musicians would shudder at the mention of competition.
The world of arts, and specifically music, is one of elitist inclusion. Those who are musically gifted find themselves automatically enrolled in an elite group of people – groups that congregate in music stores and underground venues to hear the latest and greatest. That being said, when the inner circle has been penetrated, support networks begin to materialize. The music scene has historically been self-sufficient, with music stores providing rising stars with equipment loans, and social networks fueling ticket sales at CD launch parties.
Michael Porter would argue that competition should strengthen the music scene; however, my guess is that Richard Florida would suggest that collaboration within the music scene can be the fuel for this developing cluster. While this cluster is still in it’s infancy, it could serve to be an excellent case study on the viability of an economic cluster without the influence of competition (at least competition as framed by our historical economic learnings).
