Iowa-based musicians are recording nationally acclaimed albums, selling out venues across the country and building audiences that stretch far beyond the state. The music community here is vibrant, prolific and ambitious.
But our music institutions haven’t kept up. Few Iowa artists appear on our festival stages, few are heard on our radio stations, and few receive meaningful coverage in our newspapers and magazines. Instead, these outlets often default to highlighting names from out of state and a handful of familiar names.
And I get it. It’s tough out there. Funding has been cut, staff has been reduced and journalists and programmers have less time than ever to discover and champion new artists. It’s easier and safer to cover artists who already have national recognition than it is to take a chance on emerging artists who require more time, curiosity and investment.
But that is exactly why these outlets matter. Their role has never been simply to cover what is already successful. It’s to help identify what will become important. Every great cultural hub became that way because it first believed its own artists were worth listening to. Cities like Minneapolis, Nashville or Austin didn’t become music hubs by importing an identity; they did it by cultivating one. And we’ve done that. The artists are here. What we’re missing are institutions willing to champion them.
Iowa has an exciting and rare opportunity. We have a vast catalog of new and ambitious music being created here, much of it already earning recognition far beyond our borders. So we don’t need to manufacture a scene; we need only to invest in and celebrate the one that already exists. We have all the ingredients to become a cultural hub ourselves. All we have to do is decide to do it. And do it before more of our artists seek support elsewhere.
Lily DeTaeye, Andrew Hoyt, Annie Kemble and Louise Lately are just a handful of artists I’ve worked with who ultimately left Iowa for cities where independent musicians can more easily find radio airplay, press coverage and meaningful performance opportunities. I often tell people that back in my touring years, it was easier for my band to be featured on KCRW and in the Los Angeles Times than it was to receive the same kind of support here in Des Moines.
Public radio, local print media and local festivals have historically played a crucial role in breaking artists. The Lumineers, Bon Iver and The Avett Brothers, for example, were championed in their hometowns before they reached a national audience. Their local media didn’t wait for the rest of the country to validate these artists — they helped create that validation.
So what would this look like here?
At Iowa Public Radio, local music shouldn’t be a category. It should be part of the conversation. The talent is here, and the volume of work is undeniable. Everyone has already heard Mumford & Sons and Lorde, so why not introduce them to some of the hundreds of bands and artists across our state consistently releasing new music and playing packed rooms across the Midwest and beyond?
And imagine if our newspapers treated Iowa music with the same seriousness they give to national acts. Weekly columns featuring album reviews, interviews and thoughtful criticism would not only document our scene, they would help build it.
And finally, it is time to put Iowa artists on Iowa festival stages and in meaningful opening slots at our biggest venues. This month, Hinterland once again featured no Iowa artists on its main stage. Our artists deserve opportunities that reflect the quality of the work being created here.
Festival organizers, promoters and venue operators have the chance to make a simple but powerful statement: Iowa music belongs at the center of Iowa culture, not on its margins.
Be proud of our music. Support it. Champion it. Because the next great Iowa music story isn’t waiting to be discovered somewhere else. It’s already happening here.
Bryan Vanderpool is a music producer and the owner of Golden Bear Records, a recording studio in Des Moines.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Stop importing our musical identity. Iowa already has one. | Opinion
Reporting by Bryan Vanderpool, Guest columnist / Des Moines Register
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By Bryan Vanderpool, Guest columnist | USA TODAY Network
