The Monday Media Diet with Shain Shapiro

On the value of music, Greenland, and Caste

Shain Shapiro (SS) is Chairman of Sound Diplomacy, an economic consultancy focused on music, culture and place. We were introduced to his work via friend of WITI Michaella Solar-March. (check our her MMD at the link). -Colin (CJN)

Tell us about yourself.

I am the Founder and now Chairman of Sound Diplomacy. We are an economic consultancy focused on music, culture and place. I am also the ED of a nonprofit called the Center for Music Ecosystems, which is aimed at developing research that uses music to help address global problems. And I wrote a book that came out in September, called This Must Be The Place: How Music Can Make Your City Better. I’m on a book tour right now. 

Describe your media diet. 

I read far too much current affairs and political news. I have subscriptions to both The Guardian and the Telegraph, so I can get both sides and am an infrequent Economist reader. I listen to a ton of podcasts, including The Rest Is Politics, The Rest Is Money, Reveal and NPR All Songs Considered. 

What’s the last great book you read?

Isobel Wilkerson’s Caste. It’s hard reading at times but does explain why things are the way they are and why there’s a huge amount of people who don’t see it as their benefit to improve things for the benefit of all of us. It shows how pernicious, ordered and deliberate we can be at compartmentalizing each other for our own personal gain. It’s should be mandatory reading for all of us. 

What are you reading now?

Being on the book tour, I’m actually not reading anything because I’m spending most of my time outside of traveling trying to keep up with the day job. At home I’m in between a few books, including one exploring the history of milk by Mark Kurlansky and its impact of society and Jeff Tweedy’s How To Write A Song. I am also about 40 pages into 1984, which I never read.  

What’s your reading strategy when you pick up a print copy of your favorite publication?

I flip through and go back to things. I’m extremely non linear in my reading. I also read most things online, which I know it’s good for the eyes but because I’m on the road, carting books and magazines around is exhausting. 

Who should everyone be reading that they’re not?

David Byrne’s How Music Works. It is my favorite book of all time and one that everyone should read, regardless of one’s interest in music. It explains so much more. He’s a genius. 

What is the best non-famous app you love on your phone? 

The Score. It’s a Canadian sports app that keeps me up-to-date on my the North American sports teams I love even though I have lived in the UK for decades. I am also a big fan of the Reuters app for punchy, impactful current events. 

Plane or train?

Train if I can, but it’s more often a plane. But I much prefer trains. 

What is one place everyone should visit? 

Greenland. It was a life changing experience for me to go to a place with such a unique culture, history & take on things that most people have never experienced or know nothing about. I learned a lot about myself visiting and what I want my mark on this world to be spending 10 days up there. I will be back. And the Nuuk Nordisk festival is fantastic. And it’s the best seafood in the world. 

Tell us the story of a rabbit hole you fell deep into.

I am obsessed with why we don’t value music economically the way I believe it could be. I get that we all appreciate music, but for example, in 108 of the 195 United Nations countries, there is a lack of copyright policy that provides the framework for music to be an economy, which means if you live in one of those countries and want to pursue music professionally, you have to leave. I have been digging into each of these 195 countries in a deep, deep way and have developed quite an expansive spreadsheet that explores all sorts of different data points related to music and what the country has done, has signed up to, has mandated and so on. My goal is to change this in my lifetime - so that where you live and what you look like has no bearing on your ability to pursue music as a career, if that is something you choose to do. This is a lifelong rabbit hole, but it is, admittedly, what I am obsessed with right now. 

Thanks for reading,

Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN) & Shain (SS)

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