MUSIC CITY USA EMBRACES TECH

Nashville Faces Hopes and Fears as Big Tech Rushes In.

- Jim Daws

When you think about hotbeds of technology and innovation, Nashville doesn’t necessarily spring to mind. More likely are visions of the Grand Ole Opry and Tennessee whiskey-soaked country music legends. From Hank Williams, to George Jones and Tammy Wynette, to Jason Aldean, Nashville is synonymous with country music. It’s where aspiring performers and songwriters from across America’s heartland have chased their dreams for over a century.

Today’s Nashville boasts scores of music publishers, labels and studios, and many of the genre’s superstars call it home. Every year, millions of country devotees flock to honky-tonks in the city’s Music Row to take in the sights, and more importantly, the sounds of Music City USA.

But beginning in the 90s, the music industry underwent major contractions as digital publishing and piracy slashed profitability. Many industry professionals lost their livelihoods and Nashville and the surrounding metro suffered the financial impact. Government and private sector leaders soon recognized the need to diversify the area’s economy and attract new industries.

Nashville’s Emergence as a Tech Hub

Driven initially by the city’s focus on healthcare and banking, tech companies soon moved in to provide services such as electronic health records, medical data analysis, and a broad spectrum of digital financial services.

One such venture is Decode Health, which leverages its machine learning platform and deep data know-how to convene and power an ecosystem of pharmaceutical, diagnostic and technology companies to accelerate precision medicine.