Ghent’s Music Policy Landscape: A City Without a Strategy, but with a Strong Cultural Commitment

written by idkblanco | 5 min read

Ghent, recognised as a UNESCO Creative City of Music since 2009, has cemented its reputation as a vibrant hub for music and cultural life. However, despite this status, the city operates without a dedicated music policy, integrating its support for music within broader cultural strategies. The absence of a formal music policy does not mean a lack of support; rather, the city’s approach is to embed music within a comprehensive cultural vision, which spans funding, infrastructure, and community engagement. As Ghent looks towards its future, including its aspirations to become the European Capital of Culture in 2030, the question remains whether its current model is sustainable or if a more structured policy is required.

The Role of the City in Ghent’s Music Life

The City of Ghent plays an active role in shaping its musical landscape, despite the lack of an explicit music policy. Its involvement extends to funding, infrastructure, event organisation, and fostering an ecosystem that encourages artistic innovation. The city's approach aligns with its broader cultural policy, which emphasises inclusivity, sustainability, and accessibility.

One of the key aspects of city involvement is financial support. Ghent provides several funding mechanisms that directly or indirectly support the music sector. These include project subsidies for arts and culture, subsidies for amateur music groups, and rehearsal space funding. Additionally, the city offers multi-year operating subsidies, with organisations such as HA Concerts, Opera Ballet Flanders, and De Bijloke receiving between €25,000 and €1.2 million per funding cycle​.

Beyond financial aid, the city actively facilitates cultural programming. Ghent runs initiatives such as the City Composer programme, which appoints a local musician to create works that resonate with the city’s artistic identity. Other city-backed initiatives include Artiest zkt … (Artist Looking For …), which connects musicians with grassroots event organisers, and Local Heroes, a biennial initiative that supports local promoters and artists​.

Cultural Infrastructure: A Key Investment Area

Ghent recognises the importance of infrastructure in maintaining a thriving music scene. The city’s 2021-2025 cultural policy note outlines a vision for cultural infrastructure that includes the renovation and expansion of key music venues. One of the major projects in progress is the overhaul of the Opera Ghent building (2024-2028), as well as the continued development of the Bijloke Site Spatial Master Plan. The Winter Circus, a newly completed venue, is set to open for concerts in September 2024, with a 450-500 capacity music club designed to support diverse genres including hip-hop, electronic, rock, and jazz​.

Ghent has also pioneered a temporary space policy, which repurposes vacant properties for cultural use. This initiative aligns with the city’s commitment to sustainability, ensuring that existing spaces are maximised for artistic purposes. A prime example is the Open Creatives platform, developed to help artists and musicians locate available creative spaces across the city​.

Funding and Economic Impact

While Ghent does not earmark specific funds exclusively for the commercial music sector, the city's overall cultural budget is substantial. Between 2020-2025, Ghent allocated €367 million towards culture, averaging €61.2 million per year. Music receives a significant share, with multi-year budget agreements absorbing 87.6% of the total music-related subsidies. Project subsidies, meanwhile, account for just over 5% of music funding, indicating a preference for long-term institutional support​.

The music sector’s economic importance is evident in Ghent’s creative economy. Drawing insight from Sillamaa, the city has around 500 active companies in the creative industries, contributing 4% of total employment and providing work for 18% of the city’s self-employed individuals. Notably, Ghent hosts 29% of all Flemish music organisations, reinforcing its status as a key player in the regional music ecosystem​.

Looking Towards 2030: Ghent’s Future Vision

As part of its bid to become the European Capital of Culture in 2030, Ghent has outlined a vision that seeks to integrate culture into all aspects of city planning. This vision includes cross-sector collaboration, expanded cultural participation, and sustainability-driven projects. While Ghent ultimately did not progress to the next stage of the competition, the initiatives developed during the process will still shape the city's future cultural policies​.

A Thriving Music City Without a Defined Music Policy

Ghent’s music ecosystem thrives despite the absence of a dedicated music policy. The city's rooted approach ensures that music benefits from broader cultural strategies, funding, and infrastructure projects. However, as the city moves forward, there remains an open question: will this holistic model continue to serve Ghent’s music sector effectively, or is it time for a more structured policy to secure its place as a leading European music city?