Taking Note: A Study of Composers and New Music Activity in the U.S. (2008)

Commissioned by the American Music Center (AMC) and the American Composers Forum (ACF), the two largest composer service organizations in the nation, the Research Center for Arts and Culture examined how composers create their work within the broad new music landscape. As RCAC's Taking Note is the first known national study of living American composers, the research methodology broadly included 90 interviews with composers and field experts from around the country, a national online survey returned by 1,347 respondents, focus groups, and a series of in-depth investigations into innovative resources available to composers. The report includes insights into composers' work, business practices, income, affiliations, collaborations, diversity and education along with extensive discussion on the opportunities and challenges facing the field of new music. Additionally, RCAC posits a series of recommendations for how composers' work may be better employed within the American musical ecology and provides a series of spotlights showcasing the work of organizations breaking new ground for composers in the United States.