ABSTRACT
Music is connected with tourism in diverse ways. As an expression of culture, a form of intangible heritage, or a signifier of place, music provides an important and emotive narrative for tourists. Adopting the qualities of a cultural resource, music is actively used to evoke images and associations with specific places. To this end, music tourism constructs nostalgic attachments to musical heritage sites, scenes, sounds, or individuals, while relying on musical events and incidents from the past that can be packaged, visualized, photographed, and ‘taken back’ home. Nostalgia and memory are thus key motivators for the global music tourist in search for particular kinds of authentic musical experiences. This chapter explores these notions by focusing on the role of music, place branding, and tourism during Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture (ECOC). To do so, the chapter will illustrate the branding of Liverpool as The World in One City to promote tourism and urban regeneration under consideration of migration and settlement, while exploring the staging and commodification of music events and activities during Liverpool’s year in 2008 as ECOC.
