Shain is a world-renowned thought leader at the convergence of music, culture and urban politics. This is evident in his first book, This Must Be The Place: How Music Can Make Your City Better, published by Repeater Books (distributed in the U.S. by Random House) on September 12, 2023. Shain has defined a new way of thinking about the value of music in cities and places, and in the process has influenced over 130 cities and places to invest in music and culture as founder and executive chairman of Sound Diplomacy and founder and executive director of the non-profit Global Center for Music Ecosystems. He is the author of authoritative reports on the role of music in cities, tourism, the nightlife economy, real estate and recovery, including the most comprehensive guide ever written on music and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in partnership with the United Nations. He has spoken at hundreds of international conventions, such as SXSW and the UN World Urban Forum, and gave the first-ever TEDx talk on the role of music in cities. Shain holds a PhD from the University of London and lives in East London.
