Edinburgh Music Map launched to give in-depth guide to music lovers visiting the Capital

For anyone keen to discover more of what Edinburgh’s music scene has to offer, a new map has been launched to let you do just that.
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The Edinburgh Music Map will help ensure music lovers living in or visiting the city don’t miss a thing as it takes them on a tour of the hidden gems as well as the well-known venues, shops and areas in the city with musical significance.

The map, which will be a guide to all the city’s best music venues, bars, record shops and places of interest, has been launched by local band swim school, members of which took a break from playing UK festivals to celebrate the map at Capital music venue Sneaky Pete’s.

The Edinburgh Music Map has been launchedThe Edinburgh Music Map has been launched
The Edinburgh Music Map has been launched
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Alice Johnson, singer and guitarist for swim school, said: “Sneaky Pete’s is one of our favourite venues in Edinburgh. We have played the venue multiple times and also been to watch so many of our favourite bands there - whether you are on stage or in the audience, the energy and atmosphere is always amazing.

“You can tell it's a highly loved venue the moment you step foot in the door so we hope this map helps encourage more musicians and fans to come to Edinburgh.”

Created by Forever Edinburgh in collaboration with website Edinburgh Music Lovers, the map features around 50 destinations that will prove popular with music fans and lists around 20 of the city’s main music venues which regularly host gigs.

It also encourages people to pay a visit to the independent record shops in Edinburgh, such as Thorne Records in Bruntsfield, Underground Solu’shn, Avalanche and Assai Records.

Music Map of Edinburgh held by Edinburgh band Swim School at Sneaky Pete’sMusic Map of Edinburgh held by Edinburgh band Swim School at Sneaky Pete’s
Music Map of Edinburgh held by Edinburgh band Swim School at Sneaky Pete’s
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Nick Stewart, owner of the Sneaky Pete’s venue and a leading campaigner for live music in Edinburgh, said: "Edinburgh is a music city with a rich history of great gigs by outstanding touring and local acts. Its nightlife is built around music culture, and it's great to see it recognised in this map of hotspots."

A particularly special element of the map is a featured link which takes visitors to a specially curated Edinburgh playlist featuring music by local bands and artists - from new artists to old favourites like The Proclaimers.

And the launch ties in with a time when many bands and artists are set to descend on the city during the festival season.

Karl Chapman, Head of Heritage, Cultural Venues, Museums & Galleries at City of Edinburgh Council, said: “It’s exciting to see the launch of Edinburgh’s music map. I’m sure this will become an invaluable resource for music fans both for those who want to visit the city and also residents.

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“Our music scene was hard hit by the pandemic, and it needs support to bounce back even bigger and better. I’m sure the new music map will play a key role in raising awareness of and encouraging visitors and residents to explore our eclectic music scene, along with other Forever Edinburgh initiatives, such as the recently appointed music reviewer.”

The Edinburgh Music Map is available to download from Forever Edinburgh’s website with a printed version expected to follow.

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