Could you be more specific? Depends on what you are looking for. Cincy definitely has a lot going for it. A lot of good original music that sometimes even leaks out. A very diverse array of styles as well. Now as far as actually making a living at it...
By vibrant I mean lots of places doing live music, open mics, etc. Seems so many venues close and there are fewer places seeking live performances than there used to be.
That's pretty much true all over what with the economy in a slump, and high gas prices. http://cincymusic.com/ http://citybeat.zipscene.com/music/browse/allmusic/all/All A couple of links to local listings for ya.
Just about any of the 3 bigger cities here in OH have plenty of places for playing, usually bars. But that's about the same anywhere you go, and it's more true outside of the cities where you usually won't see big name acts. Bars, etc... outside of cities tend to either rely on live music or pre-recorded stuff that every dj on the planet plays until you're sick of hearing it. Gas prices may hurt, but live music isn't dead yet.
I would say that Cincinnati has a more active original music scene than Columbus. Can't speak for Cleveland. As others have said, you need to be a little more specific - original, cover, blues, rock, country, metal...? I'd say that any fairly large urban area or college town is going to have a lot of small venues. There's work to be had, but the money is probably not the best. The secret to gigging is to be self-reliant and efficient.
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