Panelists cite city, state programs among positives for health of Austin music scene

Praising attempts by the city and state to offer more support for Austin’s musicians and live music venues, panelists weighing in on the state of the city’s music scene were upbeat Tuesday during a discussion at the LBJ Presidential Library. The Future Forum discussion on the health of Austin’s vaunted music ecosystem cycled through the challenges of affordability and the changes facing the music industry as a whole, but the music professionals saw plenty of positive signs for the city remaining a creative hotbed.

Musician Carrie Rodriguez highlighted the city’s Live Music Fund grant program, which gives awards of up to $30,000 to performers and promoters for projects that employ local artists.

“I’m really amazed at how the city is supporting its artists right now. I mean, the grant money is significant and it’s making a big difference,” she said. “They’re putting money into musicians who want to make records. They’re putting money into these arts nonprofits. And there’s also a lot of collaboration between nonprofits right now in Austin. And it seems to me like it’s really helping us all figure out how to keep going.”

Graham Williams, co-owner of the Resound Presents booking and promotion company, said the city’s similar grants for music venues and state liquor tax rebates have helped to make those small-margin business more stable and sustainable.

“I don’t want to give the city too much credit or they might stop, but they have been a lot more supportive of the music business in Austin as of late, whether it’s venues, record labels or musicians,” he said. “There’s a lot of tax rebates at the state level that didn’t exist before that are coming back to a lot of the venues. There’s a lot of grants. There’s a lot of programs through various nonprofits in town that are supporting artists. That money is not going to make or break a venue, I don’t think, but it’s hugely important to have these other revenue streams as things have gotten more and more expensive.”

Will Bridges, co-owner of the Antone’s music venue, said those programs and audiences’ willingness to pay higher ticket prices in recent years were furthered by an appreciation of live music after the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The pandemic certainly thrust everyone into a reality in which grants and sponsorships and private parties kind of were a necessary part of the equation,” he said, noting that music venues should be operated as economic engines rather than a wealth creator for their owners. “I don’t really believe that music venues are meant to have anything beyond small margins because what would they do with that money? They’re really economic engines and they have a really strong ROI back to the economy via vendors, local musicians, of course, and local music industry professionals … you don’t want them hoarding their profits. If they’re making money, it should be going right back into the economy.”

Austin City Limits executive producer Terry Lickona said the variety of music venues of all sizes in Austin and the strength of institutions such as his television show and Antone’s, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, keep him optimistic about local music even though the cost of living is proving more challenging for artists of all kinds.

“There are any number of relatively new music venues … why in God’s name somebody would want to start a music venue, hope to make a living or at least, you know, survive from doing that, who knows? But the fact is that there are still people who do that. There are still musicians and artists who make it their goal or passion to play at those venues.”

The Austin Monitor’s work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here.