Through a series of town hall meetings citywide, the Music Commission has vowed to educate Austinites and solicit public input on Mayor Steve Adler’s plan to better support art in Austin. Each of the 10 meetings will focus on a different genre of music that the commission feels is underrepresented, said Commission Chair Gavin Garcia […]
Music & Entertainment
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
City to host “Music Venue Summit” ahead of spring
In preparation for South by Southwest and other spring events, the city’s Music and Entertainment Division will host a two-hour “Music Venue Summit” on Jan. 25 at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. The event will include city staff presentations about how venue owners and managers can best navigate the city’s regulatory landscape […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Music Commission to tackle licensing issues
Although the city’s Music and Entertainment Division is billed as “an economic development accelerator and centralized resource center for Austin’s music industry,” program manager Don Pitts says he spends about 70 percent of his time on permitting issues. Aiming to help cut down on that work, the Music Commission has formed a working group to […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Adler to propose fee waivers for SXSW
Mayor Steve Adler will sponsor an item on next week’s City Council agenda authorizing fee waivers and payments by the city in connection with the 2016 South by Southwest Music, Film and Interactive Festival for up to $309,310, according to Jim Wick, the mayor’s director of community engagement. Brad Spies, special projects manager for SXSW, […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
APD estimates $1.5 million in spring festival costs
The Austin Police Department’s financial staff has estimated that the department will incur $1.5 million in overtime expenses during the 2016 spring festival season, March 10-20. Many, but not all, of these events are related to South by Southwest. In a Dec. 3 memo to the mayor and City Council, Deputy Chief Financial Officer Ed […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment, Public Safety
City may hire temp officers for SXSW season
As South by Southwest and the whirlwind of events that surround it loom large on the horizon, the city and the Austin Police Association are discussing ways to cover the festival season without pulling many officers away from their duties. One potential fix involves hiring temporary law enforcement from jurisdictions such as Travis County, Round […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment, Police
Police association proposes SXSW funding fix
Although it is an economic driver for the city, South by Southwest imposes significant demands on the Austin Police Department, which pulls many of its personnel away from normal duties to cover the event every year. The Austin Police Association is now proposing a fix for next year’s festival, due to take place in mid-March, […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment, Parks
Special events ordinance re-emerges
With ACL in the rearview mirror, the Trail of Lights just ahead and the city’s South by Southwest Music Festival already on the horizon, Austinites may be wondering what has happened to the special events ordinance that was supposed to improve how such events are handled by the city. The draft set of rules and […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Austin’s music industry talks future, fees
This summer’s release of the Austin Music Census, along with recent and potential music venue closures, paints a dire picture of Austin’s celebrated music scene and has prompted a dialogue about the future of local artists and venues. That conversation continued Tuesday during a panel discussion on Austin’s music industry featuring local leaders and stakeholders. […]
Posted inAustin, Monitor News & Media, Music & Entertainment, Radio
Austin Monitor Radio: The State of Austin Music
This is the complete audio of our October 6 Beers, Brains, and Betterment discussion about the state of music in Austin, Texas. Austin Music People’s Jennifer Houlihan, artist and Urban Artist Alliance founder Tee-Double, Austin City Council Member Greg Casar, SXSW brand development honcho and former CoA Music Commission Chair Brad Spies, and Transmission Events […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
South by Southwest grows, evolves
In a ritual as punctual as the festival itself, organizers of South by Southwest Music, Film and Interactive Festival announced that its economic impact on the city of Austin continues to grow. This year, South by Southwest contributed more than $317.2 million to Austin’s economy through the two-week festival in March and year-round operations, according […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Despite winning permit, festival organizers not celebrating
Travis County Commissioners on Tuesday approved the first mass-gathering permit application to come before them since they added controversial revisions to the permitting process earlier this summer. However, the 3-1 vote with one abstention wasn’t exactly the result the organizers of the 2016 Euphoria Music & Camping Festival – to be held at Carson Creek […]