Proponents of Austin music and the health of clubs and music venues are still pushing to make the final version of CodeNEXT more favorable to those businesses, after failing to win over the planners who contributed to the third draft of the plan. At Monday’s meeting of the Music Commission, members were informed that the […]
Austin Music Commission
The Austin Music Commission guides city practices on music development issues, including the SxSW music festival.
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
City busking program brings public music performance into question
Austin’s long-debated policy concerning the legality of paid acoustic street performance – widely referred to as “busking” – returned as an issue of some discussion Monday, with the city’s music office attempting to change both the perception and enforcement of the practice. Busking is an issue that has long bedeviled music proponents in Austin because […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Live music proponents revive ‘agent of change,’ with eye toward fall
After it lay dormant since July, city leaders and music industry professionals are restarting the process that – it is hoped – will protect live music venues and nearby residential buildings from clashing over noise and general quality-of-life issues. Known as “agent of change,” the concept would place the responsibility on the new business or […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Nonprofits pitching in on cultural land trust proposal
A group of Austin nonprofit organizations are working together on an effort that would see the city of Austin create a cultural land trust to buy and preserve properties around the city for use as theaters, studios, live music venues and other attractions. The loose coalition thus far includes Austin Creative Alliance, Preservation Austin, Austin […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Commission: Add music venues in CodeNEXT to help clubs spread through city
The push is on to make live music venues a distinct business use case in the city’s building code, a move that music industry proponents hope will make it easier for music hot spots to emerge in neighborhoods throughout the city. By a 7-0 vote, the Austin Music Commission approved a resolution Monday recommending that […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Kitchen to take up city efforts to preserve music, arts venues
Council Member Ann Kitchen has started work on a resolution that will direct city staff to examine ways for the city to step up and help prevent music venues, small community theaters and other creative spaces from being priced out of their long-standing locations. Kitchen said the effort is still in the very preliminary stages […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Commission wants live music venues specified in CodeNEXT
Austin city staff and live music industry stakeholders are working to add a “live music venue” use case designation to CodeNEXT, the city’s in-process building code that will determine how Austin grows over the next two-plus decades. If approved for the final draft of CodeNEXT next year, the change could make it easier to open […]
Posted inCity Hall
Music Commission seeks city properties list, but who’s got it?
Austin’s Music Commission is making another push to have the city’s Office of Real Estate Services compile a list of city-owned properties that are currently unused and could be made available for creative groups and music venues that get priced out of their locations. At Monday’s meeting, Commissioner Rick Carney brought up the fact that […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Data suggests economic boost from later Red River noise curfews
With the six-month pilot program giving outdoor music venues on Red River Street later weekend sound curfews set to expire at the end of the month, business owners and city officials are putting together their case for extending the program well into 2018. An early glimpse at some of the data being collected was available […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Venue rent relief seen as goal of new incentives programs
As Economic Development Department staff worked on plans to update the city’s economic incentives program, the department’s top executive gave a preview earlier this week of how the creative economy could be helped in the coming years. At Monday’s meeting of the Austin Music Commission, Economic Development Director Kevin Johns said the city is examining […]
Posted inCity Hall
City reveals new music division manager
The city has selected the new head of the Music and Entertainment Division, roughly three months after the position opened following a cloud of controversy. The announcement that Erica Shamaly, a longtime Austinite with close to two decades in local film and music industries, will take over the position as of July 24 came at […]
Posted inAustin
HAAM considers enrollment closure amid growing health care costs
A growing base of musician members needing health care services has officials with the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians looking at possibly closing the program to new members later this year. The nonprofit, which was founded 11 years ago, will discuss its current budget picture and capacity issues at Monday’s meeting of the Austin Music […]