Businesses and supporters in the Red River Cultural District see the city’s recent commitment of annual funding as a milestone to provide stability for the area’s cluster of live music venues, with the hope that more policy changes are coming to help the city’s entertainment and creative economy. District stakeholders held a press conference Monday […]
Red River Cultural District
Established in 2013, the Red River Cultural District runs from Sixth Street to Tenth Street and is a cultural district with the Texas Commission for the Arts. Its creation was intended to help preserve the live music venues located within the district.
Posted inPlanning
OK from Planning Commission sets up Council consideration for creative space incentives
The Planning Commission’s recent support for an incentive program for creative spaces in new developments gave City Council additional direction for how to address affordability for local arts spaces and the workers in those industries. Council is slated to conduct a public hearing and consider the ordinance change for the creative space combining district framework […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Red River music venues push Council on funding expected from February resolution
Leaders of the Red River Cultural District are pushing City Council members and staff to carry out a February resolution that was intended to secure annual funding to help planning and marketing efforts for the downtown cluster of live music venues. Earlier this week, the RRCD put out a call to its stakeholders and the […]
Posted inPlanning
Music Commission wants clubs, creative space required in Red River Cultural District
The Music Commission wants the city to ensure that any new multistory development within the Red River Cultural District would need to provide discounted space for music venues or creative uses, without offering any density bonus incentives. At Monday’s meeting, the commission opted to add provisions to a recommendation offered by Economic Development Department staff, […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Music Commission pushes Council to aid Red River venue district
The Music Commission wants City Council to approve a round of gap financing, possibly as part of mid-year budget amendments, to provide ongoing organizational support to the Red River Cultural District and its cluster of live music venues in the heart of downtown. Commission members unanimously supported the item, which didn’t specify a dollar amount […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Red River Cultural District seeks new director to succeed Cowan
The Red River Cultural District is searching for a new executive director to lead the nonprofit organization that seeks to stabilize and improve the city’s most prominent cluster of live music venues. The search comes on the heels of the announcement that Cody Cowan, who has served as executive director since shortly after the group’s […]
Posted inAustin
Downtown business report finds problems for daytime demand, music venues
A new report on Austin’s downtown economy finds that there is a persistent weakness in weekday business, and that entertainment businesses concentrated around East Sixth and Red River streets have been slow to recover from effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Downtown Austin Alliance produced the report, which supports earlier findings this year that the ongoing […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
City rushes to complete Red River improvements before concert crowds return
The city is working quickly to complete streetscape improvements to Red River Street, home to some of the city’s most renowned music venues, before flocks of concertgoers return as more and more people get vaccinated against Covid-19. “I don’t want to miss the opportunity to do this work while we don’t have a lot of […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
City distributes $1.34M in venue assistance, with more funding on the way
The city has awarded $1.34 million in assistance to live music venues that have been mostly or entirely closed since March, with another round of city funds available and billions in federal assistance on the way soon. As of this week, the first round of $20,000 grants from the Music Venue Preservation Fund has been […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
With stages silent, Austin’s music venues need help to stay open
In his role as spokesperson for the cluster of live music venues concentrated on Red River Street, Cody Cowan relies on a graphic visual to convey the reality of those businesses’ prospects of surviving the Covid-19 pandemic. Now fully closed since mid-March, with no revenue coming in and monthly fixed costs of around $40,000 […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
City moving forward with improvements to Red River district
The city’s long-planned improvements to the streetscape of the Red River Cultural District will move forward through the summer with planning and budgeting for construction projects to improve the sidewalks and other features of the area. A recent city memo outlines progress on the Red River improvements, including the installation of 10 trash containers throughout […]
Posted inCity Council
Council pushes for economic development body to lead purchase, preservation of venue spaces
City Council is pushing staff to act this summer to create an economic development corporation that could be used to preserve and acquire real estate properties to be used for cultural arts events and meeting space. That body, possibly in tandem with a proposed cultural trust that could also be created this summer, has been […]