Keeping Austin the “Live Music Capital of the World”

Anyone who has lived in Austin for a while knows rental rates and housing prices are constantly on the rise and it’s becoming increasingly more expensive to live in this city.  The higher cost of living has an especially harsh effect on musicians, who often find themselves living at or near the poverty line in order to keep doing what they love.

Austin mayor Steve Adler has made it one of the goals of his office to examine the plight of Austin musicians and music venues and take steps to improve their experience of the city.  He and city council created the Music and Creative Ecosystem Omnibus Resolution, which ordered city staff to come up with solutions and includes 10 recommendations which Adler considers the highest priority, reports KVUE.

These include:

• Protect existing and Increase affordable space for musicians to create and perform.
• Create an Agent of Change Principle, meaning the onus is on new developments near music venues to adapt to the surroundings by creating soundproofing and marketing the developments as providing great access to Austin’s music culture.
• Leverage tourism marketing to include a broader range of artistic institutions and benefit musicians.
• Provide an Entertainment License which will simplify permitting for music venues.
• Increase Genre Development by developing ongoing relationships with existing and potential audiences through artistic programming, marketing, and more.
• Use traditional economic development tools like incentives and loans to stabilize and grow the artistic community.  
• Change existing land use regulations to make it easier to develop and preserve creative venues.  
• Streamline the permitting and licensing process for music venues.
• Increase Professional Development opportunities for creative professionals in the form of business seminars and the opportunity to learn from successful creatives in the community.
• Come up with creative ways to provide revenue for musicians.

The Austin American Statesman reports that The Music Commission, a citizen-led commission which serves in an advisory capacity for city council, focused on simplifying the permitting and licensing process for venues, making changes to existing land use regulations and employing the Agent of Change Principle as their top priorities.

The city council will review the commission’s recommendations once they return after their July break.  

A great way to support live music and make sure Austin keeps its crown is to go out and see some live music!  On any given night, you can find fantastic musicians performing all over town.  

Downtown?  Check out the Red River Cultural District, which is between 12th and 7th streets.  There you’ll find a slew of live music venues like the Mohawk, Cheer Up Charlie’s, and Stubb’s.  

On the south side of town?  Saxon Pub and The Broken Spoke have been putting on live music since before you moved here, and Strange Brew Lounge Side is newer, but has one of the best listening rooms in town.  Grab a cold one, pull up a chair and immerse yourself in the music.

Want to make the music part of your life on a permanent basis?  Give one of our seasoned apartment locators a call at 512-912-8000 and let Austin Apartment Specialists South Austin do the hard work of finding a great place to live while you keep on rocking!