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Music & Entertainment

Special events could see added fees, scrutiny to lower city's price tag

Organizers of many of the more than 800 special events held in Austin every year are likely to see increased costs and oversight in the years to come, especially for large-scale events that require street closures and place other significant…

SXSW touts $325M economic impact for Austin

According to Mayor Steve Adler, South by Southwest is more than just a cash cow. In an evocative metaphor at yesterday’s annual reveal of the festival’s economic contribution to the city, he likened the festival instead to “a herd that…

Could more tourist spots benefit from hotel tax?

Austin residents are no strangers to big local events and, increasingly, neither are out-of-towners – but all of those visitors can take a toll on the city’s infrastructure. City Council is set to consider a plan that could direct more…

Smoking ban gets fogged at Music Commission

A preliminary proposal to ban smoking on all patios in Austin was met with pushback and prompt backpedaling at a meeting of the Music Commission on Monday. Proposed by Central Health, a taxpayer-funded district in Travis County, a potential amendment…

Music Commission recommends new policies to rescue Austin’s music industry

Austin’s music industry is hoping for a new era of cooperation with city government, and the Music and Creative Ecosystem Recommendations are meant to kick-start these long-awaited changes. At a special meeting of the city’s Music Commission on July 12,…

Hoping new music festivals will come to Austin? Look east, where the cows are

Steps past a motorized gate and calf-deep in dung-spotted grass, Rick Cofer looks upon the acres of land that make up John Treviño Jr. Park. The entire park, Cofer says, is 330 acres. Yards in front of him, a herd…

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Music Commission narrows omnibus priorities

Austin’s Music Commission managed to prioritize some of the “kitchen sink” initiatives put forward by the Austin Music and Creative Ecosystem Omnibus Resolution during its Monday night meeting. But while stakeholders shared multiple recommendations for potential music industry best practices,…

Can the city save Austin's arts and music scenes?

Scores of musicians, artists and patrons of the creative economy filled a room at the Marchesa Hall & Theatre on Tuesday to share their thoughts on how the city can better support the arts. The occasion was a joint meeting…

Surf park looking to avoid wipeout over permitting dispute

A massive facility east of Austin and touted as North America’s first inland surf park is proving to be a gnarly conundrum for Travis County officials. The central problem is the legal definition of a pool and whether Nland Surf…

Music Commission embraces Adler's plan to save Austin arts

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…

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…

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…

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