Forum for all

Occasionally, Austin Monitor reporters get to put the notebook down, steel their nerves and address the public for a change instead of merely listening to what they’ve got to say. That’ll be the case on Sept. 22 when Chad Swiatecki will hold court as moderator at the Austin Forum on Technology and Society. The session will take a look at Austin’s live music economy and how the local tech sector can become a bigger supporter of the music economy in general. Panelists invited for the event, which will take place at the Spider House Ballroom near the University of Texas, include: Clark Nowlin, a local musician and part of the leadership team for All ATX; Amy Lombardi, director of entertainment relations for TuneCore; Dave Blue, founder of the Spotcaller events app; and Bak Zoumanigui, creator of the FeedBak Podcast. The state of Austin’s creative industry is something the Monitor has covered extensively in recent years, and Austin Forum organizers want the session to motivate members of Austin’s tech community to become more frequent paying consumers of live music while also becoming more involved in the affordability crunch that is making it difficult for musicians and other creatives to continue living in Austin. Full details of the event and RSVP links will be posted soon on Austin Forum’s site.