Red River rumblings

With an eye toward the future, the Austin Music Commission has asked city staff to identify portions of the city that could eventually become music hotbeds similar to downtown’s Red River Cultural District. That directive came at the most recent Music Commission meeting while Brian Block, entertainment services manager for the Music and Entertainment Division, was giving a report on the renewal of a pilot program extending outdoor noise curfews for clubs in the district. After hearing about improved communication and cooperation between music venues and nearby neighbors as a result of the program, several commissioners put forward the idea of examining how the city could get ahead of future growth and the CodeNEXT process by determining where clusters of clubs are most likely to emerge as Austin grows in the next decade-plus and begin building stronger relationships with surrounding residents and stakeholders. Commissioner Oren Rosenthal went as far as suggesting music office staff identify at least one potential entertainment zone in each council district, but there was concern that some parts of the city might never be an ideal habitat for supporting multiple music- or creative-focused businesses. Block said he and city staff will examine the issue and possibly bring recommendations to the commission at its December meeting.