KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts
KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond
What does it mean for Austin artists to take the stage at the city’s biggest music festival? This episode features conversations with SL Houser, Geto Gala, and Next of Kin as they share their journeys to Austin City Limits Music Festival, reflect on what it means to perform in their hometown, and talk about what’s next for their music.
Pause/Play is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support our work by donating at supportthispodcast.org.
According to the Austin Music Census, 38% of the people who took the survey struggled to find affordable housing.
We take a look at the Metropolis Apartments, a complex that has been providing affordable housing for musicians and creatives for over 20 years.
Pause/Play is made possible by listeners like you. You can support the work that Pause/Play does by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org.
The Live Music Fund is about to launch applications for its third round of funding. Hear what’s changed with the fund over the years, and what will be new with this next iteration.
Erica Shamaly, Division Manager for Music and Entertainment within the Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment Division, is featured in this episode.
Find out more on the City of Austin’s Live Music Fund web page.
Find out more information about the Museum of Human Achievement’s Grant Writing Hangouts.
Pause/Play is made possible by listeners like you. You can support the work that Pause/Play does by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org.
In preparation for our upcoming update episode about the Live Music Fund, we revisit this episode from 2022, which tells the story of how the framework for the first Live Music Fund was developed.
Find out more about the Live Music Fund on the City of Austin’s website.
Pause/Play is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support our work by donating at supportthispodcast.org.
South by Southwest is changing. The festival has been shortened to 7 days. There is no dedicated music weekend. The convention center is being renovated and won’t be finished for 3 years. So what will music at SXSW 2026 look like? Brian Hobbs, VP of Music at SXSW, sits down to talk about the future of the festival.
Pause/Play is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support our work by donating at supportthispodcast.org.
Terry Lickona, Executive Producer of the Austin City Limits TV show, joins hosts Elizabeth McQueen and Miles Bloxson to talk about how cuts to federal funding for public media are impacting the show.
Learn more about Congress’s decision to rescind over 1 billion dollars it had previously allocated for public media.
You can donate to Austin City Limits by going to austinpbs.org/donate.
You can support Pause/Play by heading to supportthispodcast.org
We examine what streaming looks like now and what it could look like in the future. Walker Lukens explains how Song Confessional has found success with streaming. And Lauren Bruno talks about a possible alternative to streaming that she wants to build called Prosper XO.
Learn more about the Living Wage for Musicians Act.
Check out Prosper XO’s surveys
Let us know what you think about the future of streaming.
Pause/Play is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can help make this podcast happen by donating at supportthispodcast.org.
Pay for musicians in Austin has stayed the same for decades, and streaming often doesn’t bring in my money. So if you can’t make money playing music and you can’t make money selling music, what can you do?
You’ll hear how Sara L. Houser, Chinasa Broxton and Carlos Dashawn Daniels Moore from Tribe Mafia, and Carrie Rodriguez figured out how to make a living in music by expanding their ideas of what they can do with music.
Find out more about Laboratorio Arts.
The world is shifting faster than ever, and for many, the future feels more uncertain than clear. In season six of Pause/Play, we are taking a look at the future of Austin’s music scene. We’ll talk about how artists are making a living by exploring multiple creative avenues. We talk to artists who are reimagining fan connections beyond social media and who are dreaming up alternatives to the major streaming services. We’ll dive into how musicians are embracing (or rejecting) AI, what’s ahead for the Live Music Fund, and—of course – what the next generation of Austin musicians is up to.
Pause/Play is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support our work by donating at supportthispodcast.org.
We’re looking at what happens to small towns like Lockhart when a bunch of Austin musicians seeking affordable places to live move there.
You’ll hear from musician Emily Gimble, musician and co-owner of Fiddler’s Green Jenn Miori Hodges, co-founders Courthouse Nights and Rach and Rhodes presents Rachel Lingvai and Will Rhodes, musician Pierson Saxon and founders of Duett’s in Martindale, Texas Ryan and Katie Grametbaur.
There should be a new episode of Pause/Play this week. But, we got hit by a mix of travel, COVID, and unforeseen circumstances. So there’s no episode right now. But there will be in two weeks!
In the next episode, you’ll hear about the history of SXSW, and how it’s changed over the years.
And in the episode after that, you’ll hear about what happens when people leave Austin and start music scenes in towns around Austin.
We want to hear from you — do you live in a town close to Austin with a new thriving music scene or have you been to a show where you least expected to see live music? We’d love it if you would send us a voice memo about your experience!
You can leave a message at kutkutx.studio/contactpauseplay, email us at pauseplay@kut.org or you can leave us a message on Instagram — our handle is @pauseplaypod
LGBTQIA+ members of Austin’s music scene talk about how proposed bans on drag performances, and laws outlawing gender-affirming care for minors are impacting their work and their lives.
You’ll hear from co-owner of Cheer Up Charlies Maggie Lea. Plus you’ll hear from Austin musicians Caleb de Casper, Lizzy Lehman, Pelvis Wrestley’s Jammy Violet, and writer/musician Jack Kaulfus.
Women from the Austin music scene talk about how the Texas abortion ban is impacting their lives.
You’ll hear from music publicist Adrienne Lake, membership manager at The Recording Academy Amanda Garcia Davenport, Cassandra Shankman, aka DJ Cassandra, event producer Cheyenne Doer and songwriter, rapper and producer Qi Dada, who is one-half of the Austin hip-hop duo Riders Against the Storm.
In the latest episode of Pause/Play, you’ll hear from musicians, venue owners and fans about how climate change is affecting Austin’s Music Scene. We also talk to weatherman David Yeomans and neuropsychotherapist Bella Rockman.
How is climate change impacting Austin’s Music Scene? What about skyrocketing ticket prices? Or changes in AI and tech? How are new laws in Texas affecting women and LGBTQIA+ people in the music ecosystem? These are some of the questions that hosts Miles Bloxson and Elizabeth McQueen will explore in Season 5 of Pause/Play. In the first episode, they look at how COVID has shifted some people’s relationship with live music, plus they give you a season overview.
In this episode you’ll hear from neuropsychotherapist Bella Rockman, Lawrence Boone from the Far Out Lounge and Stage, Meteorologist David Yeomans, Jammy Violet from Pelvis Wrestly, Austin musician Caleb de Caspar, Adrienne Lake from Daydream Believer Austin and Frontgate Tickets founder Mellie Price.
The new season of Pause/Play starts on April 17th. This season is all about change. We’ll be looking at the impact that climate change, changes in laws, changes in ticketing, changes in venues, changes in tech, and more are having on the Austin music scene.
In this bonus episode, Brazilian journalist and podcaster Filipe Speck explores the Austin Music Scene from his perspective as someone visiting the city for the first time.
Filipe is the co-founder of Matinal
You can listen to Filipe’s podcast Noites Gregas.
SXSW brings in millions each year, but Black and brown Austinites don’t always benefit from the influx of money. DAWA, a local nonprofit, has put together a series of music shows and panels to elevate and direct resources to Austin’s BIPOC community. Find more information about everything happening during Vision:8291 here.
Musicians talk about what it’s like to tour on this side of the pandemic. You’ll hear from Jane Ellen Bryant and Daniel Leopold of Jane Leo, Eimaral Sol, Blakchyl, Matt the Electrician, Ali Holder, Sean Michael Giddings, Scott Collins + Janet Weiss and Sam Coomes of the band Quasi.