You’ll hear from four Black musicians – Anastasia Hera, Cam the Tastemaker, Blakchyl, and Brannen Temple – about how they’ve navigated the Austin music scene, and what support they’d like to see.
Elizabeth McQueen
All About the Census
In the latest episode, Peter Schwarz from Sound Music Cities about some of the results of the Greater Austin Music Census. You’ll also hear from Jonathan “Chaka” Mahone about why some Black community leaders didn’t feel included in the census.
Austin has a music union? Here’s what it is and how it works.
Learn all about the Austin Federation of Musicians –– how it works, what benefits it provides for freelance musicians, and why you may not know it exists.
Read more about the Musicians Union
Check out Tell Tchaikovsky The News
Do Musicians Need Corporate Support to Survive in the New Austin?
Miles and Elizabeth explore different forms of corporate support for music, and look at one company that’s making a big investment in Austin music.
Take note U.S.: Canada actually gives its musicians money
Hosts Miles Bloxson and Elizabeth McQueen explore the Canadian system of support for the arts in general, and for commercial music specifically. They explain what they know to Pause/Play audio engineer Jake Perlman, with help from Jessica Deljouravesh from the Ontario Arts Council, Marina Adam from Ontario Creates, Eric Owen from Black Pistol Fire , and KUT transportation reporter Nathan Bernier.
Why doesn’t commercial music in the U.S. get any financial support outside of, say, fans?
Austin is home to a thriving music scene, but that scene hasn’t received much financial support outside of fans buying music and going to shows. That’s not uncommon in the U.S. While some art forms like the opera and the symphony get regular public and private investments, commercial music typically gets left to fend for itself. Why is that?
In the first episode of Season 4 of Pause/Play, Hosts Miles Bloxson and Elizabeth McQueen try to answer that question with the help of UT Professor Charles Carson. They also examine the idea that the best music comes from struggle. And they explore what the city of Austin owes the music scene, and how the city might better support the for-profit music sector.
NFTs and Music: What is a NFT? The Song!
Here’s your very own, very fungible copy of the soon-to-be hit song, “What is an NFT?”
NFTs and Music: Minting an NFT
Miles and Elizabeth go on a journey to mint an NFT. But in order to do that they have to write and record a song, buy cryptocurrency, set up a wallet, and list an NFT for sale. But things don’t quite go as they planned.
NFTs and Music: What is an NFT?
In this first episode of our mini-season about NFTs and you’ll learn all the things you need to know in order to understand what music NFTs are and how they work.
You’ll hear from musician, DJ, composer, and founder of the web 3 community Mashibeats Mark de Clive-Lowe, and President of Blockchain Creative Labs, Melody Hildebrandt.
Bonus! A City Department just raised their rate for musicians to $200 per hour.
The City of Austin’s Economic Development Department just raised their rate of pay for musicians to $200 per hour per musician. Hear why that happened, and how they hope this change will inspire other departments.
What Mayor Adler has to say about the Live Music Fund
Hear what Austin Mayor Steve Adler has to say about the history of the Live Music Fund, why he raised concerns about the Live Music Fund Event Program, and what he thinks should guide the conversation moving forward.
The city has millions of dollars to support the Austin music scene. But who gets the money?
We’re looking at the Live Music Fund. We’ll tell you what it is, how it came to be, and we’ll explore the conversation around who gets the money.
Musician pay for live shows in Austin hasn’t changed in 40 years. Here are some other ways they’ve found to make money with music.
Austin musicians are making the same amount of money per gig as they did in 1979. In the latest episode, we look at gig pay through the years and talk to musicians Greg Clifford and Beto Martinez about how they’ve found ways to make money from music that don’t involve playing live.
Live music doesn’t always pay the bills. So what else can you do?
In this episode, you’ll learn how much money the average Austin musician makes per gig, and why it can be hard to make a living playing live music.
Then you’ll learn all about an alternate revenue stream for musicians — sync licensing. Nathalie Phan, founder of SoundSync Music, will explain the ins and outs of sync licensing from an agent’s perspective and Austin rapper Tee-Double will walk you through the artist’s perspective.
During Nathalie’s segment you’ll hear the song “Black Tea” by Slug, Elijah Fox, Soul Food Horns and Yasper.
During Tee-Double’s segment you’ll hear “Caped Up” from his album Local Transplant.
Could affordable housing save Austin’s music scene?
In the latest episode, you’ll learn how Austin non-profit Foundation Communities helped musician James Shelton find affordable housing the central Austin. And you’ll get a crash course in how affordable housing works from Foundation Communities Executive Director, Walter Moreau.
Read “The Artist Loft: Affordable Housing (for White People)” from the Atlantic
How some Austin musicians are finding housing help with HOME
In the latest episode, you’ll learn about Austin Housing Opportunities for Musicians and Entertainers or HOME. This Austin organization helps older musicians with housing and living expenses.
You’ll hear from Marcia Ball and Rosie Flores.
How Austin’s housing market helped build the music scene, and how it could destroy it
In the latest episode of Pause/Play, we’re looking at how the housing market helped build Austin’s music scene, and how it could be the thing that destroys it. You’ll hear from Austin artists about how the housing market has changed for them over the years and why some of them have decided to leave. You’ll also learn about the connection between cheap housing and thriving music scenes, musician incomes, and Austin’s housing market from experts Nicky Rowling, Michael Seman, and Audrey McGlinchy.
In this episode you’ll hear from:
Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel
Robert A. Kraft
Laura Mendoza from Cosmic Chaos
Gina Chavez
Chinasa Broxton
Listen to the documentary “Back Home to the Armadillo”
Why Taméca Jones, Austin’s Queen of Soul, is leaving for LA
Austin singer and songwriter Taméca Jones is leaving Austin for LA at the end of the year. In the latest episode, you’ll hear the reasons why the Austin Music scene isn’t working for her. Plus you’ll learn more about our music ecosystem.
You’ll also hear from and Peter Schwarz about the reality of music businesses in Austin’s music ecosystem. And Nikki Rowling explains how so many businesses operating independently can lead to burnout.
What Do We Do Now?
We look at this latest COVID surge in Austin and ask the question — What Do We Do Now?
In this episode you’ll hear from
Desmar Walkes, M.D — Medical Director/Health Authority for the City of Austin.
Pat Buchta — Executive Director or Austin Texas Musicians
Aubrey Hays — Musician
Mike Hidalgo — Musician
Autumn Cymone — Musician
Matt the Electrician — Musician
Erin Walter from Parker Woodland
Kate Howard — Musician
Jason McNeely — Managing Partner of Hotel Vegas
Jung Kwak PhD, MSW — Associate Professor at The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing specializing in end of life issues and Medical Ethics.
What’s Changed for Musicians?
We talk to musicians about what’s changed for them at this stage of the pandemic. You’ll learn what they’re doing differently creatively and with their businesses and how they’re feeling overall about the constantly changing Austin music landscape.
In this episode you’ll hear from
Jay Wile
Sara Houser
Jon Fichter from Sweet Spirit and Hong King Wigs
Caleb de Casper
Rene Chavez
Stephanie Bergara from Bidi Bidi Banda
Tee Double
