Save Austin Music's Big Meeting (Rescheduled)

Save Austin Music (SAM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the Austin Music culture. The organization tackles some pretty big issues on behalf of Austin musicians and artists. But they can’t do it all alone. Get involved! SAM is holding their “Big Meeting” on February 16th February 24th from 7-9 pm. Can’t make it to the venue? Tune into the webcast and dial in to contribute to the conversation. You may opt to stay on the couch and squabble about how the scene is going down the tubes, and that’s your right as a free-thinking anti-establishment artist, but by tuning in and getting involved you’ll get the chance to feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Do it! Oh, and there’s free beer (also known for causing warm and fuzzy feelings).

From Troy at SaveAustinMusic.com:

Hi Everyone,

We want to remind to you attend our monthly BIG MEETING tonight from 7-9pm. We’ll be discussing the launch of our PSA Campaign, we’ll introduce you to our new Board of Directors, and we’ll have special guest speaker Bobby Garza (a musician, member of the Live Music Task Force, and staff leader for Councilmember Mike Martinez).

If you are unable to attend, you can still see the meeting via. webcast at SaveAustinMusic.com/webcast.html (if we get the technology figured out in time). You will be able to email and text questions too.

To sweeten the deal, there will be free beer (while it lasts)…

Thanks for your help and support to make Austin Music better for your spirit and your wallet!

Save Austin Music’s headquarters are located at 3708 Woodbury Dr. in Austin, TX. Click here for a map

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RIP: Charlie Cooper – Telefon Tel Aviv

Just stop reading for a while and listen to the music. If you must read, then here is the story from CBS2 Chicago.

From Joshua Eustis of Telefon Tel Aviv:

Hello, Everyone.

It breaks my heart to inform you all that Charlie Cooper, my better half in Telefon Tel Aviv, passed away on January 22nd.

We have been friends since high school, and began making records together a decade ago. We have been so fortunate to tour the world together, while at the same time having a massive amount of laughs at one another’s expense.

Aside from Charlie’s singular genius and musical gifts, I can tell you that he was a total sweetheart of a guy, and a loving friend and confidant to people everywhere. His musicianship was surpassed only by his greater gift to the world – his warmth, his generosity, his unquenchable humor, and his undying loyalty to those whom he loved. In the spirit of honorable mention, however, I should mention that he had a shoe collection that was marvelous, knowledge of hip-hop that was profound, and knowledge of wine that was subtle.

He is survived by a sister, a neice, a nephew, his mother, his stepfather, me, and more adoring friends than the Universe has dark matter. As such, his family and I ask for your discretion and consideration of our privacy during these extremely turbulent waters.

Yours in Music,

Joshua Eustiselefon tel aviv

Austin City Council to Vote on Creation of Music Department

This just in from the Save Austin Music Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting Austin’s rich live music culture:

Tomorrow. Thursday January 15th, City Council will vote on whether or not to create a Music Department. There will also be a 6 week “time out” on new outdoor venue permits to allow us to fix our problems with our neighbors.

If you’re watching the news today, you may be confused about what all is going on. Here’s some clarity.

We’ve all worked hard in the last 12 months to “get a seat at the table” with the City, and to create a real music industry here that pays us all fairly and allows us to contribute to the local economy at an exponentially higher level.

Tomorrow, January 15th, Councilmember Mike Martinez will propose a resolution to create a Music Department within the City government. It will be a true City entity along the lines of our Parks & Rec Department, Fire Dept., and Police Dept. He will also propose a resolution to place a 6 week ban on new outdoor music venue permits. If this sounds contradictory, welcome to politics…

The brief explanation is that we have to engage in politics and meet with neighborhood groups about sound issues. We all need some time to create a fair and realistic solution for noise problems which have kept us from addressing the growth of our industry. Failure to do so could cost us dearly in the future.
Here are some things to help us understand and support these measures:

• It turns out there is a long lost City Ordinance from the 80s that limits outdoor music to 70db. This conflicts with the one currently being enforced and they have to be consolidated into one policy – hopefully one that protects both music and neighbors.
• The 6 week moratorium on new outdoor music venues will not keep anyone from getting their SXSW permits or from renewing existing permits. It will simply keep anyone from “sneaking in” an outdoor permit while the problems are addressed. There is even a waiver process if anyone has fallen through the cracks.
• The timing of the moratorium is to keep from affecting business during warmer months and SXSW.
  We have been historically missing from meetings with neighborhood groups to address sound issues. Neighborhood groups could politically derail our attempts to create a Music Department if we refuse to work with them.
  Contrary to popular belief, there are very few venues who are creating noise problems. Many complaints come from a small group (mostly restaurants) who refuse to cooperate with neighbors.
  Many of the sound complaints are from non-traditional venues where sound is unattended and no experienced sound people are employed – even to set up a mix. This causes a huge problem for “legitimate venues” who work hard to exercise some control over sound quality and volume.
• We simply can’t expect Austinites to support live music if we’re not good neighbors ourselves. If we can work out a fair compromise with our neighbors, we can get back to fixing our industry problems like pay, better business practices, mental health and health care, and affordable housing. Besides, if we’re all trying to earn more money, why would we alienate a large part of our potential audience?

THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT

While creating a Music Department is essential to the future of Austin music, it will have little effectiveness unless we staff it with experienced and successful veterans of the international music industry AND experienced city staff. We need a larger vision to create a new infrastructure here, and we need music department staff who are effective in dealing with City bureaucracy. The shortfalls of past attempts to fix our problems have been in trying to fix the problem without experienced, knowledgeable insiders from the industry. Although past generations of Task Forces & Music Commissions created some very effective city staff, they have been sidetracked with other issues because they lack the autonomy of a dedicated Music Department.

PLEASE GO TO CITY COUNCIL 10am THURSDAY, JANUARY 15th AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT, OR SIGN UP TO SPEAK! Parking is free!

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The organization also has its Austin Music Monthly meeting on January 19th from 7-9 pm. Click here to learn more and lend your support.

Email City Council to Save Austin Music

From SAM:

Please forward this email to everyone in your address book, you’ll be helping save our music and our local economy. This week, we’re asking you to EMAIL CITY COUNCIL & AUSTIN’S CITY MANAGER asking them to fund our PSA campaign to help Austin music and our local economy.

Please click here to email City Council: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/groupemail.htm
And here to email City Manager Marc Ott: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/connect/email_marcott.htm

And say the following:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear Mayor Wynn, City Council, and City Manger Ott;

I am a concerned Austinite and voter who (loves music/plays music/am employed in the local music industry) and I am effected by both the financial crisis facing our local music industry and the compounding impact of the national economic crisis.

My efforts to support my music career have been undermined by issues addressed by the Live Music Task Force, but they have now been made worse by recent economic crisis facing our national and local economy. While I support the LMTF recommendations, our community faces an immediate crisis while we await your action to help our industry.

I am writing you urging you to support Save Austin Music’s plan to mobilize Austinites into our local music venues and small businesses by funding their Public Service Announcement campaign and Music Listing Website immediately. I know our City budget is taxed beyond reasonable limits, but this plan will actually contribute back to our economy and the City budget within weeks of being funded. It will create immediate economic flow within our city by generating more local spending and increased sales tax revenue. And it will help ease the increasing financial difficulties that musicians have been enduring here for years.

Save Austin Music’s PSA urges every Austinite to “see one Austin band this month”, which would put tens of thousands of people in Austin venues and millions of dollars into our economy each month. It would also serve as both interim plan and test project for the marketing plan recommended by the LMTF. Most importantly, it is an immediate solution for not just the music industry, but for Austin’s economy.

Promoting Austin’s music to Austinites in this manner will encourage many to spend their reduced recreational budgets here instead of traveling or shopping online. Austinites will be encouraged to take a one-night local vacation regularly by enjoying our music instead of traveling and spending elsewhere. Best of all, the SAM plan could actually return revenue to the City budget through ad sales on the listing website.

For the last year, I have been a part of Save Austin Music, and I now believe that this plan will actually allow our music to “Save Austin”. This $15,000 expenditure each month will net millions in our local economy and prove that our City government really believes that Austin is “The Live Music Capital of the World” by tapping the financial potential our industry offers.

Thank you for your time and for helping us to Save Austin Music. Yours Truly,
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Better than Most Cookies… Taste This!

Laura Scarborough, Suzzana Choffel, and Hot Carl Show featured at Momo’s Club on Sunday December 14th.

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