On Red River Street and in clubs throughout Austin, live music is a nightly ritual. For the sound engineers, lighting techs, barbacks and other venue staff who keep shows running, that entails long hours, irregular pay and limited access to mental health support.
The SIMS Foundation, which has served Austin’s music industry since 1995, is launching a program to change that. The Dick Chalmers Music Venue Program is a fund dedicated to helping venue workers get counseling, psychiatric care and recovery support.
Venue workers have always been eligible for those services through SIMS, but the organization's leaders say many never realized they were.
“A lot of venue staff just aren’t as aware of what’s available to them,” Sarah Andrews, SIMS’ chief advancement officer, said. “By the time someone reaches a point of burnout, they may not know there’s support they can turn to.”
That awareness gap is compounded by the economics of live music in Austin. Many venues operate on thin margins, limiting their ability to offer health benefits even as staff face physically demanding work, late nights and high turnover.
The idea for a program took shape last May during SIMS’ 30th anniversary celebration at Empire Control Room & Garage. The event brought SIMS staff into close contact with venue workers, leading to discussions about the demands and pressures in the nightlife industry.
“We realized that a lot of venue staff weren’t as connected to SIMS as other parts of the music community,” Andrews said. “That sparked a bigger question for us: How do we design something that actually reflects what venue workers are dealing with day to day?”
Those early discussions included Dick Chalmers, a longtime Red River fixture whose career spanned venue operations, production work and mentorship. Chalmers died in November at 41.
“Outside of his inspiring work ethic, he had a remarkable gift for connecting with people, of pulling you in, at making you feel welcome and at home, always,” the organizers of the Levitation festival wrote on social media. "His creativity, wit, kindness, encyclopedic knowledge of music and film, and generous spirit made him dear to us all.”
SIMS decided to name the venue program in his memory.
Andrews said Chalmers drove home how these jobs are built around late nights and long hours, with work that can be physically and emotionally demanding. Staff regularly navigate crowded rooms, she said, managing unpredictable situations and working in environments where alcohol and other substances are a constant presence.
Over time, that combination can take a toll. Venue owners frequently report high staff turnover, a cycle that Andrews attributes to burnout and a lack of consistent support systems for those working behind the scenes.
Andrews said over the past year SIMS focused on increasing donations to eliminate its waitlist for services, allowing it to expand outreach to venue workers without risking new delays.
“We wanted to make sure that as more people learn about SIMS, we’re able to meet that need, and not put anyone in a position where they have to wait for care,” she said.
To support that goal, SIMS is asking venues and the broader community to participate in whatever ways they can. That includes direct contributions from venues, benefit shows or ticket add-ons, fundraising partnerships and individual donations from supporters who want to help sustain the program.
One of the first efforts tied to the program will take place in January. Multiple venues will participate in a Dry January mocktail fundraiser with proceeds benefiting SIMS and the venue worker initiative.
Andrews said it’s important not to overlook a community that often serves as the connective tissue for the live music ecosystem.
“If Austin wants to continue to have this thriving live music culture, then we need to be supporting everyone who's bringing that culture to life,” she said. “That's not just our musicians. It's all of the folks in the background who are making these shows, gigs and concerts happen.”
