A podcast about live music, why it matters and what comes next.
Meet The Hosts
Elizabeth McQueen is an audio producer and podcast host at KUTX 98.9, Austin’s NPR music station. McQueen is also the host of the podcast This Song, as well as the producer for The Breaks, a hip-hop podcast. Before moving to public radio and podcasting, McQueen was a professional musician who started and played for the band Elizabeth McQueen and the Firebrands and a member of the legendary Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel.
Miles Bloxson is a producer and host for KUT 90.5 and KUTX 98.9. The Austin native and UT Austin graduate has a passion for technology, music and pop culture. She has interviewed such stars as Halle Berry, Samuel L. Jackson, Kristin Chenoweth, Morgan Freeman, Cee-Lo Green, Forest Whitaker and Robert Townsend.
She is the host and creator of the podcast and lifestyle brand Miles To Mogul.
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Pay averaged about $100 per musician per gig four decades ago. It's still about $100 per musician per gig. -
Many Austin musicians have jobs outside the industry to supplement their music incomes, but some, like longtime musician and Austinite Terrany “Tee Double” Johnson, have found ways to make money doing what they love. -
As a working musician, Shelton has never had a steady income. He might have a good month and make $4,000, or he might have a slow one and barely earn enough money to pay rent. -
Musicians often don’t have a safety net — no savings or pension, and sometimes no Social Security because they aren't on a payroll. That’s where organizations like HOME have stepped in. -
People in Austin's music industry historically haven't made much money, so the ecosystem has had to depend on affordable housing to thrive. -
Jones says it's a struggle to be a Black female musician in Austin. And, she says, you have to do it all yourself: “It’s just all these hats you have to wear, and it just breaks your neck, you know? The weight of all these hats.” -
A professor of music ecosystems calls a city's music scene an amenity. “Some people like to live by the ocean. Some people like to live by the mountains. Some people like to live next to thriving music scenes." -
Kate Howard says she contracted the virus after a five-minute conversation with a friend who also had been vaccinated. -
Founders Seth Green and Eric Heiret had considered putting their business on hold last year. But then the world shut down, and they took that as a sign to keep going. -
Jeannette Gregor has worn many hats: bartender, event coordinator, music festival production worker, screenwriter. When the music industry began to feel the economic effects of the pandemic, she put on another one.
