Austin Music

After founding the band in 2016 with his songwriting partner Ian Green, Sahad led the indie-soul outfit on a meteoric rise.

The Economic Development Department said it wanted to stay up to date with the cost of living in Austin. Musicians performing at Spaceflight Records' SXSW showcase will be paid a base rate of $200 per hour.

The city created a Live Music Fund in 2019. It's grown to $3 million, but no money has been given out yet.

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.

Austin is offering $2,000 grants to help struggling musicians, engineers, techs, promoters and other folks within the city's music scene.

High school students taking lessons with Austin Classical Guitar spent the month composing a song with Clarice Assad. They'll perform the song together at Bass Hall next month.

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.”