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Pay averaged about $100 per musician per gig four decades ago. It's still about $100 per musician per gig.

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.

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.

We all found out during the pandemic how hard it is to live without live music — and just how fragile the Austin music ecosystem is.

This episode is all about the fans. You’ll hear how they coped when there were no live shows and how they feel now that things are opening back up.