[00:00:04]
[CALL TO ORDER]
AND TONIGHT WE HAVE A MUSICAL PERFORMANCE FROM GINA CHAVEZ.SO THAT'S STEWART DISTRICT FIVE HAS BROUGHT IN GINA AND WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.
[MUSICAL PERFORMANCE]
GINA CHAVEZ IS A WIFE, A PHILANTHROPIST, AND AN AWARD-WINNING INDEPENDENT MUSICIAN.SHE, SHE WANTED 2020 LATIN GRAMMY, OR WASN'T A LATIN GRAMMY NOMINEE FOR BEST POP ROCK ALBUM, 12 TIME AUSTIN MUSIC AWARD WINNER, INCLUDING NIGHT, 2019, BEST FEMALE VOCALS, 2015 AUSTIN MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR.
HER NPR TINY DESK CONCERT HAS MORE THAN 1.2 MILLION VIEWS AND HER HOURS LONG PBL OR HOUR LONG PBS SPECIAL IS AVAILABLE NATIONWIDE GINA'S MUSIC IS VERY PERSONAL.
HER PASSIONATE COLLECTION OF BILINGUAL SONGS TAKES AUDIENCES ON A JOURNEY TO DISCOVER HER LATIN ROOTS THROUGH HER MUSIC.
AS SHE SHARES HER LIFE STORY OF A LIFE STORY.
SHE SHARES HER STORY OF LIFE IN TEXAS AS A MARRIED QUEER CATHOLIC
[00:07:01]
AMAZING, OBVIOUSLY NICE CHOICE STORAGE.YOU KNOW, CHAVEZ IS SUCH A GYM IN THE CITY AND AN AMAZING AMBASSADOR FOR AUSTIN.
AND, BUT EVERY, EVERY MONTH I'M JUST BLOWN AWAY YET AGAIN, BY THE WEALTH OF TALENT IN THE CITY.
IT'S SUCH A GREAT REMINDER OF WHY WE'RE HERE IN MEETINGS LIKE THIS, UM, TO PROPEL THAT FORWARD AND PRESERVE.
WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT OUR CITY.
[CITIZEN COMMUNICATION]
AND MOVE ON TO CITIZEN COMMUNICATION.AND I DON'T THINK STAFF, I DON'T THINK I HAVE A LIST.
AS WE'RE TRANSITIONING FROM ZOOM MEETINGS TO IN-PERSON MEETINGS, WE'RE HAVING TO RELEARN ALL THE PROCESSES OKAY.
SO FIRST UP FOR CITIZEN COMMUNICATION, WE HAVE AL MAXIMO.
THE MAXIMUM YOU WANT TONIGHT TONIGHT IS THE BEGINNING OF THE, THE S THE LOS MUERTOS, ALL ST.
AND THEN TOMORROW, ALSO TODAY IN THE LATINO CULTURE, IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT EVENT.
WE, WE SAY WE PRAY FOR THE DEAD AND FIGHT LIKE HELL FOR THE LIVING.
AND SO I'M TO FIGHT LIKE HELL FOR MUSICIANS AND MUSIC.
I WANT IT TO, UH, PROVIDE SOME QUICK, UH, INFORMATION, UH, ABOUT, UH, THE BASIS FOR FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS.
OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, I'VE BEEN TRACKING THIS PRETTY CLOSELY.
A LOT OF THIS, UM, IMPACTS YOUR DECISION MAKING AND HOW YOU FORMULATE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUNDING, PARTICULARLY THE LINE MUSIC FUNDING, THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE FUND.
SO IT STARTS WITH THE 19TH 2016 CREATIVE ECOSYSTEMS OMNIBUS RESOLUTION THAT WAS PASSED MY COUNCIL AND IDENTIFIED PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAM AREAS THAT, UH, THE COUNCIL WAS TRYING TO PROBLEM SOLVE WITH REGARD TO ACCESS INCREASING ACCESS RESOURCES FOR MUSICIANS.
AND IN PARTICULAR FOCUS ON INTERVENTIONS FOR EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, UH, INCLUDED IN THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS WAS A RECOMMENDATION TO REVIEW THIRD-PARTY FUND ADMINISTRATION.
IN THE FALL OF 2016, WE HAD THE VISITORS IMPACT TASK FORCE
[00:10:02]
THAT HAD NUMEROUS INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES AND WAS FOCUSED ON EXPANDING THE CONVENTION CENTER AND IN DOING SO MAXIMIZE THE PUBLIC VALUE PROCESS ACROSS MULTIPLE SECTORS, INCLUDING MUSIC.THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME MUSIC HAD IDENTIFIED AN OPPORTUNITY FROM HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXES.
AND THIS WAS THE GENESIS OF THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.
UH, THE TASK FORCE RECOMMENDED FUNDING FOR ALLOWABLE USES, UM, RELATED TO COMMERCIAL USES AND INCLUDED A RECOMMENDATION FOR THIRD PARTY FUND ADMINISTRATION.
AND THEN FINALLY, UH, FEBRUARY TWO 20, UH, 2020, THE LIVE MUSIC FUND WORKING TASK FORCES WERE SELECTED BY THE MUSIC COMMISSION.
NICOLA WAS TO ESTABLISH A FRAMEWORK FOR THE EFFECTIVE USE OF HOT AND THE LIVE MUSIC WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDED THAT CERTAIN INDUSTRY SECTORS BE CONSIDERED TO PARTICIPANT IN ALIGN MUSIC FUND.
THAT WAS MUSICIANS, VENUES, PRODUCTION, UH, COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, UNDERSERVED GENRES, FESTIVALS, AND EVENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS WITH INNOVATION INDUSTRIES LIKE TECHNOLOGY, A FUNDING MODEL WAS PRESENTED, UH, BECAUSE IT WAS APPARENT THAT THE LIVE MUSIC FUND WAS DEPENDENT ON A FUNDING SOURCE THAT WAS SLOW GROWING AND VULNERABLE DUE TO CORONA OR CORONA.
UH, THE LIVE MUSIC WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDED A SECONDARY COMPANION FUND ALIVE MUSIC FUND THAT WOULD FUND, UH, EQUITY, DIVERSITY INCLUSION INITIATIVES.
AND INITIALLY IN A MOUNTAIN WAS RECOMMENDED AT 1.8 MILLION.
THE SECONDARY FUND WAS TO ACT AS A COMPANION TO THE LIGHT MUSIC FUND AND WHAT REQUIRE FUNDRAISING FROM PUBLIC OR PRIVATE SOURCES TO CONCLUDE THE COMMON ELEMENTS OF THE OMNIBUS RESOLUTION, THE VISITOR TASK FORCE AND THEIR LIVE MUSIC WORKING GROUP WAS FOUR AREAS.
IT FOCUSED ON THE MUSIC ECOSYSTEM INDUSTRY SECTORS.
IT RELATED TO COMMERCIAL MUSIC USES IT INCLUDED THIRD PARTY FUND ADMINISTRATION AND WHO WAS THE FOCUS ON EQUITY, DIVERSITY INCLUSION AND THE FUND TO SUPPORT THOSE INITIATIVES.
NEXT PERSON WE HAVE FOR CITIZEN COMMUNICATION IS CODY COWEN FROM MUSIC MAKES AUSTIN GOOD EVENING MUSIC COMMISSIONERS.
MY NAME IS CODY CALLEN, AND I'M SPEAKING TODAY ON BEHALF AS PRESIDENT OF MUSIC MAKES AUSTIN AUSTIN'S MUSIC ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION THAT REPRESENTS THE COMMERCIAL LIVE MUSIC INDUSTRY, THE LIVE MUSIC FUND CONCEIVED IN 2016, AND THEN LEGALLY APPROVED THROUGH REFERENDUM IN 2019, THEN APPROVED BY COUNCIL WITH THE INTENT OF CREATING TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE INSIDE OF THE COMMERCIAL MUSIC INDUSTRY, MUSIC MAKES AUSTIN HAS SHEPHERDED THIS PROCESS OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS THROUGH TASKFORCE OR COMMISSIONER AND PLACEMENT, AS WELL AS STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATION AND WORKING GROUP PARTICIPATION IN THE FOLLOWING, THE VISITORS IMPACT TASK FORCE, THE TOURISM COMMISSION, THE ARTS COMMISSION REFERENDUM THROUGH PUBLIC CAMPAIGNING AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT GROUPS, CITY COUNCIL ADVOCACY, AND THROUGH ENGAGEMENT WITH THE MUSIC COMMISSION AND THROUGH AT LEAST THREE DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDER GROUPS.
WE ARE FRUSTRATED AND DISAPPOINTED THAT OUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LIVE MUSIC FUND PROGRAM, BOTH IN SUBSTANCE AND IN DETAIL HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY DISMISSED OR ERASED FROM THE PROCESS WITH RESPECT TO THE PLAN THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY PRESENTED BY EDD TO THE CITY COUNCIL.
THE EDD PLAN FAILS TO BOTH CREATE AND MEASURE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR THE COMMERCIAL LIVE MUSIC INDUSTRY.
MUSIC MAKES AUSTIN HAS CREATED A LONG-TERM PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES REAL SOLUTIONS THAT ACTUALLY REFLECT MARKET PRACTICES AND COME AND CAN PROVIDE TRANSFORMATIONAL VALUE FOR A DIVERSE ARRAY OF INTERESTS.
THERE ARE NOW TWO DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT PLANS IN FRONT OF THE COMMISSION AND CITY COUNCIL.
THE CULTURAL ARTS CENTERED PLAN THAT EDD HAS BROUGHT FORWARD AS FINISHED WORK PRODUCT AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CENTERED PLAN THAT HAS BEEN OFFERED BY OUR, BY OUR GROUP.
LAST FRIDAY, TODAY, WE ARE ASKING THAT THE MUSIC COMMISSION MAKE A MOTION AND VOTE FOR AN EXTENSION FOR THE LIVE MUSIC FUND PROGRAM, PERHAPS FOR AN ADDITIONAL THREE TO FOUR MONTHS TO RECONVENE AND FIND SOME RECONCILIATION BETWEEN THE PREVAILING OPTIONS.
THIS DECISION COULD RADICALLY ALTER THE LANDSCAPE OF THE LIVE MUSIC SCENE IN AUSTIN FOR YEARS TO COME, WHICH IS WHY IT'S IMPERATIVE TO NOT HURRY THIS PROCESS ALONG WITHOUT PROPER DUE DILIGENCE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
WE HAVE REBECCA REYNOLDS FROM MUSIC MAKES AUSTIN GOOD EVENING.
MY NAME IS REBECCA REYNOLDS AND I AM THE PRESIDENT OF THE MUSIC VENUE ALLIANCE OF AUSTIN.
[00:15:01]
I'M ALSO AN ATTORNEY AND I'VE LIVED IN AUSTIN FOR 47 YEARS.I'M HERE TODAY TO GIVE MY PUBLIC FEEDBACK ON THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.
I BEGAN STUDYING TEXAS TAX CODE CHAPTER 3 51 IN THE SUMMER OF 2016, WHICH LED TO MY ATTENDING A PRESENTATION IN THIS CHAMBER BY THE TEXAS HOTEL AND LODGING ASSOCIATION TO COUNSEL ON THE ALLOWABLE AND INTENDED USES OF HOTEL TAX FUNDS.
I DECIDED THEN TO WORK ON CORRECTING AUSTIN'S HISTORY OF EXCLUDING INDEPENDENT VENUES FROM GETTING SUPPORT NEEDED NOW MORE THAN EVER FROM TOURISM DOLLARS, THEY HAVE A CENTRAL ROLE IN GENERATING.
SINCE THEN, I HAVE LOGGED TRULY COUNTLESS HOURS OF DISCUSSIONS WITH LAWMAKERS AT THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY AND STUDYING HOTEL TAX PROGRAMS AND MUSIC FUNDING PROGRAMS. FOR THE MORE I'VE BEEN ON RECORD IN PUBLIC EMAILS AND TESTIMONY AT COUNCIL AND MUSIC COMMISSION CONSISTENTLY FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS, I'VE ALSO MADE MYSELF AVAILABLE TO COLLABORATE IN WORKING GROUPS, SPEAK ON PANELS, AND I'VE GIVEN DOZENS OF PRINT AND RADIO INTERVIEWS.
THE MUSIC MAKES AUSTIN BOARD HAS TWO REPRESENTATIVES ON THIS MUSIC COMMISSION, AND THERE ARE TWO, THERE WERE TWO MUSIC COMMISSIONERS IN ATTENDANCE OF OUR RECENT MEETING WITH THE MAYOR.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, I'VE COMMUNICATED DIRECTLY AND INDIVIDUALLY WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS, MUSIC, COMMISSIONERS, AND STAFF ABOUT WHAT WAS AT ONE TIME, OUR SHARED VISION ALL THE WAY FROM WHEN, WHEN WE BEGAN WORK ON THE CREATION OF THIS FUND IN 20 16, 20 16 THROUGH TODAY, I PROVIDED EXAMPLES OF HOW PUBLIC FUNDING CAN SUPPORT MUSICIANS AND UNDER-REPRESENTED ON UNDERREPRESENTED GENRES.
PLEASE REVISIT THE CHICAGO BAND REGISTRY.
IF YOU HAVEN'T IN A WHILE OR NEVER DID, I'VE BEEN CLEAR, AVAILABLE, TRANSPARENT AND CONSISTENT.
NONETHELESS, IF ANYONE IS CONFUSED ABOUT MY FEEDBACK ON THE PROPOSED GUIDELINES, I'M HERE TO SAY THAT A PROGRAM THAT INTENTIONALLY EXCLUDES INDEPENDENT VENUES IS UNACCEPTABLE.
IN FACT, I'M SURPRISED BY THIS GROUP OF MUSIC, COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVES, YOU'VE ARRIVED AT A LOYALTY TEST BETWEEN EQUITY AND INDEPENDENT VENUES.
I'M CONVINCED, YOU KNOW, THAT THIS IS A FALSE CHOICE.
SOME OF YOU MAY DISAGREE WITH MY POSITION AND THAT'S OKAY.
ULTIMATELY COUNCIL WILL DECIDE THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PROPOSED GUIDELINES AND HOW CURRENT COMMISSIONERS HAVE BEEN USING CULTURAL ARTS HOT FUNDS.
FOR YEARS, I ENCOURAGE THIS COMMISSION TO RETURN WORK TO COUNCIL THAT IS RESPONSIVE TO THE STATE STATUTE.
THE UNANIMOUSLY VOTED ON COUNCIL ORDINANCE, ESTABLISHING THIS FUND, THE DISCUSSION ON THE DYESS THAT LED TO THAT VOTE AND DIRECTION GIVEN TO STAFF AT COUNCIL WORK SESSION ON OCTOBER 12TH OF THIS YEAR IN ORDER TO DO SO.
I ASK THAT YOU DELAY A VOTE ON PROGRAM GUIDELINES.
AND OUR LAST SPEAKER FOR CITIZEN COMMUNICATION IS A TWO MORE WILLIAM FROM EKU AUSTIN.
AT THIS TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO DONATE MY TIME TO ALEX LAY HALL ON THE BEHALF OF EACH TO AUSTIN, THE AUSTIN MUSIC COMMISSIONERS.
UM, MY NAME IS ALEX FILET, WHO, AND I'M HERE WITH MY COLLEAGUE, MR. TAMARA WILLIAMS, AND WE'RE BOARD MEMBERS OF EKU AUSTIN, A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, WHICH HAS BEEN WORKING FOR THE PAST EIGHT YEARS ON EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION, AND THE HOT TAXES IN THE MUSIC ECOSYSTEM UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF A MAYOR, STEVEN ADLER AND THE MUSIC AND ARTS COMMISSIONS, THE MUSIC INDUSTRY EARNED ACCESS TO HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXES.
UM, IN FEBRUARY, 2016, WE HELPED INTRODUCE THE AUSTIN MUSIC AND CREATIVE ECOSYSTEM OMNIBUS RESOLUTION WITH MAYOR ADLER, INTRODUCING MUSIC EDI IN PUBLIC RECORD, THE FIRST SET OF CITY OF AUSTIN MUSIC AND CREATION, CREATIVE, UH, ECOSYSTEMS STABILIZATION RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDED ADI.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS HAVE THE PHOTO, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE A PHOTO OF THAT GROUP.
DID YOU HAVE THE PHOTO? NOT NO PHOTO? WELL, IT JUST AS BASICALLY A PHOTOGRAPH OF, UM, THAT DAY IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE UPSTAIRS, OR, UM, WHERE A LOT OF MUSICIANS FROM ALL OVER AUSTIN KIND OF CAME TOGETHER, UM, ALL ADVOCATING FOR EQUITY AND MUSIC.
UM, THERE'S ACTUALLY A FEW OF YOU HERE IN THE ROOM THAT WERE THERE AS WELL.
BUT, UM, FROM THE BEGINNING, YOU KNOW, Q AUSTIN HAS BEEN WORKING ON THE EDI OVERLAY COMPONENT THAT WAS PRESENTED IN THE OMNIBUS PLAN.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HEAR A LOT OF REFERENCES ABOUT THE MUSIC ECOSYSTEM AND THAT ECOSYSTEM INCLUDES EVERYONE PRESENT HERE TONIGHT.
UH, I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING WITH A LOT OF YOU AND EVEN THOSE ARTISTS BEHIND ME.
[00:20:01]
MATTERS.UM, THROUGHOUT THE PAST SIX YEARS, WE'VE SUPPORTED THE MUSIC COMMISSION'S PROCESS ON DEBATING USES OF THE HOT TAX THROUGH THE VISITORS IMPACT TASK FORCE, THE MUSIC COMMISSION, WORKING GROUPS, PUBLIC FORUMS, AND EVERY CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT CITY COUNCIL ENGAGEMENT, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AND COLLABORATIVE COLLABORATION WITH OUR COLLEAGUES.
THAT MUSIC MAKES US, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF VALUABLE, UM, DIALOGUE RESEARCH AND INFORMATION SHARED BETWEEN EVERYONE.
AND WE'VE GIVEN FEEDBACK DRAFTED RECOMMENDATIONS, MUCH OF IT ADOPTED BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UM, TODAY WE HAVE A PUBLIC SECTOR, THE MUSIC COMMISSION AND EDD STAFF, A THOUGHTFUL, YOU KNOW, AND TRANSPARENT LIVE MUSIC FUND DOCUMENT.
WHEN WE SEE AS IMPACTFUL, ESPECIALLY FOR MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
AND THEN WE HAVE THE PRIVATE SECTOR, WHICH, UH, THIS MUSIC MAKES AUSTIN HAS SUBMITTED A PROPOSAL THAT ADDRESSES THE CITY COUNCIL'S INTENT FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE FOR AUSTIN'S LIVE MUSIC ECONOMY.
UM, BOTH OF THOSE PROPOSALS PROVIDE UNIQUE PERSPECTIVES FROM THE COMMERCIAL MUSIC INDUSTRY, EXCUSE ME, FOR THIS MASTER, THE LIVE MUSIC BRIAN, UH, SHOULD BE VIEWED AS A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT IN AUSTIN'S MUSIC AND ARTS ECOSYSTEM THAT LEADS WITH EDI TO ENSURE THAT UNDERSERVED ARTISTS AND STAKEHOLDERS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITIES TO SUCCEED AND STAY IN AUSTIN.
SO, UM, LET ME SEE, LET ME JUST GO AHEAD AND END IT HERE.
UM, AM I, IS MY TIME UP OR DO I NEED TO GET DONE? I'M GONNA WRAP IT UP WITH A SENTENCE.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, EEKY, AUSTIN SEES A LOT OF MUSIC FUND, NOT AS EITHER OR PROPOSITION A CHOICE BETWEEN EQUITY OR GROWING BUSINESSES, BUT AS A BUILDING, A STRUCTURAL FRAMEWORK FOR BOTH.
UM, AND IN CLOSING, YOU KNOW, EKU AUSTIN IS RECOMMENDING THAT, YOU KNOW, AN EXTENSION OF THE LIVE MUSIC FUND DECISION TO BUILD CONSENSUS BETWEEN THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR.
AND, UH, HE WAS JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME TO CREATE A MEANINGFUL IMPACT, UH, FOR YEARS TO COME.
THAT'S EVERYBODY WE HAVE FOR CITIZEN COMMUNICATION.
[1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
AND MOVE TO APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.SO HOPEFULLY EVERYBODY'S HAD A MOMENT TO READ THEM IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THEM.
I'LL SECOND THAT MOTION ALL IN FAVOR.
SO WE WERE DONE WITH THAT, SO WE WILL MOVE ON TO NOW MAKE
[4B. Discussion and Possible Action on election of Music Commission Vice-chair.]
A MOTION.WE, UM, RIGHT NOW WE DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE A VICE CHAIR AND THAT IS ITEM FOUR B UNDER NEW BUSINESS.
CAN WE MOVE THE VICE CHAIR ELECTION TO BE RIGHT NOW, UH, AHEAD OF THE REST OF THE, UH, OTHER ITEMS IN THE AGENDA? SO, OKAY.
WE ARE PICKING UP WHERE WE LEFT OFF IN OUR LAST MEETING.
SO I WILL GO AHEAD AND RESTATE MY NOMINATION OF ALL THE AMOUNT OF CHARLA AS A VICE CHAIR.
THAT'S SUDDENLY DECIDED TO BE WHAT THEY WOULD LOVE TO BE VICE CHAIR NOW.
SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ALL IN FAVOR OF, UM, FAULT COMMISSIONER METTA, CHARLA'S, UH, BECOMING OUR VICE CHAIR.
AND I AM VERY PLEASED ABOUT THIS VOLLEY AND I SPEAK ALL THE TIME.
UM, IT'S, SHE'S MY COMMISSION WORK-WISE SO, UM, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT WHERE WE CAN TAKE, UH, CONTINUE TO PROPEL THINGS FORWARD FOR THE MUSIC COMMISSION.
SO, OKAY THEN RETURNING TO OUR AGENDA STAFF
[2. STAFF BRIEFINGS]
BRIEFINGS, GOOD EVENING MUSIC COMMISSIONERS.SO NOVIA HAUTE, RAP, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, CITY OF AUSTIN, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
JUST WANT IT TO BRING YOU AN UPDATE ON THE LIVE MUSIC, FUN HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTION.
WELL, IT SAYS PROPOSED, BUT THE APPROVED BUDGET FOR 2122, BUT WHAT I WANT TO BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO IS THE FISCAL YEAR 2021.
IF YOU GO TO THE FOURTH COLUMN OVER THAT SAYS AMENDED,
[00:25:01]
THIS IS THE COLUMN THAT COUNCIL ACTUALLY APPROVED IN OCTOBER OF 2020, THE COLUMN THAT SAYS ESTIMATED OR THE PROJECTIONS THAT WE WORK WITH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR ON THE COLLECTION, AS YOU NOTICE THE TRANSFER IN TO THE CO FROM THE CONVENTION CENTER SHOWS 1.2 TO SEVEN.I'M PLEASED TO TELL YOU THAT THE COLLECTIONS CAME IN A LITTLE HIGHER.
WE ACTUALLY COLLECTED 1.48 MILLION.
SO THE BALANCE AS OF SEPTEMBER 30TH, CLOSE TO, WE STILL HAVE ONE MORE CLOSE IS $3.2 MILLION, APPROXIMATELY $292,000 INCREASE.
WAS THAT, WAS THAT STRICTLY JUST THROUGH THE CONVENTION CENTER WAS A CONVENTION CENTER.
THAT IS THE TRANSFER IN AS PART OF THE 2 CENT INCREASE THAT WAS GIVEN VOTED ON AND APPROVED FOR THE EXPANSION.
AND SO THAT IS THE TRANSFER INTO THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.
AND SO JUST TO REMIND YOU THAT THESE, UM, FUNDS OKAY.
I DON'T HAVE A CLICKER NOT WORKING NEXT SLIDE.
JUST WANT TO REMIND YOU THAT THESE DO FALL UP UNDER THE STATE TEXAS STATE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX, BUT THE ENCOURAGEMENT PROMOTION AND IMPROVEMENT AND APPLICATION OF THE ARTS.
SO JUST WANTED TO REMIND YOU CAN NOT USE THESE FUNDS TO PURCHASE A BUILDING, UH, OR A VENUE THAT FALLS WITHIN THE CONVENTION CENTER PER VIEW OF THE HOT TAX CONVENTION CENTERS OR VISITOR SOON.
SO JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT REMINDER OUT THERE.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS COLLECTIONS CAME IN HIGHER.
SO NOVIA, ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I THINK THAT'S GREAT NEWS, UH, AND TRACKS PRETTY CLOSE TO, YEAH, GO AHEAD COMMISSIONER.
UM, SO IT CAN ONLY BE UTILIZED.
CAN YOU JUST CIRCLE BACK AROUND THAT THEY'RE VERY ANY PORTION, SO YOU ALL WILL BE CONSIDERING GUIDELINES LATER TODAY.
AND SO THE GUIDELINES THAT WERE PRESENTED BEFORE FALL WITHIN THE STATUTE AS STATED BY THE STATE OF TEXAS.
UM, YEAH, I JUST, UH, HEARD SOME FROM ONE OF THE SPEAKERS THAT THEY DON'T SEE ANY DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN THE POD GUIDELINES AND CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING GUIDELINES.
COULD YOU MAYBE TOUCH ON THAT BREATH? WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE, THE LIVE MUSIC GUIDELINES AND THE EXACT SAME WAY WOULD BE, YEAH, WE'LL TAKE THAT.
SO THIS IS RIGHT NOW, WE'RE JUST CRUNCHING.
AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE NUMBERS THAT HAVE BEEN CRUNCHED.
I THINK THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UM, AND, UH, CHRIS, JUST TO YOUR POINT, YOU WERE ASKING HIM ABOUT THE CONVENTION CENTER.
SO YEAH, THAT MONEY TRANSFERS IN, BUT IT IS, IT IS COLLECTED FROM THE HOTELS IT'S FROM, UM, PEOPLE THAT STAY AT THE HOUSE.
OH, THAT WAS JUST MORE OF A CURIOSITY ON HOW IT COULD BE, HOW IT WAS, YOU MIGHT SAY THIS FROM, UH, FROM THE VERY ENDING PORTION OF WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT.
WELL, I MAY COMING FROM OBVIOUSLY FROM THE HOT.
JUST TO BE CLEAR, THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTED AT THE HOTEL FILE WITH THE STATE AND IT'S TRANSFERRED TO THE CITY WOULD THEN TRANSFERS IT TO THE VARIOUS FUNDS.
SO IT IS 100% PURE HOTEL OCCUPANCY.
THE GREAT NEWS IS THAT DUE TO COVID THE PANDEMIC, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBERS WERE DOWN.
AND SO WE ALWAYS ARE TRENDING AND TRACKING AND WE ARE THANKFUL THAT THEY CAME AND HIRED THEM PROJECTED.
IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE ON THAT ONE.
[3A. Discussion and Possible Action following organization update from the Austin Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) including discussion of a process for nominating board representation by Veronica Briseño, Economic Development Director, City of Austin Economic Development Department; David Colligan, Chief Operating Officer, AEDC; and Emmett Beliveau, AEDC Board Member.]
TO OLD BUSINESS THREE A AND SO WE HAVE A COUPLE OF ITEMS FROM THE AEDC TONIGHT.SO FIRST STEP OF, UH, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION FOLLOWING ORGANIZATION UPDATES FROM THE AEDC, UM, INCLUDING A DISCUSSION OF PROCESS FOR NOMINATING BOARD REPRESENTATION BY VERONICA PERSONNEL, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
[00:30:01]
DIRECTOR, UM, DAVID COLLAGEN, UH, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, AND ALSO EMMETT BELIVEAU, WHO IS, UH, THE MUSIC ADC BOARD MEMBER.SO WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THE PROCESS FOR BOARD NOMINATION.
SO, UM, I THINK, I THINK VERONICA WAS REMOTE AND YEAH.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO YIELD THE FLOOR TO EVAN, DOES OUR BOARD MEMBER TO DISCUSS THE MONTHLY UPDATE.
AND THEN I'M HAPPY TO GO THROUGH THE NOMINATING PROCESS WITH THE, WITH THE COMMISSION.
EMMA IS PRESENT IN THE CHAMBERS.
UH, NOT, NOT MUCH OF AN UPDATE FOR YOU FROM WHEN I WAS HERE LAST MONTH.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION DID NOT HAVE QUORUM TO MEET IN OCTOBER, SO WE HAVE STILL NOT, UM, GOTTEN OUR BOARD UP TO SPEED ON, ON YOUR REQUEST REGARDING THE POTENTIAL ADMINISTRATION OF THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.
OBVIOUSLY IT IS THE TOPIC, DOES YOUR, UM, BUT KNOW THAT WE ARE STILL GOING TO ON OUR SEPARATE TRACK ADDRESS THAT AT OUR NOVEMBER MEETING, WHICH IS NEXT MONTH WHERE WE'RE GOING TO ASK THE STAFF TO COME IN AND BRIEF OUR BOARD ON THE VERY LATEST, UH, ON THE LIVE MUSIC FUND, INCLUDING THE POTENTIAL FOR ADMINISTRATION OF IT NOW OR IN THE FUTURE.
SO UNFORTUNATELY NO, NO PROGRESS IN THE LAST MONTH BECAUSE WE DIDN'T MEET.
HOWEVER, UH, AFTER I THINK VERONICA IS GOING TO TOUCH ON THE NOMINATION PROCESS FOR YOUR CONTINUED REPRESENTATION ON THE AEDC BOARD, BUT, AND GATLING HAYES, WHO IS OUR CHIEF TRANSACTIONS OFFICER, WHO I DESCRIBED AND TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT LAST MONTH IS HERE, UH, JOINING YOU ALL VIRTUALLY TONIGHT FOR AN UPDATE ON THE CULTURAL TRUST, RFP, WHERE THERE'S SOME REAL MOVEMENT AND REAL MOMENTUM.
UM, AND I KNOW WE'RE LOOKING FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP TO GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT THAT PROCESS, UH, OVER THE NEXT MONTH.
SO I THINK I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU, VERONICA OR DAVID TO TALK ABOUT THE NOMINATION PROCESS, BUT THEN HAPPY TO STAY HERE.
UM, I AM HAPPY TO BE HERE WITH YOU TONIGHT.
I AM HERE AS YOUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AND OUR PRESIDENT CEO.
UM, WE WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE UPCOMING NOMINATION PROCESS, OR I SHOULD SAY A RENOMINATION PROCESS AS WELL.
UM, AS YOU ALL ARE AWARE, IT FEELS LIKE WE WERE JUST HERE TALKING TO YOU ABOUT NOMINATING A POTENTIAL BOARD MEMBER FOR THE AUSTIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, THE BOARD MEMBER THAT YOU HAVE NOMINATED AND HAS RECEIVED COUNCIL APPOINTMENT.
UM, LET WE JUST HEARD FROM L M HAS BEEN ON THE BOARD SINCE THE BOARD STARTED MEETING IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR.
IT HAS COME FOR THE OPPORTUNITY FOR A NOMINATION PROCESS, AGAIN FROM THE ARTS COMMISSION.
AND I'M SORRY, THE MUSIC COMMISSION AS WELL AS, UH, OTHER, UH, ENTITIES THAT NOMINATED, UH, A PERSON INTO, UH, INITIALLY.
AND WE WOULD, UH, WANTED TO JUST GIVE YOU, PUT THAT ON YOUR RADAR AS A COMMISSION, SO YOU CAN START GIVING SOME THOUGHT.
AND AS I SAT ON THE FOREFRONT, THIS COULD BE A NOMINATION OF AN INDIVIDUAL OR THE RENOMINATION OF YOUR, UH, CURRENT REPRESENTATIVE.
UM, AS YOU RECALL, THE, THE CORPORATION IS GOVERNED BY A BOARD THAT CONSISTS OF 20 MEMBERS WHO ARE NOMINATED BY THE CITY AND OTHER EXTERNAL AGENCIES IN THE COMMUNITY.
EACH NOMINATING BODY IS ASKED TO PROVIDE UP TO THREE NOMINATIONS, MEETING THE DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBJECT MATTER AREA, ALL APPLICATIONS AND SKILLSETS FOR AN IDEAL NOMINEE.
THE CITY COUNCIL THEN CONFIRMS A SINGLE SELECTED CANDIDATE BY MAJORITY VOTE.
UH, SO I WANT TO REVIEW THE CRITERIA FOR NOMINATIONS AND I'M HAPPY.
WE'RE HAPPY TO SEND THIS TO YOU AND WRITING AS WELL, UH, BUT MUST BE A RESIDENT OF AUSTIN CITY OF AUSTIN.
NUMBER TWO, THEY MUST, UH, THE INDIVIDUAL MUST HOLD A STRONG BACKGROUND, UNDERSTANDING AND FAMILIARITY BY THE NOMINATING ORGANIZATION AND THE COMMUNITY, THE NOMINATING BODY SERVES.
THE THIRD ITEM IS THE INDIVIDUAL POSSESSES DEMONSTRABLE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE IN THE AREAS OF INDUSTRY, PUBLIC, PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, INFRASTRUCTURE, OR TRANSPORTATION, REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT, OR CONSTRUCTION, URBAN REGIONAL PLANNING, HISTORIC PRESERVATION, FINANCE, CREATIVE, AND MUSIC, INDUSTRY, MINORITY WOMEN, BUSINESS ENTERPRISES, AND OR WORKFORCE FOURS.
THE INDIVIDUAL UNDERSTANDS THE ABC'S ROLE AND FUNCTIONS SUCH AS LEASE ADMINISTRATION, TRANSACTION SUPPORT AND PUBLIC DEVELOPMENT.
FIVE IS A CAPACITY FOR SERVING ROLES ON A WORKING BOARD INSTEAD OF A POLITICAL ROLE.
SO THERE'S A THREE-YEAR TERM ONE BOARD MEETING PER MONTH.
THERE'S ALSO COMMITTEE AND OR WORKING GROUP MEETINGS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH.
AND SUBSEQUENT TERMS WILL BE THREE YEARS WHILE THERE'S NO LIMIT TO THE NUMBER OF TERMS SERVED.
NO MEMBER OF THE BOARD IS ALLOWED TO SERVE MORE THAN TWO CONSECUTIVE TERMS. SO TIMELINE FOR NOMINATIONS, EACH DOMAIN BODIES BEING ASKED TO PROVIDE THE INFORMATION REGARDING
[00:35:01]
THEIR FINAL NOMINEE IN WRITING ON BY FRIDAY, JANUARY 14TH, 2020 TO, UH, TO OFFICIALLY SUBMIT THE NOMINATION.EACH ENTITY IS ASKED TO PROVIDE AN OFFICIAL LETTER ADDRESSED TO THE ATCS INTERIM PRESIDENT AND CEO AS WAS MYSELF.
UH, WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT BY THAT DATE IN JANUARY, WE HAVE A PERMANENT CEO IN PLACE, AND WE WILL KEEP YOU APPRISED OF THAT AS THAT PROCEEDS AS WELL.
THE NOMINATIONS CAN ALSO BE PROVIDED IN THE FORM OF A RESOLUTION FROM THE CURRENT PRESIDENT OR CHAIR OF THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE NOMINATING ENTITY AND THE LETTER OF RESOLUTION SHOULD PROPERLY INTRODUCE THE OFFICIAL NOMINEES AND PROVIDE A SUMMARY OF THE PROCESS FOR SELECTING THE NOMINEE.
THE LETTER OR RESOLUTION MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE FINAL OF THE FOLLOWING ATTACHMENTS, A COMPLETED NOMINATION FORM, A PROFESSIONAL HEADSHOT, AND BIOGRAPHY, AND A CURRENT RESUME.
AND AS I MENTIONED, WE ARE HAPPY TO PROVIDE ALL OF THOSE TO THE, TO THE COMMISSION WE ARE.
UM, ONCE WE RECEIVE THAT INFORMATION, WE'LL, WE WILL BE LOOKING TO PROVIDE THIS TO CITY COUNCIL FOR RECOMMENDATION AT A FEBRUARY OR MARCH COUNCIL MEETINGS.
WE'RE WANTING TO COME TO YOU HERE IN NOVEMBER SO WE CAN, UH, BRING IT TO YOUR ATTENTION AND GIVE US THAT SOME CONSIDERATION.
PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
AND EMMETT MENTIONED ON THE FRONT END AND I SHOULD HAVE STARTED WITH, WE ARE ALSO VERY EXCITED TO HAVE HERE WITH US, UM, AND GATLING HAYNES.
WHO'S HERE TO PROVIDE A UPDATE ON THE CULTURAL TRUST, BUT AS A, AS A UPDATE ON THE EDC, SHE IS OUR FIRST FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE.
SO WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE HER AS A PART OF THE ORGANIZATION AS WELL, AND HAPPY TO HAVE HER HERE BEFORE YOU TONIGHT.
WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, SO PREVIOUSLY, UH, IN THE FIRST ITERATION OF, OF THIS NOMINATION, THE MUSIC COMMISSION FORMED A WORKING GROUP FOR THIS, IS THAT THE PROPER PROCESS OR ARE THERE, IS THERE ANOTHER WAY TO APPROACH IT? DO YOU MEAN, DO WE NEED, DO WE NEED TO FORM A WORKING GROUP? I THINK IT'S ESSENTIALLY MY QUESTION.
THAT'S REALLY THE, UM, THE DETERMINATION OF THE COMMISSION.
YOU CERTAINLY CAN, UH, CREATE A WORKING GROUP TO DO SO, UM, UH, IT'S REALLY WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF THE COMMISSION.
WELL, PROBABLY COMMISSIONED THE WAY WE'LL HANDLE THAT IS I'LL, I'LL REACH OUT TO THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE ON THE WORKING GROUP BEFORE AND SEE IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU, YOU KNOW, WE CAN KIND OF TAKE THE BALL AND RUN WITH IT, OR WE NEED, WE NEED A MORE FORMALIZED WORKING GROUP.
UH, WE'LL CERTAINLY BE TALKING WITH EMMETT TO SEE IF HE WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE, UH, AS OUR BOARD MEMBER.
UM, BUT YEAH, I THINK IT'LL BE AN EASIER PROCESS THIS TIME AROUND, SINCE WE'VE ALL DONE THIS.
SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT DETAIL OF VERONICA.
SO ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BOARD? OKAY.
WELL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, VERONICA AND EMMA, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING YOU AT ALL THE MEETINGS GOING FORTH.
NOW THAT A LOT MORE THINGS ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE ADC.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE UPDATE.
AND YEAH, SO SEGWAYING INTO ITEM
[3B. Discussion and Possible Action following presentation by Anne Gatling Haynes, Chief Transactions Officer, AEDC, regarding the registration process for the AEDC’s Cultural Trust RFP.]
THREE, B CONTINUING WITH AADC DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION FALLING PRESENTATION BY AND GATLING HANES THE NEW CHIEF TRANSACTIONS OFFICER WITH ADC.UM, AND SHE SORT OF TALKED ABOUT THE CULTURAL TRUST RFP.
UM, AND I HAVE A FEW SLIDES, UM, AND I JUST REALLY APPRECIATE THE I'M HONORED TO BE HERE AND SPEAK TO YOU ALL TONIGHT ABOUT THE CULTURAL TRUST AS VERONICA INTRODUCED ME, I'M THE CHIEF TRANSACTIONS OFFICER, WHICH IS REALLY THE PROJECT AND PROGRAM LEAD FOR THE ORGANIZATION.
UM, AND CERTAINLY I'VE BEEN REALLY LUCKY TO MEET WITH MANY OF YOU.
UM, ALTHOUGH I CAN'T SEE EVERYBODY AT THE SAME TIME FROM HERE, BUT, UM, IT'S BEEN, IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE.
SO I THINK THE SLIDE IS COMING UP FROM THE OFFICIAL SOURCE.
AND, UH, RON, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANTED TO REEMPHASIZE KIND OF THE MISSION OR GOAL OF THE ADC BEFORE I START.
I CAN'T, I GUESS NOBODY CAN SEE THAT THE SLIDES COME UP.
IS THAT TRUE? UM, WHILE THE TECHNOLOGY IS COMING UP, UM, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE, UM, WE COULD BRIEFLY TALK ABOUT, UH, THE ROLE OF THE ADC IS REALLY AT THAT INTERFACE OF, UH, DEVELOPMENT, THE CITY AND STAKEHOLDERS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, REALLY ASSURING THE PUBLIC BENEFIT OF THE DEVELOPMENT THAT GOES ON BOTH IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND THEN ULTIMATELY LARGER,
[00:40:01]
UH, DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS THAT INVOLVE PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT.AND LET ME KNOW IF THERE'S, OH, THERE WE ARE.
AND SO REALLY, UM, I THINK, AND I WILL ASK FOR SLIDES TO GO FORWARD AS WE GO, UNLESS SOMEONE TELLS ME OTHERWISE, BUT REALLY THE GOAL IS TO HELP IN THE INTERACTION BETWEEN PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT AND, UH, THE PUBLIC REALM, AS WELL AS STAKEHOLDERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
AND CERTAINLY PARTNERING VERY DIRECTLY WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN ON MANY PROJECTS THAT INVOLVE BOTH PUBLIC MONIES, AS WELL AS, UH, PUBLIC REGULATIONS.
UM, SO WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE PROBABLY THAT'S POSSIBLE.
UH, WE CAN GO QUICKLY TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, I KNOW MANY OF YOU ALL HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS CULTURAL TRUST, UM, FOR MANY YEARS NOW.
AND THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE ARE STARTING, YOU SAW THAT FLASH UP ON THE SCREEN, AND I WILL DESCRIBE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE CURRENT PROGRAM AND ITS STRUCTURE.
UM, BUT IT IS REALLY THE COMMUNITY ARTS STABILIZATION TRUST THAT HAS BEEN, UM, OUTLINED IN RESOLUTIONS, MANY RESOLUTIONS AND CERTAINLY MANY WORKING GROUPS THAT INCLUDING THE MUSIC COMMISSION HAS PROVIDED INSIGHT ON WHAT, HOW THE CULTURAL TRUST MONIES SHOULD BE USED.
UM, THE REAL PROGRAM PRIORITIES ARE, UM, THANK YOU FOR WHOEVER'S MOVING THE, THE SLIDES, THE REAL WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT ONE WAS PROGRAM PRIORITIES.
UH, REALLY THE IDEA OF FACILITATING THE ACQUISITION AND PRESERVATION OF EXISTING CULTURAL ARTS VENUES, ARTS MUSIC VENUES, AS WELL AS THE CREATION OF NEW CULTURAL HUBS THAT INCLUDE ARTS AND MUSIC ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS THAT REALLY STAY AND MAINTAIN AFFORDABILITY FOR THOSE OF THOSE GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS AND, UM, MUSICIANS AND ARTISTS.
UM, AND IT'S REALLY MEANT TO BE ENJOYED BY THE PUBLIC, UM, TO ACHIEVE DIVERSITY EQUITY INCLUSION AS A KEY FOCUS, WHICH INCLUDES ADDRESSING PAST ANY INEQUALITIES AND EQUITIES EXPERIENCED BY UNDERSERVED AND UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS.
UM, AND THEN TO CREATE THAT PERMANENT AFFORDABILITY FOR CULTURE, MUSIC, AND ART TO THRIVE IN THE CITY.
THE OTHER PIECE THAT'S A PROGRAM PRIORITY OF OURS IS TO REALLY CREATE A SUSTAINING PIPELINE OF CULTURAL TRUST PROJECTS.
WE HAVE INITIAL FUNDING THAT I WILL WALK THROUGH IN A MOMENT TO START THE PROCESS.
AND OUR REQUESTS FOR PROPOSALS WILL BE FOCUSED ON THOSE INITIAL DOLLARS AND THE INITIAL INVESTMENTS, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, THROUGH THE PROCESS DEVELOPING A PIPELINE OF PROJECTS.
SO WE CAN BOTH SOURCE ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE NEEDS THAT WE SEE OUT THERE IN THE COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WE HAVE, UM, REALLY REFLECTED THE BROADEST AMOUNT OF THE ECOSYSTEM IN THE CULTURAL TRUST EVENTUALL INVESTMENTS, GO TO THE NEXT ONE.
AND AGAIN, AS IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME THAT WE ARE INTO OUR ORGANIZATION, THAT WE ARE FOCUSED ON THE PIPELINE OF PROJECTS, NOT JUST THE PROJECTS THEMSELVES AND ALSO CREATING PLACE IN THOSE, IN THOSE PROJECTS FOR SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS COMMUNITIES AND, UM, THE CITY AS A WHOLE, AND GO TO THE NEXT ONE.
THESE ARE THE THREE SOURCES OF FUNDS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR THIS INITIAL ROUND OF, UH, THE CULTURAL TRUST.
MANY OF YOU ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE INITIAL, UH, CREATIVE FACILITIES BOND FROM 2018, WHICH WAS $12 MILLION OUT OF A LARGER, I BELIEVE 128 MILLION FOR CULTURE AND ARTS AND MUSIC.
AND THESE ARE REALLY PROJECTS THAT ARE INTENDED TO SUPPORT THE PRESERVATION, RESTORATION, ACQUISITION, AND CONSTRUCTION OF THESE CREATIVE HUBS THAT WILL SUPPORT ARTS CULTURE AND MUSIC AND BE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.
WE ALSO HAVE THE ICONIC VENUE FUND, WHICH ARE ALSO HOT TEXT-BASED THAT'S 2.4 MILLION, AND THOSE ARE PROJECTS THAT PROVIDE A VALUE TO TOURISM, BUT REALLY ESSENTIALLY PRESERVE AND PROTECT SOME OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT VENUES SPECIFICALLY IN MUSIC, BUT ALSO ARTS, UM, THAT DEMONSTRATE THE NEED, UM, AND, AND REALLY ARE URGENTLY POTENTIALLY ABOUT TO BE LOST.
AND THEN THE NEXT PIECE IS REALLY PART OF THE, UH, BUDGET, UH, CITY BOSTON BUDGET, WHICH IS MEANT TO MIRROR THE HOT ICONIC VENUE FUND WITH AN ADDITIONAL 2.5 MILLION.
SO WITH THREE BUCKETS OF MONEY, EACH OF THEM HAVE DIFFERENT PARTICULAR REGULATIONS AND RULES ON HOW THEY CAN BE USED.
UM, BUT WE ARE LOOKING VERY MUCH TOWARDS THIS PIPELINE OF PROJECTS, THROUGH OUR REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL PROCESS DEFINED HOW THESE FUNDS CAN APPLY TO THE PROJECTS SPECIFICALLY THAT MEET THE CRITERIA FOR THE PROGRAM.
SO NEXT SLIDE, WE REALLY HAVE FEW FUNDS, 16.9 MILLION IS NOT, UM, THE, THE MOST MONEY THAT WE NEED TO REALLY SUPPORT THE ECOSYSTEM.
WE ANTICIPATE ONE TO TWO VENUES BEING SAVED, PRESERVED AND OR ACQUIRED THROUGH THE EXISTING OPERATOR VENUE
[00:45:01]
ACQUISITION, WHICH IS PRIMARILY THROUGH THE ICONIC VENUE FUND.AND THEN WE ARE HOPING TO DO A ONE TO TWO, UH, ADC MANAGED SPACES THAT WOULD BE CITY OF AUSTIN OWNED THAT WOULD HELP SUPPORT FOUR TO SIX AND MAYBE MORE ORGANIZATIONS.
AND THAT WOULD BE COMING FROM THE CREATIVE FACILITIES BOND.
SO IN THE RFP PROCESS, ORGANIZATIONS AND PROGRAMS WILL BE ABLE TO PICK AND SELECT WHICH ONE THEY THINK THEY APPLIED TOWARDS WHICH TYPE OF FUNDING, WHICH TYPE OF FACILITY, BUT DURING THE PROCESS OF THE RFP, WE WILL CERTAINLY WORK WITH ALL ORGANIZATIONS AND GROUPS TO ASSURE THAT THE MONEY WILL BE IDENTIFIED OR THE PROJECTS WILL BE IDENTIFIED FOR THE MONEY TO BE INVESTED AS BEST AS POSSIBLE.
NEXT ONE, AND REALLY THE RELEASE OF THE RFP WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON IT FOR THE LAST TWO MONTHS SINCE I JOINED, UH, WE ANTICIPATE THAT TO BE RELEASED SOON.
THERE HAS BEEN A REGISTRATION PROCESS THAT HAS BEEN OPEN FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, AND WE'VE ALREADY RECEIVED A NUMEROUS REGISTRATION FORMS, WHICH IS REALLY JUST A CONTACT INFORMATION FORM, BUT IT STARTS TO GIVE US A SENSE OF ANY TYPE OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND ORGANIZATION MAY NEED THE STATUS OF A PROJECT THAT THEY MAY HAVE BEEN WORKING ON FOR QUITE A WHILE.
UH, BUT IT'S PRIMARILY CONTACT INFORMATION ONCE REGISTERED ENTITIES THAT ARE INTERESTED IN THE PROGRAM WILL RECEIVE THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS ONLINE APPLICATION FORM.
THE FIRST DEADLINE IS THERE'S TWO DEADLINES.
REALLY THE FIRST DEADLINE IS WHAT WE WOULD CALL EARLY DECISION.
AND THESE ARE A NUMBER OF PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN ADVANCING OVER TIME.
AND EVEN WE'RE PART OF THE PROJECTS IDENTIFIED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS TO LOBBY FOR FUNDS.
AND CERTAINLY THOSE ARE ONES THAT HAVE BEEN READY FOR A WHILE IN AT LEAST THE SENSE OF BEING CONSIDERED FOR THIS PROGRAM.
ONCE THOSE PRO PROJECTS WOULD BE EVALUATED, WE CERTAINLY WOULD BE LOOKING TO DO SOME DUE DILIGENCE FEASIBILITY TO SEE HOW THE FUNDS CAN ACTUALLY APPLY TO THOSE PROJECTS.
HOWEVER, THAT IS NOT THE ONLY OPPORTUNITY WE ALSO WOULD REALLY LIKE TO HEAR FROM THE BROADEST SET OF PROJECTS, EVEN EARLY STAGE ONES.
SO WE UNDERSTAND THE BREADTH OF NEEDS THAT ARE OUT THERE.
AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT MANY GROUPS OUT THERE NEED MORE TIME BECAUSE ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF OF COVID, UM, THAT HAS, YOU KNOW, LOTS OF PROJECTS HAVE BEEN PUT TO THE SIDELINES AND NOT BEEN ABLE TO, UH, BEEN ADVANCED.
AND AGAIN, THESE ARE GENERALLY REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, AND CERTAINLY THE REAL ESTATE MARKET CONDITIONS HAVE CHANGED QUITE A BIT.
AND IN SOME CASES GOTTEN MORE URGENT.
UM, SO THE DEADLINE, THE FINAL DEADLINE OF THIS ROUND WILL BE MARCH 31ST.
AND WE WILL HAVE A SECOND EVALUATION ROUND TO LOOK AT PROJECTS.
PROJECTS WILL BE PUT, UM, EVALUATED AND THEN PUT IN SORT OF A SHORT LIST THAT WE WILL START TO DO A DUE DILIGENCE AND FEASIBILITY ON WORKING WITH THE ORGANIZATIONS DIRECTLY.
AS SOON AS THAT PROCESS, THAT FIRST EVALUATION ROUND PROCESSES HAPPENED.
AND WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT ONE.
I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE RIGHT NOW IS TO REGISTER.
CAUSE AGAIN, THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED YET.
IT WILL BE RELEASED HOPEFULLY IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS, ALTHOUGH CROSS CROSS FINGERS, SPELLING CHECKS, AND TRANSLATIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT THE FIRST, MOST IMPORTANT THING TO SPREAD THE WORD, AND I AM HAPPY TO SPREAD MORE INFORMATION, UH, TO YOU ALL DIRECTLY, UH, THROUGH EMMETT TO BE ABLE TO SPREAD TO YOUR NETWORKS, BUT IT'S REALLY TO GO TO AUSTIN, EDC.ORG/CULTURAL-TRUST AND FILL OUT THE FORM, UH, SPECIFICALLY IF YOU'RE AN ORGANIZATION OR, UM, UH, UM, MUSIC OPERATOR OR ANY KIND OF OPERATOR JUST TO GET INTO THE SYSTEM AND RECEIVE THE ONLINE APPLICATION.
THERE'S ALSO AN OPTION JUST TO SIGN UP, TO BE NOTIFIED OF FUTURE PHASES WITHIN THIS PROGRAM, SO THAT YOU'RE NOT MAYBE APPLYING AT THIS POINT, BUT JUST TO STAY AT LEAST WITH YOUR BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROJECT THAT MAY BE COMING DOWN THE PIKE IN THE FUTURE, THIS DATA WILL BE IMPORTANT FOR US TO START TO TALK ABOUT THE GREATEST NEEDS THAT ARE OUT THERE.
SO WE THEN START TO LOOK FOR ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF FUNDING TO HELP SUPPORT THESE PROJECTS, AS WELL AS WORK WITH YOU ON, ON THESE PROJECTS THEMSELVES.
AND AGAIN, ALL REGISTRANTS WOULD NEED TO APPLY THROUGH THE REGISTRATION PORTAL SO THAT THEY CAN RECEIVE AN ONLINE APPLICATION INVITE.
WE HAVE ALREADY HAD MULTIPLE, UM, COUPLE OF, UH, I WOULD CALL THEM MORE POP-UP SESSIONS TO START HAVING CONVERSATIONS AMONGST THE APPLICANTS, WITH OUR STAFF AND OTHER RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO HELP ADVANCE PROJECTS.
AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO KEEP PEOPLE POSTED ON THOSE TYPES OF WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS.
UM, AS WE GO THROUGH THE PROCESS, WE INTEND THERE TO BE MANY, UH, UH, ESSENTIALLY TECHNICAL ADVISORY SESSIONS AVAILABLE TO BOTH REGISTRANT'S AND INTERESTED PROJECTS.
UM, AND WE WILL BE POSTING THOSE REGULARLY THROUGH OUR WEBSITE.
AND SO THAT IS THE BEST WEBSITE TO GO TO FOR THE NEXT SLIDE, I THINK IS THE LAST SLIDE.
I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
THIS IS MY PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESS, MY PROFESSIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESS, AND WE DO HAVE INFORMATION TO BE SPREAD THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AS VRS STARTUP, LOCAL GOVERNMENT
[00:50:01]
CORPORATION.WE ARE JUST STARTING OUT IN OUR OWN SOCIAL MEDIA TRACK.
SO WE ARE RELYING ON ALL OF YOUR NETWORKS TO HELP US SPREAD THE WORD.
AND AGAIN, THIS IS NOT JUST A ONE-SHOT DEAL.
WE ANTICIPATE THIS BUILDING A PIPELINE OF PROJECTS THAT ARE BOTH, UH, NEAR TO READY TO GO TO REALLY EARLY STAGE PROJECTS AND WHAT THE CRITICAL SPACE NEEDS FOR AFFORDABLE SPACE FOR ARTISTS, OPERATORS AND ORGANIZATIONS ARE.
UM, AND SO THAT I THINK CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION, BUT I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
AND WE DO HAVE FOR THOSE WHO REGISTER A REAL ESTATE FEASIBILITY PANEL, THIS THURSDAY, THE FOURTH AT FIVE O'CLOCK, WHICH WILL BE VIRTUAL AND RECORDED, AND IT WILL BE OPEN TO A REGISTER FOR INSTANCE, INTERESTED PARTIES, BUT CERTAINLY THE RECORDING WILL BE ON OUR WEBSITE AND THAT'LL BE THE SORT OF BASIC FEASIBILITY REAL ESTATE FEASIBILITY FOR PROJECTS.
UM, QUESTIONS W WHAT'S CONSIDERED AS AN ADVANCED PROJECT WHERE THEY UBC ADVANCED PROJECT ONLY MEANS THAT I KNOW FROM THE EARLY STAGES OF, OF SUGGESTING THIS TYPE OF A FUND BE IN EXISTENCE, THERE HAVE BEEN PROJECTS THAT, YOU KNOW, VERY, UH, YOU KNOW, HOMES OF, OF STUDIO ARTISTS, UM, COMPLEXES OF STUDIO ARTISTS, OR, UH, RECORDING STUDIOS THAT HAVE BEEN IN PLACE OR OTHER KINDS OF THE MUSIC VENUES THAT HAVE CERTAINLY LOST A FEW ALREADY IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
BUT OTHER ONES THAT WE KNOW, UM, ARE POTENTIALLY ABOUT TO BE SOLD OR PEOPLE ARE, YOU KNOW, OUT OF A LEASE THAT THEY MAY HAVE HAD AN OPTION TO PURCHASE.
SO ADVANCED PROJECTS ARE ONES THAT, AND I'M, I'M NEW TO THE COMMUNITY, BUT I KNOW THAT WE THERE'VE BEEN A NUMBER OF ADVOCATES OVER THE YEARS TALKING ABOUT THE NEED TO SECURE AFFORDABILITY.
AND THOSE WOULD BE, THEY'RE NOT ADVANCED PROJECTS IN THE SENSE THAT THEY CUT THE LINE.
THEY'RE JUST ADVANCED PROJECTS BECAUSE THEY REALLY AT A, AT A POINT WHERE WE NEED TO START DOING SOME DUE DILIGENCE AND FEASIBILITY TO SEE HOW WE CAN MAKE THEM WORK.
UM, SO DOES THAT HELP YOU SO MUCH? AND THE RFP, JUST SO YOU CAN, UM, KNOW THE RFP WILL GO, WE'LL HAVE A FAIRLY DETAILED SCORING RUBRIC THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE PROJECTS WILL BE SCORED AND EVALUATED.
AND THERE WILL BE AN EVALUATION COMMITTEE THAT IS MADE UP IN PART OF OUR CULTURAL TRUST ADVISORY COMMITTEE, INCLUDING SOME OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS, A FEW ED STAFF.
AND WE MAY EVEN HAVE TWO EVALUATION COMMITTEES DEPENDING ON HOW MANY SUBMISSIONS THAT WE RECEIVE.
AND ULTIMATELY THERE'LL BE TWO SCORING RUBRICS FOR THE TWO TYPES OF PROJECTS.
UM, BASED ON OUR INITIAL FUNDING, I HAD A BRIEF QUESTION TOO, IS I SEE THREE BUCKETS OF FUNDING AND I SEE TWO DEDICATIONS OF THOSE FUNDING, THE ICONIC MUSIC FUND, AND THEN THERE'S THE BOND FUND.
SO ARE THE THREE BUCKETS, ALL REALLY ONE BIG BUCKET, OR ARE THEY SEPARATED OUT WHERE THE 2.4, THE 2.5 AND THE 12 MILLION HAVE SEPARATE ESSENTIALLY TRACKS THEY'RE GOING TO BE GOING ON? UH, THEY'RE ACTUALLY, I WILL SAY THAT ONCE EACH AND EVERY PROJECT, AT LEAST THE ONES THAT I KNOW ABOUT SO FAR ARE VERY UNIQUE.
UM, AND WE WILL WORK WITH EACH PROJECT TO TRY AND SEE HOW THE FUNDS COULD BE BEST FIT.
HOWEVER, BASED ON WHAT WE UNDERSTAND THE FUNDS TO BE USED FOR, IT REALLY IS TWO TRAPS.
AND IT IS THAT EXISTING OPERATOR WITH AN EXISTING VENUE THAT NEEDS TO BE SECURED.
AND THEN THE CREATIVE FACILITIES IS A LITTLE BIT MORE LIKE A, UM, IT COULD BE A LEAD OPERATOR THAT IS IN A PARTICULAR SPACE, BUT IT REALLY INCORPORATES MULTIPLE ORGANIZATIONS THAT MAY, MAY SHARE THAT SPACE.
AND IT'S REALLY AS MUCH OF A CREATIVE HUB.
AND I WILL, UM, IF YOU, THE CULTURAL FACILITY, CREATIVE FACILITIES, BOND OF 12 MILLION IS REALLY THAT CREATIVE HUB FUNDING AND THEY EXISTING VENUE OR EXISTING OPERATOR VENUE ACQUISITION IS REALLY THE 2.4.
PLUS THE 2.5 THAT'S INTENDED TO BE THE ICONIC VENUE FUND, BUT IT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND IT'S VERY HARD TO EXPLAIN.
I THINK IT'LL CLARIFY MORE AS WE GO FORWARD, BUT THANK YOU FOR THAT.
I'VE GOT, I'VE GOT A FOLLOW UP TO THAT ACTUALLY.
UM, CAN GET EVERYONE TO HEAR ME OKAY.
UM, SO FIRST OFF, GOOD TO MEET YOU.
VERY NICE TO, TO, TO PUT A NAME TO A FACE.
I'VE HEARD YOUR NAME QUITE A BIT OVER THE LAST FEW MEETINGS HERE.
SO, UH, THE ICONIC HOPKINS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, IT'S JUST THE VERY SIMPLE QUESTION IS THAT, UH, LIKE THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX FUNDS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE, LIKE BETTER IN POSSESSION OF EDE, OR IS THAT SOMETHING DIFFERENT? I, I, AND I MAY, I'M NEW TO THE TABLE IN TERMS OF HOW THE FUNDING WORKS, BUT, UM, SO OTHERS MAY JUMP IN, BUT AS I UNDERSTAND IT, IT'S STILL BASED ON THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY COLLECTION MECHANISM THAT THOSE 2.4 MILLION, BUT IT IS DEDICATED TOWARDS
[00:55:01]
THE ICONIC VENUE FUND USE, WHICH WILL INCLUDE THESE EXISTING OPERATOR, UH, VENUES.UM, AND IN FACT, YOU KNOW, THERE, YOU KNOW, WITH THE, WITH THE STRUCTURE BEING FROM HOT TAX, THERE CERTAINLY ARE THE TYPES OF VENUES THAT WOULD BE ON A TOURIST MAP OR WOULD BE PART OF A TOURIST ATTRACTION.
I THINK THAT'S WHERE YOU START TO ALIGN BASED ON THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX USE.
AND SO I WILL JUST OPEN THAT QUESTION UP FOR EITHER VERONICA OR SYNOVIA IF YOU'RE IN THE ROOM AND ARE STILL THERE AND CAN CORRECT ME IF I'VE INCORRECTLY STATED THAT.
SO NOVIA, HAUTE, RAB, AGAIN, SHE IS CORRECT.
A PORTION IS HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX, BUT IT IS THE PORTION THAT COULD HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED TO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND, NOT THE LAB MUSIC FUND.
SO THAT'S WHY IT'S IN THE CONIC.
SO IT WOULD BE AN WE'LL WORK WITH APPLICANTS AS THEY COME IN TO SEE IF IT COULD FIT UNDER THAT USE, BUT JUST TO BE CLEAR, TWO SEPARATE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX, THIS WAS TRANSFERRED FROM THE CONVENTION CENTER AND IT COULD HAVE GONE TO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION.
SO IT'S IN THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION CATEGORY.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? AND THIS IS SEPARATE FROM THE SISEP SISENSE NO SISEP IS A TOTAL DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCE IT'S GENERAL FUND.
THIS IS FROM OUR OPERATING IS FLAIR FAIRY.
UH, N UM, I NOTICED THAT, UH, PART OF THE PLAN IS TO BUY VENUES AND VENUES WILL HAVE REVENUE STREAMS, PRESUMABLY SOME POSITIVE CASHFLOW AS WELL.
UH, THERE'S SOME GOOD THINGS ABOUT THAT, AND THERE'S SOME RISKS TO THAT AS WELL.
THE GOOD THINGS IS THAT THIS CASHFLOW COULD THEN LEAD TO FURTHER INVESTMENTS, ABILITY TO LEVERAGE, UH, SOME OF, SOME OF THE MONEY.
UM, I THINK THE RISK IS, UM, HOW WOULD PURCHASING, UH, AN ICONIC VENUE, UH, POTENTIALLY GIVEN UNPAIRED ADVANTAGE TO ANY OF THESE VENUES COMPARED TO OTHER INDEPENDENT VENUES? UH, HOW, HOW ARE YOU, HOW ARE YOU HANDLING THIS ENGAGEMENT OF PUBLIC RESOURCES IN, UH, IN, IN THE MARKET? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
I THINK, UM, AND I, I DON'T THINK EVERY VENUE OR EVERY OPERATION IS THE SAME, BUT I THINK IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO LOOK VERY CAREFULLY ABOUT.
UM, AS WE LOOK AT IT, I MEAN, AGAIN, THE HOT FUNDS, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY MEANT TO ALIGN TOWARDS, UH, ICONIC VENUES THAT ARE ON THE TOURIST MAP, THAT ULTIMATELY ARE PLACES THAT WOULD RECEIVE TOURIST DOLLARS, UM, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
AND I THINK CERTAINLY, UM, WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN IN TERMS OF, UH, CITY OR ADC OWNERSHIP IN THE FUTURE, UH, RELATIVE TO ANY OPERATING AGREEMENTS, ET CETERA, WOULD NEED TO BE WORKED OUT WITH THOSE OPERATING AGREEMENTS.
AND AGAIN, WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT VERY CLOSELY BECAUSE WE CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO PUT IT A TREASURED, ICONIC VENUE AT RISK.
UM, AND BY GOING THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, WHEN IN FACT THEY WERE AT RISK BY NOT BEING IN THIS PROGRAM.
I DON'T KNOW IF I HAVE A VERY SPECIFIC ANSWER AT THIS TIME, BUT WE'RE CERTAINLY VERY AWARE OF THAT CONDITION OR SITUATION OR POTENTIAL SITUATION.
A QUESTION AND ABOUT THE FUNDING.
SO WE HAVE 16.9 MILLION CALLED OUT, OR THERE IS THAT JUST THAT'S IT FOREVER.
ARE THERE OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING COMING IN? IS THERE ANYTHING THAT'S BEEN ALLOCATED BY THE CITY? UM, ACTUALLY, AND I WANT TO JUST MENTION IT, SO THE 2.5 MILLION, I DON'T HAVE THAT SKETCH UP ANYMORE, WHICH IS PART OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN BUDGET, I BELIEVE IS THE FIRST TRAUNCH OF UP TO $15 MILLION.
IF I READ ALL OF MY BACKGROUND INFORMATION CAREFULLY.
SO I DO ANTICIPATE THERE WOULD BE FUTURE FUNDS.
ALTHOUGH AT THIS POINT, I THINK THE SCALE OF FUNDS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED, UM, PALES IN COMPARISON TO THE NEEDS.
AND SO I THINK THROUGH THIS PROCESS, WHAT WE WERE HOPING BY DEVELOPING A PIPELINE IS WE CAN REALLY, TO NOW IDENTIFY HOW MUCH MONEY WILL IT TAKE OR POTENTIALLY TAKE, UH, TO SECURE AT LEAST THE EXISTING ARTS MUSIC AND CULTURAL ECOSYSTEM IN THE CITY.
AND SO CERTAINLY THE GOAL IS TO CONTINUE TO LOOK AT AVENUES FOR RAISING ADDITIONAL FUNDS.
AND AGAIN, RIGHT NOW FOCUSED PRIMARILY ON, UH, THE BRICKS AND MORTAR DEVELOPMENT SIDE, WHICH IS EFFECTIVELY WHAT WE'VE BEEN TASKED WITH IN THIS, IN THIS FIRST ROUND.
UM, SO I THINK THERE'S CERTAINLY OTHER THINGS THAT THE ECOSYSTEM NEEDS.
UM, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING FROM, YOU KNOW, PROGRAMMING ENDOWMENTS TO, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, MORE EFFICIENCIES IN TERMS OF OPERATIONS.
UM, BUT RIGHT NOW, IN TERMS OF THE BRICKS AND
[01:00:01]
MORTAR, WE DO ANTICIPATE THIS PROCESS HELPING LEAD US TOWARDS RAISING SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDS AND SPECIFICALLY FOR THE TYPES OF FUNDING THAT MIGHT, UH, PERMIT, UM, CERTAIN KINDS OF USES OF SPACES THAT MAY NOT BE A GOOD FIT FOR THE EXISTING FUNDING SOURCES THAT WE HAVE, BUT THIS IS REALLY A DATA COLLECTION EFFORT, AS MUCH AS IT IS TO FIND AND IDENTIFY THE INITIAL INVESTMENTS THAT MAKE UP THAT $16.90 MILLION.WELL, THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR THAT THERE'S, UM, EXPLORATION FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING AND POSSIBLY SOME OTHER FUNDING ALREADY IN THE PIPELINE.
AND I JUST, I HAD A QUESTION ABOUT, SO UNDER THE CREATIVE FACILITIES BOND, UH, YOU MENTIONED THAT CREATIVE HUBS, UM, WAS THE TERM YOU USED.
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT EXPLAIN WHAT THAT WOULD BE? UM, I THINK IT COULD BE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
UM, BUT I THINK WHAT'S INTENDED IS TO UTILIZE, UM, A FACILITY THAT WOULD BE PURCHASED BY THE CITY AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC BECAUSE LIKE, UH, YOU KNOW, LIBRARY OR LONG CENTER, IT'S OPEN TO THE PUBLIC UNDER DIFFERENT TYPES OF OPERATING AGREEMENTS, BUT THE IDEA BEING THAT IT COULD SUPPORT A VARIETY OF ORGANIZATIONS, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THEY WERE ALL OF A SIMILAR BACKGROUND OR A DIVERSE BACKGROUND.
AND I MEANT THAT IN TERMS OF, UM, IN MANY WAYS, BUT INCLUDING A DIVERSE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU THINK ABOUT SOME OF THE PLACES THAT ARE NATURALLY OCCURRING, CREATIVE HUBS WITH BOTH, UH, NOT FOR PROFIT FOR PROFIT INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS, UH, STUDIOS THAT SUPPORT MULTIPLE ARTISTS, UM, DIFFERENT TYPES OF PLACES WHERE THAT CREATIVE HUB IS HAPPENING, THOSE CERTAINLY WOULD BE THE KINDS OF PLACES WE'D WANT TO EXPLORE, UM, TO PROVIDE FACILITIES FOR THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF, OF USES AND ORGANIZATIONS WITHOUT A FORCE DIMINISHING THEIR SPACE NEEDS.
UM, SO I THINK AS WE START TO LOOK AT, UM, I THINK THE COUNCIL RESOLUTION OR THE BOND HAD IDENTIFIED, UM, A FEW CITY FACILITIES THAT WE'LL BE TAKING A LOOK AT AND HOW, AND HOW IN WHICH TYPE OF ORGANIZATIONS WOULD BE A BEST FIT FOR THOSE, AS WELL AS ACQUIRING, UH, POTENTIALLY A PROJECT THAT WOULD ALREADY INCORPORATE A COUPLE OF ORGANIZATIONS, BUT COULD ACCOMMODATE A FEW MORE WITH SOME NEW CONSTRUCTION.
SO I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY BASED ON THE PROJECTS THAT WE SEE, BUT WE DO ANTICIPATE TRYING TO CREATE A MEANINGFUL, UM, INVESTMENTS IN PLACES THAT ARE CREATIVE HUBS.
AND HOW, HOW MANY HUBS OR FACILITIES DO YOU ANTICIPATE FUNDING THROUGH THOSE? WELL, WE HAVE, UM, RIGHT NOW THE 12 MILLION FOR THE CREATIVE FACILITIES BOND, WHICH IS KIND OF OUR LIMIT.
AND, YOU KNOW, IDEALLY IF WE CAN FIND A CLEVER WAY TO USE IT ACROSS, YOU KNOW, THREE OR FOUR HUBS, THAT WOULD BE AMAZING.
BUT, UM, DEPENDING ON THE, YOU KNOW, WE MIGHT FIND, UH, TWO SMALLER FACILITIES IN ONE LARGE FACILITY, OR IT COULD BE JUST ONE FACILITY.
I MEAN, 12 MILLION DOESN'T GO THAT FAR, UNFORTUNATELY ANYMORE, BUT WE CERTAINLY WANT TO TRY AND STRETCH IT AS MEANINGFUL AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT SPREADING IT OUT TOO THINLY.
AND CERTAINLY AS WE CAN FIND OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING TO CLOSE THE GAP IN PROJECTS, WE WOULD CERTAINLY BE KEEPING OUR EYE OUT FOR THAT AS WELL.
BUT, UM, SO THIS IS JUST A LOGISTICAL QUESTION.
WHAT'S THE BEST WAY FOR THE COMMISSION TO KNOW WHEN THE RFP HAS BEEN RELEASED SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE SIGN UP TO GET UPDATES ON IT? UM, THAT'S A GREAT, I MEAN, DEFINITELY ANYONE WHO REGISTERS.
SO IF ANYONE, UM, ANYONE WHO REGISTERED OFFICIALLY, BUT I'VE BEEN KEEPING A LIST OF KIND OF ADDITIONAL BROADCASTS OF INFORMATION AND I WILL CERTAINLY, UH, EMMETT IS PART OF OUR BOARD AND WOULD RECEIVE UPDATES AS WELL.
BUT IF, UM, I COULD CERTAINLY START TO PUT, UH, CHAIRS OF COMMISSIONS ON, UM, ON MY LIST.
SO CERTAINLY GET THE WORD OUT TO AS WELL.
I'M REALLY ASSEMBLING THE PLANE AS I FLY IT HERE WITH, WITH GETTING IT TO THE WORD OUT AND I REALLY WOULD LOVE YOUR HELP.
AND ANY SUGGESTIONS I'D BE MORE THAN WELCOME TO LISTEN TO BACK, RIGHT? YEAH.
NOT TO ASSIGN A ADDITIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE TASK, BUT I JUST KNOW, UH, ONCE RFPS RELEASE, LIKE WE MIGHT NOT THINK ABOUT IT AGAIN.
SO THEN OUR NEXT MEETING AND I THINK EVERYBODY WOULD LIKE TO BE UPDATED.
AND I KNOW, I BELIEVE THE WAY THAT PROCESS WORKS IS, YOU KNOW, THERE'LL BE A WEBPAGE WHERE ALL OF US CAN PUT IN OUR EMAIL TO GET UPDATES AS IT GOES ALONG.
YOU'LL SEE THE BITTER LIST, THE SHORT LIST BE UPDATED ON ANY AGENDA.
SO IT'S REALLY A GOOD WAY TO, FOR ALL OF US TO KEEP ABREAST OF THE PROCESS.
AND I CAN, I CAN KIND OF INVENT A WAY THAT, UM, EITHER A LEAD FOR A PARTICULAR COMMISSION CAN BE KIND OF AN APPLICANT AND THEREFORE GET AUTOMATICALLY ALL THE UPDATES WITH THE REST OF THE SUBMITTERS.
UM, BUT AS WELL, IN THE MEANTIME, I WILL SEND YOU INFORMATION THIS EVENING TO DISTRIBUTE TO YOUR NETWORKS TO AGAIN, SHARE THE AD, THE WEBSITE THAT I HAD ON THE SLIDES THERE, THAT'S WHERE ALL THE UPDATES WILL BE LISTED.
UM, DOES ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY, I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION.
[01:05:01]
JUST, UH, REAL QUICK HERE, THE, UH, SO THE MUSIC MAKES AUSTIN BASICALLY, UH, THEY'RE COMPRISED OF, UH, I BELIEVE IT'S THREE ORGANIZATIONS.EQR AUSTIN, AUSTIN, TEXAS MUSICIANS, AND THEIR RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT.
UM, CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW MUSIC MAKES THE AUSTIN AS A, I GUESS A COMPANY IS GOING THROUGH A PROCESS WHERE THEY'RE TRANSITIONING FROM A 5 0 1 C3, UH, WHICH IS BASICALLY JUST A STRICTLY KIND OF DONOR NON PARTISAN BASIS MOVING TO A 5 0 1 C4, WHICH GIVES THEM LOBBYING POWER, UM, AND, UM, BASICALLY KIND OF CAMPAIGNING FOR, UH, CERTAIN THINGS LOBBYING FOR CERTAIN THINGS.
MY QUESTION IS, UM, IN TERMS OF MUSIC EXHAUSTED UNDER THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT UMBRELLA, HAVE YOU HAD TALKS WITH REBECCA REYNOLDS AND CODY COWAN ABOUT LIKE, WHICH HAD BEEN USED TO BUY OR, UM, WHICH HAS BEEN USED TO NOT BUY, ARE NOT GOING TO TURN WITH, IS THERE LIKE A SHORT LIST OR ANY OF THOSE THINGS, HAVE YOU ALL HAD ANY OF THOSE INTERACTIONS OR ANY OF THOSE TALKS? I'M JUST CURIOUS.
UM, WELL, I HAVE DEFINITELY MET WITH CODY AND REBECCA AND ACTUALLY, UH, REBECCA WAS A KIND OF, UM, HELPFUL THOUGHT PARTNER AT A CONVERSATION LAST WEEK WHEN THERE WERE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE FROM ARTS MUSIC AND CULTURE.
I THINK, UM, WE, YOU KNOW, I DON'T HAVE A LIST OF PROPERTIES TO GO LOOK AT YET.
I'M HOPING THAT THROUGH THE SUBMITTAL PROCESS, UM, OPERATORS THAT ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN PURSUING KIND OF PERMANENT AFFORDABILITY WILL SUBMIT, AND WE CAN CERTAINLY, UM, FIGURE OUT WAYS TO MAKE THAT CONVERSATION HAPPEN, WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THEIR LANDLORDS OR WHETHER IT'S A NEAR TERM OR OPPORTUNITY IN THE NEAR TERM.
I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY HAVE TO GO CASE BY CASE ON.
AND I CERTAINLY WANT IT, YOU KNOW, DRIVEN AS MUCH BY THE OPERATOR AS IT WOULD BE BY ANY, ANYTHING ELSE.
BUT I THINK CERTAINLY, UM, THERE ARE DEFINITELY, UM, THINGS I'VE ALREADY NOTICED SOME SIGNS FOR SALE AND SOME BUILDINGS AND I'M NOT, AND THERE'S PLENTY OF PRIVATE SECTOR INTEREST IN, IN REINFORCING THAT THE DISTRICT SPECIFIC AND RED RIVER DISTRICT TOO.
WE'RE HERE TO PROVIDE AFFORDABLE, PERMANENT AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND THE HOUSING, SORRY, PERMANENT AFFORDABLE ART SPACE FOR ARTISTS.
AND I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WORKS BEST FOR THE SECTOR AND THE VENUES.
AND A FOLLOWUP TO THAT WOULD BE, UM, AND CONSIDERATION OF WHAT BEN USED TO ACTUALLY BUY, UM, OR, AND WHEN YOU'RE HAVING THOSE TALKS, UM, THERE HAS BEEN, UM, SAVE OUR STAGES MONEY.
THERE HAS BEEN PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM MONEY THERE'S BEEN ECONOMIC INJURY, DISASTER LOAN MONEY.
THERE HAS BEEN SHUTTERED BEEN USED GRANT MONEY.
UM, I MEAN THAT'S A LOT OF FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT HAVE BEEN GOING TO A LOT OF THESE VENUES TO KIND OF KEEP THEM OPEN AND KEEP THEM AFLOAT.
AND I THINK MY QUESTION IS IN TERMS OF, UM, SOME SORT OF BEEN USED RECEIVING THOSE FUNDS MAYBE VERSUS SOMEBODY WHO'S THAT, OR LIKE HOW MUCH OF THOSE FUNDS THEY RECEIVED OR, YOU KNOW, LIKE IF, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE A VENUE OVER THAT, FOR INSTANCE, MAYBE, YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF WANTED TO CASH OUT AND JUST CLOSE DOWN THE BUSINESS.
UM, ARE YOU TAKING THOSE KINDS OF THINGS AS TO ACCOUNT WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, YOU KNOW, WHICH HAS BEEN USED OR CONSIDERING SPONSORING AS PART AS A VC GOES? UM, NO, BUT IT'S A GREAT SUGGESTION TO GET, USE THAT DATA TO START TO OVERLAY IT, UM, WITH SOME OF THE EXISTING VENUES.
AND I WOULD, I WOULD HOPE THAT I CAN RELY ON THE FOLKS THAT ARE CLOSER TO THE VENUES TO HELP ME FIND THAT INFORMATION.
AND CERTAINLY, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SURE IF IT WOULD MAKE IT THE MORE OR LESS LIKELY, BUT THE DATA WOULD HELP TO UNDERSTAND WHICH ARE THE SORT OF OPERATORS THAT ARE REALLY LOOKING FOR HELP AND SUPPORT.
AND I DO HOPE THAT THEY AT LEAST GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS, GIVE US THE SENSE OF WHAT, WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE.
SO IN TERMS OF THE BUILDING ITSELF.
SO WHEN YOU'RE READY, JUST LET ME KNOW.
THERE'S A WORKING GROUP FOR YET.
AND I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S TIME THIS EVENING.
I KNOW YOU HAVE A LONG AGENDA.
AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO PARTNER WITH ADC.
UM, THIS IS A REALLY ROBUST COMMISSION AND WE DEFINITELY WANT TO SERVE AS A CONDUIT FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND A VOICE FOR THE COMMUNITY ADVOCACY, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY HERE, AND I HOPE TO BE A PARTNER AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AN IDEAS AND HOW TO BEST SERVE THE INDUSTRY.
SO THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US, UH, CHAIR.
UH, CAN WE GET, UH, UH, ELABORATION, BUT FROM MMA ON WHAT MMA IS AND WHAT ORGANIZATIONS IT REPRESENTS? SURE.
CODY OR REBECCA, IF YOU'D LIKE TO ANSWER THAT FIRST STEP.
JUST WANT TO CLARIFY THAT IT'S IT'S NEWS TO ME THAT WE'RE RESTRUCTURING.
I'M NOT SURE WHERE THAT CAME FROM.
UM, WE HAVE WEEKLY BOARD MEETINGS
[01:10:01]
AND DAILY CONVERSATIONS.AND SO, UH, IF WE ARE RESTRUCTURING FROM ONE TYPE OF AN ENTITY TO ANOTHER, I'VE NOT, I'VE NOT YET HEARD THAT IT'S ON THE OTHER PAGE OF YOUR WEBSITE.
MUSIC MAKES AUSTIN AS A 5 0 1 C4 ORGANIZATION COMPRISED OF 12 DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS AND MEMBERS THAT INCLUDE THE GROUPS THAT WERE LISTED.
UM, EKU AUSTIN, ATX, MUSICIANS, MUSIC VENUE ALLIANCE, AUSTIN RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT, BUT ALSO C3 SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST NOTES FOR NOTES AND A VARIETY OF OTHER VENUE OWNERS, LOCAL MUSICIANS, AND OTHER MUSIC REPRESENTATIVES THAT ARE REPRESENTING THEIR OWN PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE.
THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION.
ANYTHING ELSE ON THE ITEM? YEAH.
LAUREN, GO AHEAD, COMMISSIONER.
I JUST HAVE A QUICK QUESTION AND IT MIGHT BE JUST KIND OF FOOD FOR THOUGHT FOR LATER.
UM, OR JUST SO THAT I CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT'S POSSIBLE FOR FURTHER IDEAS, BUT, UM, I KNOW YOU SAID THAT THE, THE SPACES THAT WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE CREATIVE FACILITIES BOND WOULD BE PLACES THAT ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS IF THAT COULD INCLUDE, UH, SOME LIKE MIXED USE SPACES THAT WOULD INCLUDE SOME AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
AND I WAS LIKE, YOU'RE READING MY MIND, UM, FOR, FOR A CREATIVE, UM, INDIVIDUALS IN THE COMMUNITY, UH, BECAUSE I MEAN, THOSE REALLY ARE, UH, ARE, ARE CREATIVE SPACES FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE IS OUR HOME.
UM, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, BUT IT'S AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF THE PUZZLE.
AND I DIDN'T KNOW IF THAT WAS UNDER THE PURVIEW OF, OF AEDC FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATION.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
CAUSE IT DID SPLURT OUT THE WORD AFFORDABLE, BUT IT IS, I MEAN, IT'S PART OF THE ECOSYSTEM OF NEEDS THAT THE CREATIVE ECONOMY HAS INCLUDING HOUSING.
OUR CURRENT FUNDING WOULD NOT PERMIT HOUSING AS A PART OF IT.
UM, AND WE, WE PROBABLY WOULDN'T WANT FOLKS THAT ARE PUTTING TOGETHER AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR CREATIVES AS A PROJECT SINGULARLY.
HOWEVER, I KNOW THAT THERE ARE PROBABLY PROJECTS THAT MAY BE CONSIDERING AFFORDABLE HOUSING AS A PIECE OR A PART OF THE PROPERTY.
UM, AND WE WOULD START TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THERE ARE ADDITIONAL FUNDS IN OTHER BUCKETS THAT ARE NOT PART OF THE CULTURAL TRUST PER SE, THAT COULD ACTUALLY SUPPORT THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING INITIATIVE.
SO WHEN WE'RE TAKING A LOOK AT A PROJECT, UM, AND I, YOU KNOW, THIS IS MY BACKGROUND AND EVERYONE FROM ADC THUS FAR AS TO LOOK AT IT HOLISTICALLY AND TO CONSIDER WHAT RESOURCES ARE THERE.
ALTHOUGH CERTAINLY WITH THIS RFP PROCESS, WE ARE DEFINITELY TRYING TO SOURCE THE POTENTIAL PROJECTS FOR INVESTMENT FROM THE CULTURAL TRUST MONIES THAT WE HAVE.
UM, I THINK AS WE START TO LOOK AT THIS, UM, IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO START TO IDENTIFY THAT THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT THIS CREATIVE ECONOMY NEEDS, INCLUDING, YOU KNOW, HOUSING AND SPECIFICALLY IN PLACES IN LOCATIONS CLOSE TO WHERE SOME OF THESE CREATIVE HUBS WILL BE INVESTED IN.
SO I THINK WE ARE GOING TO TAKE THAT SORT OF PLACE-BASED COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AS WE START SEEING PROJECTS, BUT I THINK WE'RE ACTING MORE SPECIFICALLY IN THE FRONT, THE FRONT TERM ON, UM, MAKING THOSE INVESTMENTS WITHIN THE BRICKS AND MORTAR OF THE VENUES THEMSELVES OR THE CREATIVE HUBS.
BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION.
AND IT'S TRULY A PART OF OUR MENTAL MODEL.
UH, EVEN IF WE DON'T HAVE THE DIRECT DOLLARS IN THIS CULTURAL TRUST FUND YET, IF I COULD ADD TO THAT AN M AND I'M ANSWERING AS FRONTICA YOUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT WHEN WE LOOK AT DEVELOPMENT AND REDEVELOPMENT AS A CITY, AS AN ORGANIZATION, WE'RE CONSIDERING AFFORDABLE HOUSING AS A, AS A PIECE OF THAT, UH, IT'S DEFINITELY A NEED FOR OUR CREATIVE COMMUNITY AND OUR COMMUNITY OVERALL.
SO YOU'LL SEE MORE AND MORE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STAFF IS IN LOCK STEP WITH OUR HOUSING AND PLANNING STAFF AND HAVING CONVERSATIONS, HOW EVERY SINGLE PARCEL THAT WE'VE REDEVELOPED AS A CITY INCLUDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH FOR THAT.
UM, I'M, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES IN THE FUTURE FOR, YOU KNOW, COLLABORATION WITHIN THESE CREATIVE HUBS.
UH, AND, AND IT SEEMS LIKE THERE ARE A LOT OF REALLY INTERESTING POSSIBILITIES THERE.
SO THANK YOU BOTH FOR, FOR CLARIFYING.
WELL, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON, UM,
[4C. Discussion and Possible Action on 2022 Music Commission meeting schedule.]
REALLY QUICKLY.I WOULD LIKE TO MOTION THAT WE MOVE UP ITEM FORESEE.
THIS IS JUST A QUICK, UM, WE NEED TO TAKE A QUICK VOTE ON THE MEETING SCHEDULED FOR NEXT YEAR.
SO ALL THE COMMISSIONERS, UH, HAVE THAT IN FRONT OF YOU.
SO WOULD ANYBODY SECOND THAT EMOTION THAT WE MAKE THAT ITEM UP? I'LL SECOND THAT MOTION.
[01:15:01]
ALL RIGHT.WE JUST NEED TO APPROVE IT UNLESS ANYBODY HAS A CONCERN ABOUT ANY OF THESE DATES.
IT'S STILL, UM, FIRST, MONDAY OF THE MONTH, EXCEPT FOR IN, UH, JULY AND MONDAY, THEY'RE MOVED UP BECAUSE OF THE HOLIDAYS.
DOES ANYBODY WANT A MOTION TO APPROVE THE SCHEDULE? OKAY.
[3C. Discussion and Possible Action on Live Music Fund Event Program guidelines, application questions, and RFP.]
THREE C DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE LIVE MUSIC FUND EVENT, PROGRAM GUIDELINES, APPLICATION QUESTIONS, AND RFP.AND WE HAVE A NUMBER OF SPEAKERS ON THIS ITEM.
AND SO JUST TO CLARIFY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN, UM, SPEAKERS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING FOR, UM, AND SPEAKERS SPEAKING ON A SPECIFIC ITEM, UH, COMMISSIONERS CAN ASK QUESTIONS, BUT I BELIEVE WE STILL, THEY STILL HAVE THE THREE MINUTE TIMELINE UNLESS WE HAVE THE THREE MINUTE TIME LIMIT, UNLESS WE HAVE A QUESTION AND THEN WE CAN CONTINUE THE DIALOGUE.
UM, BUT WE'LL GO RIGHT INTO IT.
AND SO OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS TAMIKA JONES.
HOW ARE Y'ALL DOING GOOD? I THINK, I THINK OUR STAFF MEMBER HAS, DO YOU HAVE, UH, WE CAN HEAR YOU WITH WHEN I INTERRUPTED YOU, IT STARTED, THERE IT IS.
I DON'T WANT TO INTERRUPT YOU WHILE YOU WERE TALKING, BUT, UH, COMMISSIONERS, AS YOU ARE AWARE, THIS IS AN ITEM THAT'S COME TO YOU FROM THE COUNCIL CITY COUNCIL.
AND, UH, WE'RE WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW IN ADVANCE THAT WHEN IT'S TIME TO DO YOUR VOTE, WE'RE GOING TO DO A ROLL CALL, VOTE STARTING WITH, UH, THE MAYOR'S APPOINTEE, WHICH WOULD BE GRAHAM.
AND THEN WE'LL GO DOWN EACH INDIVIDUAL DISTRICT.
IF A VOTE IS THE MOTIONS MADE TO MAKE ABOUT TONIGHT, WE'LL DO A ROLL CABO WHERE EACH INDIVIDUAL WILL DECLARE THEIR VOTES.
SORRY TO INTER UH, JUST OFF THERAPY.
I WAS ASKED TO SPEAK HERE A COUPLE OF HOURS AGO.
UM, I HAVE BEEN A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN IN AUSTIN FOR 11, 12, 11, 12 YEARS.
I CAN'T ALL MY INCOME HAS HAS COME FROM, UM, LIVE PERFORMANCES, MAINLY PRIVATE SHOWS.
UM, AT THE END OF DECEMBER OF THIS YEAR, I WILL BE MOVING TO LOS ANGELES.
UH, THE CITY, A CITY THAT'S LESS AFFORDABLE AND MORE CREDIT THAN AUSTIN.
THAT IS HOW DISENCHANTED I AM WITH AUSTIN AND ITS MUSIC SCENE.
UM, RAISING MY TWINS AS A SINGLE MOTHER WITH THE INCOME OF A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN WAS NOT EASY.
UM, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE.
HAD I NOT BEEN ABLE TO LIVE WITH MY MOTHER THE LAST 20 YEARS? UM, IT HAS BEEN HARD TO BE A BLACK.
I'M TRYING TO FUCK IT IS HARD.
YEAH, IF YOU NEED TO TAKE A MOMENT, THAT'S FINE.
DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE TIMELINE THAT I TOLD HIM.
IT HAS BEEN HARD TO BE A BLACK FEMALE MUSICIAN IN AUSTIN.
UM, IT W I WAS ONLY ONE OF A HANDFUL WHEN I STARTED COMING UP IN THIS AND THIS, UM, INDUSTRY.
UM, I DIDN'T HAVE A LIVE MUSIC, FUN, UM, LIKE MANY OTHERS.
UM, MUSIC IS A CALLING AND THERE HAVE BEEN MANY TIMES THAT I WANTED TO QUIT BECAUSE AUSTIN'S LACK OF DIVERSITY.
I MADE IT SO HARD FOR ME TO THRIVE HERE.
AND I THOUGHT MY TWINS ARE, ARE, ARE GROWN.
I NEED TO GO TO SOMEPLACE WHERE I CAN THRIVE AND HAVE PEACE IN MY SOUL.
YOU WILL SEE MANY MORE MUSICIANS LIKE ME, EITHER QUIT OR BEFORE OUT OF THIS CITY.
HEY, IF YOU DON'T TAKE MEASURES TO PROTECT AND UPLIFT US, YOU CREATED A LIVE MUSIC FUND FOR MUSICIANS, NOT VENUES LIKE ALLOWING SOMEONE WHO ISN'T A DISENFRANCHISED MUSICIAN TO INFLUENCE HOW THIS MONEY IS SPENT IS DISCONCERTING TO ME.
YOU COULD NOT AFFORD TO GO BACKWARDS.
YOU COULD NOT AFFORD TO LOSE THE SOUL AND THE FLAVOR OF THIS CITY, YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO NOT HOLD THE CITY ACCOUNTABLE, ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE DISCRIMINATORY AND THE PREDATORY PRACTICES THAT CRIPPLE MUSICIANS OF COLOR, THE PI GUIDELINES THAT MUST BE ENACTED.
SO PEOPLE LIKE ME DON'T GET OVERLOOKED AND FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS.
[01:20:01]
HAS BROKEN ME TO A POINT WHERE I HAVE TO LEAVE IT TO THRIVE.BLACK ODYSSEY RELEASED A BEAUTIFUL BODY OF WORK.
THAT IS A CLAIMED BY CRITICS AND FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD.
AND HE IS MOVING TO LOS ANGELES AS WELL.
ANOTHER ARTIST DAILY, HE'S THRIVING IN LOS ANGELES.
UM, ARTISTS OF COLOR NEED HELP.
NOW, IF THE MAYOR WANTS TO PUMP IN MONEY FOR CREATIVE, SUSTAINABLE OUTLETS, LIKE A MUSICAL ACADEMY FOR ONE OF MY COLOR, THAT'S FANTASTIC.
BUT MY HOPE IS THAT NO ONE HAS TO ENDURE WHAT I W WHAT I HAVE ENDURED HERE.
MY HOPE IS THAT YOU MAKE THIS RIGHT.
AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY, OKAY, SORRY.
AND I MEAN, YOUR, YOUR TALENT CERTAINLY PROCEED.
AND I WAS LIKE, I WAS LIKE, I WAS READY.
YOU KNOW, I WAS LIKE, OH GIRL, YOU GOING TO GET THIS, BUT I'M SORRY.
BUT THEN IT IS REALLY, IT IS HARD TO COME AND SPEAK IN THESE CHAMBERS.
UM, EVEN IF YOU'RE A PERFORMER AND YOU'RE USED TO IT.
SO I APPRECIATE YOU FOR CHANGING YOUR SCHEDULE AROUND AND COMING TO TALK TO US TODAY.
SO MY QUESTION FOR YOU IS, UM, REMOVING WHAT, WHAT COULD BE OFFERED HERE AND WE'RE, I MEAN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SPECIFIC POLICIES, SPECIFIC FUNDING.
WHAT WOULD, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE? WHAT COULD, COULD HELP MUSICIANS? UM, UM, IT'S LIKE, I CAME UP BEFORE ALL OF THIS, LIKE, UM, I, I WAS, I STARTED DOING MUSIC AT 20 11, 20 10 AND JUST TRUCKING THROUGH.
SO, AND I LIVE IN NEW BRAUNFELS.
SO ALL I'VE KNOWN IS AS BEING A WORKER BEE, YOU KNOW, I'VE NOTICED COMING INTO TOWN, DOING MY SHOW AND THEN GOING YOU A AWAY AND TAKING CARE OF MY KIDS.
WHEN I SEE SHAKA UP THERE, SHAKA GIVES ME SO MUCH PRIDE AND, AND, UM, I'M INSPIRED BY HIM.
AND, AND I JUST, I DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW, LIKE, HOW, HOW TO BETTER THE SITUATION.
I JUST, I JUST, CAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW TO ALLOCATE MONEY.
UM, BUT I, I LEAVE THAT SORT OF GREATER MONEY.
AND I DIDN'T MEAN TO ASK YOU LIKE A POLICY QUESTION.
I GUESS MY QUESTION IS WHAT, WHAT DO YOU, WHAT DOES LA OFFER? WHO WELL, THAT'S LA, TO ME IT OFFERS MORE OPPORTUNITY THAT MORE INDUSTRY, UM, I GREW UP AS IT GROUNDED GRINDED.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PASSAGE OF THAT I'VE GROUND FOR LIKE 11, 12 YEARS.
I NEED MORE, AH, WHAT'S THE WORD I'M LOOKING FOR? I'M SORRY.
I NEED MORE, I CAN DO WHAT I NEED.
I NEED TO NOT PERFORM SO MUCH.
YOU KNOW, I NEED, I'M GOING THERE FOR LIKE SINK.
I'M GOING THERE TO GET AN INDUSTRY BECAUSE IT WAS SO HARD TO EARN A LIVING, PLAYING LIVE MUSIC AND ESPECIALLY, UM, IF I WASN'T A NICHE ARTISTS WHERE I WOULD NEED YOUR NICHE EACH, I CAN'T THINK WHERE I COULD PLAY LIKE PRIVATE GIGS AND PUBLIC GIGS.
LIKE THE P THE PRIVATE GIGS HELPED ME IMMENSELY.
THEY HELP ME PAY MY BILLS, MY CAR NOTE.
UM, BUT IF I SOLELY RELIED ON PUBLIC GIGS, I WOULD'VE QUIT A LONG TIME AGO.
I'M GOING TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.
IT'S JUST VERY HARD OUT THERE.
AND I TAKE CARE OF MUSICIANS LIKE ME.
THERE'S BEEN A CONSTABLE CLUB AND THERE'S BEEN ANTONE'S THEY DON'T, BUT IT'S JUST, I DON'T KNOW.
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS SITUATION.
UM, I, I JUST WANTED TO COME HERE TO TESTIFY, UH, AS TO MY TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS TO, UM, HELP THE NEXT, UH, ARTISTS OF COLOR, THE NEXT WOMAN OF COLOR WHO WAS HERE FIGHTING TO KEEP FIGHTING.
THAT'S THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT I WANTED TO DO.
I DON'T HAVE ANY ANSWERS ON, YOU KNOW, OH, THAT'S THAT RESPONSE IS PERFECT.
THANKS FOR, AND THANKS FOR THE ANSWER.
YOU KNOW, BEING AVAILABLE FOR THE LITTLE Q AND A PART OF THIS, PRETTY MUCH ANY TYPE.
I THINK I HAVE A SCOTT, I THINK COMMISSIONER STRICKLAND HAS A QUESTION FOR YOU.
[01:25:01]
THERE WAS, UM, UH, A, UM, A TIME WHEN I DID NOT WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH MUSIC AT ALL.WHEN I, WHEN I ARRIVED, WHEN I CAME TO THIS CITY, THERE WAS, I WANTED NOTHING AT ALL TO DO WITH MUSIC.
AND I'VE SET THAT, UM, HERE, SPEAKING OF CITIZENS, COMMUNICATION AND STUFF, AND THAT ONE, THERE WAS ONE NIGHT THAT CHANGED ME.
AND THAT ONE NIGHT WAS NEW SEEING YOU AND YOUR BAND, BECAUSE SOMEONE HAD TAKEN ME TO GO AND SEE YOU, YOU SPECIFICALLY AT THE GALLERY.
AND I JUST WANT TO SAY TAMIKA, UM, YOU, I OWE YOU A GREAT DEBT BECAUSE I WOULD NOT BE, I LITERALLY WOULD NOT HAVE THE CLOTHES ON MY BACK IF IT WAS NOT FOR YOU, LITERALLY.
THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE, THAT YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION.
THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR AUSTIN MUSIC.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, FOR INSTANCE, MUCH FOR INSPIRING ME AND FOR ENCOURAGING ME TO KEEP GOING THROUGH YOUR, THROUGH YOUR TUTELAGE, THROUGH YOUR, YOUR WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT, UM, AND THROUGH YOUR MUSIC, THROUGH YOUR MUSIC.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ALEX VILLA, WHO I HAVE YOU ON THIS LIST AS WELL.
SO ARE YOU OKAY, SO YOU'RE GOOD.
NEXT SPEAKER, MEGAS TILLMAN, UH, WITH BLACK AUSTIN MUSICIANS, COLLECTIVE, THAT'S GOING TO STEP UP AND THEN CHRIS, YOU'RE UP NEXT? GOOD EVENING.
I PLAY WITH THE BAND HERE CALLED MAGNA CARTA.
UM, AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK ON THE ECONOMIC IMPACT MUSICIANS, UM, FACE A SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, AND ESPECIALLY IN RELATION TO THE LOUD MUSIC FUND.
AND, UM, MORE SPECIFICALLY WHY MUSICIANS SHOULD BE A PART OF THIS CONVERSATION.
UM, SO SPEAKING AS A FULL-TIME PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN, I BELIEVE THE FIRST IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE IS THAT I RUN A LEGITIMATE SMALL BUSINESS IN THIS CITY.
UM, UH, MUSICIANS, DAILY OPERATIONS GO FAR BEYOND JUST RECORDING AND PERFORMING MUSIC AND ECONOMIC IMPACT AND UPKEEP IS HARDLY EVER RECOGNIZED TO BE FRANK.
WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR COUNTLESS EXPENSES THAT MAINTAIN OUR BUSINESSES, PLAYERS AND ENGINEERS, ACCOUNTANTS, CPAS, MANAGERS, AGENTS, PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS, ADVERTISEMENTS, PRODUCTION COSTS THAT VENUES, STUDIO SPACES, REHEARSAL SPACES, EQUIPMENT, EQUIPMENT, UPKEEP, TRANSPORTATION, INCLUDING PARKING, WHICH IS NOT EVEN A LUXURY FOR MUSICIANS DOWN HERE.
UM, AND THAT'S JUST TO NAME A FEW.
WE FEED AN ENTIRE ECONOMIC ECOSYSTEM CONSISTENTLY, BUT HAVE YET TO BE VALUED AS KEY FACTORS IN THAT SAME ECOSYSTEM THAT WE POUR MONEY, TIME AND ENERGY INTO AUSTIN PRIDES ITSELF AND MARKETS ITSELF AS THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD AND GET THE VERY PEOPLE WHO POWER THE ENGINE OF THAT INDUSTRY, THE MUSICIANS THEMSELVES ARE THE ONES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN SUPPORTED IN MEANINGFUL AND IMPACTFUL WAYS.
NAMELY, FINANCIALLY, WE TOOK A MAJOR HIT IN THE PANDEMIC.
OUR PAYCHECKS WERE DECIMATED FOR OVER A YEAR AND INITIATIVES.
THAT WOULD BE TREMENDOUS FOR OUR COMMUNITY LIKE PIE, FOR EXAMPLE, SHOULD BE HEAVILY CONSIDERED BECAUSE MUSICIANS NEED THIS CITY TO BACK US UP, AND WE NEED TO BE SEEN AS LEGITIMATE, LIKE ALL OTHER BUSINESSES IN THE CITY, INCLUDING VENUES, VENUES GOT BAILOUTS AND STILL REFUSE TO PAY US JUST WAGES.
YOU JUST HEARD TO MAKE A COME UP HERE AND SAY THAT WE ARE JUST MERELY SURVIVING.
SO I THINK THE KEY TO THIS IS HAVING US BE REALISTICALLY, A PART OF THIS CONVERSATION BECAUSE OF HISTORIC AND ONGOING SYSTEMIC DISCRIMINATION AND IT'S RESULTS IN INEQUITIES.
BLACK PEOPLE ARE IN PRECARIOUS ECONOMIC POSITIONS.
WOMEN ARE IN PRECARIOUS, ECONOMIC POSITIONS, MUSICIANS, AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS ARE IN THOSE SAME ECONOMIC POSITIONS.
AND I'M IN THE INTERSECTION OF ALL FOUR OF THOSE.
I UNDERSTAND THESE CONVICTIONS VERY WELL, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT MOST PEOPLE SEE THIS BUSINESS AS MERELY A FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT, BUT IF ALL MUSICIANS WERE TO WALK AWAY FROM THIS SCENE TOMORROW, THE IMPACT UPON THE CITY AND ITS ECONOMY WOULD GRAVELY FEEL IT, IT WOULD BE GRAVELY FELT.
SO I SAY, LISTEN TO US AND OUR STORIES, BECAUSE WE ARE AT THE FOREFRONT OF THIS INDUSTRY AND WE KNOW BETTER THAN ANY SPECTATOR, THE ECONOMIC IMPACT WE EXPERIENCED AS SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, FULL-TIME MUSICIANS ARE NOT HABEAS.
WE ARE PROFESSIONAL ENTERTAINERS.
WE HAVE PUT HOURS INTO OUR WORK AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
AND WHEN MOST PEOPLE SEE WHEN WE GET ON THE STAGE, IT'S JUST A TINY FRACTION OF THE AMOUNT OF LABOR WE POUR INTO OUR BUSINESSES AND WORK IN CONCLUSION, WE ARE THE BACKBONE OF THIS ECOSYSTEM.
[01:30:01]
ECONOMY IN THIS EVER-GROWING INDUSTRY, WE DESERVE TO BE SEEN AND HEARD, NOT JUST AS PERFORMANCE, BUT AS THE PROFESSIONALS, WE ARE, WE ARE LEGITIMATE BUSINESSES THAT SHOULD BE SEEN AS SUCH, AND WE WANT THE CITY TO SUPPORT US.AND WE SHOULD BE A PART OF THESE CONVERSATIONS, ESPECIALLY IN REGARDS TO FUNDING.
SO NEXT UP I HAVE CHRIS AND I'M SORRY, I'M HAVING, I'M STRUGGLING WITH THE LAST NAME.
SO ALSO WITH BLACK AUSTIN MUSICIANS CAN COLLECT, CHECK, CHECK, GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY.
MY NAME IS CHRIS BEALL AND I PLAY WITH THE HIP HOP BAND HERE CALLED MAGNA CARTA.
AND I'M HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE CITY'S RESPONSIBILITY TO BLACK MUSICIANS FOR DECADES, BLACK MUSICIANS HERE IN AUSTIN, I'VE ALWAYS FELT AND TALKED ABOUT THEIR DISCONNECT WITH THE CITY FOR A CITY BOASTING ITS REPUTATION AS LIBERAL IT'S NO SECRET.
AUSTIN, TEXAS IS ONE OF THE MOST ECONOMICALLY SEGREGATED CITIES IN THIS COUNTRY.
IN FACT, OUT OF THE TOP 10 FASTEST GROWING CITIES IN THE COUNTRY, AUSTIN IS ONLY ONE TO HAVE A STEADILY DECLINING BLACK POPULATION, WHICH IS MOSTLY DUE TO A NUMBER OF PREVIOUS AUSTIN POLICIES AFFECTING THE BLACK POPULATION, INCLUDING THE 1920S CITY MASTER PLAN.
AND MAYBE TRUE THAT PEOPLE HERE TODAY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT HAPPENED ALMOST 95 YEARS AGO, BUT THE CITY IS DEFINITELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REMNANTS OF THESE PAST CHOICES.
THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS A LONG WAY TO GO BEFORE IT CAN CLAIM TO HAVE ACHIEVED ANY SORT OF EQUALITY FOR YEARS, BLACK MUSICIANS HAVE FACED AND STILL CONTINUE TO FACE FRUSTRATING DISCRIMINATORY PROCEDURES WITHIN AUSTIN'S LIVE MUSIC SCENE.
TO NAME A FEW OF THESE, THIS INCLUDES DISCRIMINATORY BOOKING PROCEDURES, LACK OF GENRE, REPRESENTATION, AND CLASSIFICATION DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES, AND THE WAY BLACK PREACHERS ARE TREATED AND THE WAY BLACK MUSICIANS ARE PAID FOR ANY EMERGING HIP HOP, RAP R AND B, OR POP ARTISTS.
THESE PRACTICES DEEP ROOTED IN THIS MUSIC COMMUNITY ARE ALREADY A MAJOR BARRIER TO ARTISTS INVOLVED IN A NUMBER OF THESE UNDERREPRESENTED GENRES INITIATIVES, SUCH AS PI WITH SIGNIFICANT SIGNIFICANTLY ENSURE THAT CURRENT AND FUTURE BIPAP MUSICIANS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHAPE THEIR FUTURE WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CITY AND PASS ON THE LEGACY TO HAVE THE CITY YOU CALL THEM POEM TO REFER TO AS A LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD IS TRULY DEMORALIZING.
WHEN THE CITY DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO EMBRACE DIFFERENT GENRES AND SUB GENRES OF BLACK MUSIC.
BUT MUSIC TODAY IS A GLOBAL SOUND HEARD NEARLY ON EVERY STREET CORNER, ACROSS THE WORLD.
IT'S ALSO A POP CULTURE PHENOMENON THAT'S INFLUENCED NEARLY EVERYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF FROM THE WAY WE TALK TO THE WAY WE DRESS TO THE WAY WE INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER.
AND ON SOCIAL MEDIA WHILE THE CITY MAY BE CONSIDERING PRIORITIZING DIVERSITY, OUR HOPE IS THE CITY BEGINS TO TRULY TAKE THE TIME TO UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES FEEDING YEARS OF SYSTEMIC RACISM AND STARTS INVEST IN BIPAP ARTISTS, MUSICIANS, AND BUSINESSES.
OKAY, SO NEXT STEP, WE HAVE A TORI BLAKE AFTER TORAH WILL BE JONATHAN HORSEMAN.
MY NAME IS TORI BLAKE AND WITH A BLACK AUSTIN MUSICIANS COLLECTIVE AS WELL.
UM, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC, I WONDERED HOW I WAS GOING TO GET THROUGH THE NEXT YEAR.
I APPLIED AND RECEIVED ONE MUSICARES GRANT TO STIMULUS CHECKS TO $75 GIFT CARDS TO AGB FROM THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICTS BANDING TOGETHER ATX AND THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO GET ME THROUGH THE NEXT YEAR, YEAR AND A HALF OF MY LIFE.
I ENDED UP APPLYING AND RECEIVING A $5,000 LOAN.
THAT WAS VERY HELPFUL TO ME AT THE TIME.
BUT NOW I AM IN THE PROCESS OF PAYING THIS BACK.
I WAS HOPING TO FIND A FORGIVABLE LOAN, BUT WASN'T WAS UNABLE TO FIND A SMALL BUSINESS LOAN THAT MET THIS CRITERIA.
MUSICIANS AND ARTISTS ARE THE HEART OF THE CITY.
IF THERE ARE NO MUSICIANS, NO ARTISTS, VENUES ARE IRRELEVANT.
IT WAS INTERESTING TO SEE THE CITY'S RESPONSE AND HOW A LARGE AMOUNT OF AID WAS GIVEN TO VENUES TO THE AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC PRESERVATION, AND HOW VENUES HAVE ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT AID.
THAT WAS, AND IT'S STILL FORGIVABLE LIKE THE SHUTTERED VENUES OPERATOR'S GRANT GROWING UP IN AUSTIN.
I DON'T REMEMBER HEARING OR SEEING PEOPLE PLAY MUSIC IN THIS CITY THAT LOOKED LIKE ME OR SOUNDED LIKE ME.
I REMEMBER HEARING ACL IN OUR CLASSROOMS AND NEVER HEARD MUSIC THAT WAS REPRESENTED BY PEOPLE THAT LOOK LIKE ME EVER, LIKE SEEING BLACK PEOPLE ON STAGE AT ACL IS NEW.
I NEVER WENT, I'VE NEVER BEEN TO ACL.
I WENT THIS PAST YEAR BECAUSE MY BOYFRIEND WAS PLAYING AND TO SUPPORT HIM.
BUT THIS WAS THE FIRST YEAR THAT I EVER WENT ON 28.
SO, UM, GROWING UP HERE, UM, WAS EVERYTHING TO ME, BUT THAT WAS ONE THING THAT I JUST DID NOT UNDERSTAND.
[01:35:01]
OF YEARS HAD, CAN TRULY SAY WE ARE STARTING TO BECOME A MELTING POT.THERE IS A CREATIVE, BLACK AND BROWN CULTURE HERE THAT IS UNSEEN AS BEEN UNSEEN AND PUSH ASIDE.
AND WE ARE SLOWLY STARTING TO BREAK THROUGH THE SURFACE.
IT IS TIME TO GIVE BACK TO THE WORKING MUSICIAN WHO IS ACTUALLY WRITING THE MUSIC, LIVING THIS MUSIC, CREATING, AND ACTUALLY POINTING BACK INTO OUR CREATIVE COMMUNITIES, ECONOMICALLY ARTISTICALLY AND POSITIVELY.
THIS HAS BEEN LONG OVERDUE, AND IT COULD BE A MAJOR GROWING OPPORTUNITY FOR BIPAP MUSICIANS, BLACK AND BROWN ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS ENRICH AUSTIN'S LIVE MUSIC SCENE.
I HOPE THAT WORKING MUSICIANS STAY A PRIORITY AND ARE AT THE FOREFRONT OF YOUR MINDS WHEN MAKING DECISIONS IN REGARDS TO THE LIVE MUSIC FUND, BECAUSE WE ARE WHAT MAKES THE CITY GREAT.
SO NEXT UP JONATHAN HORSEMAN, BLACK AUSTIN MUSICIANS COLLECTED EVEN Y'ALL.
UM, I'M GOING TO BE READING A STATEMENT FROM MOBILEY ON BEHALF OF THE BLACK AUSTIN MUSICIANS COLLECTIVE DURING THE PAST 18 AND A HALF MONTHS OF THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC WORKING MUSICIANS IN AUSTIN, I'VE BEEN FACED WITH HARDSHIPS UNPRECEDENTED IN LIVING MEMORY.
THIS HAS MEANT THAT A SEGMENT OF AUSTIN'S WORKFORCE THAT ALREADY FACES HIGHER THAN AVERAGE PRECARITY AND LOWER THAN AVERAGE WAGES HAS TO WORK EVEN HARDER TO SCRAPE BY 2020 AND 2021 HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY HARD ON MUSICIANS TO PUT IT MODELING IN THE LIGHT OF THESE FACTS.
IT BECOMES CLEAR THAT THE QUESTION OF WHAT TO DO WITH THE LIVE MUSIC FUND CARRIES HIGH STAKES.
I REMEMBER HAVE ON A VOLUNTEER BASIS, WORKED WITH THE MUSIC COMMISSION AND VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS IN THE LOCAL MUSIC INDUSTRY FOR WELL OVER A YEAR TO COLLABORATIVELY SHAPE AND IMAGINE WHAT THE LIVE MUSIC FUND CAN BE.
WE'VE DONE THE GRUELING PAINSTAKING WORK OF BUILDING CONSENSUS AROUND IDEAS LIKE THE PI GUIDELINES TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE WHO HAVE FACED MARGINALIZATION AND EXCLUSION ARE PRIORITIZED.
IT IS DISCONCERTING TO HEAR THAT NOW AT THE 11TH HOUR, THERE ARE THOSE WHO WISH TO SIDESTEP THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS AND OVERRIDE ALL THOSE MONTHS OF HARD WORK.
IT IS THE POSITION OF THE BLACK AUSTIN MUSICIANS COLLECTIVE THAT THE VOICES PERSPECTIVES AND NEEDS OF WORKING MUSICIANS MUST BE FOREMOST IN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HOW TO STRUCTURE THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.
IN PARTICULAR, THE VOICES OF MUSICIANS, OF COLOR WOMEN, MUSICIANS, QUEER MUSICIANS, AND MUSICIANS WITH DISABILITIES MUST TAKE PRIORITY.
THERE IS NO LIVE MUSIC WITHOUT MUSICIANS.
WE ARE THE ONLY INDISPENSABLE PIECE OF THAT PUZZLE.
AND TOO OFTEN, WE ARE SPOKEN OVER AND SPOKEN FOR RATHER THAN CONSULTED REGARDING THE IMPORTANCE OF EQUITY IN THE STRUCTURE OF THE LIVE MUSIC FUND, PRIORITIZING GROUPS THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS HARMED IS NOTHING LESS THAN A MORAL IMPERATIVE FROM JIM CROW TO THE 1928 MASTER PLAN, TWO DECADES OF DISPLACEMENT AND EXCLUSION.
THE CITY HAS DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY CREATED HARMFUL CONDITIONS THAT CONTINUE TO COST ITS BLACK CITIZENS, THEIR WEALTH, THEIR HEALTH, AND THEIR HOMES.
THERE IS NO PROGRAM THAT CAN MAKE THESE INJUSTICES, RIGHT? WHAT CAN BE DONE IS TO MAKE FROM MATERIAL ECONOMIC COMMITMENTS, TO THE WELLBEING OF WHAT REMAINS OF BLACK AUSTIN AND TO RIGHT THE SHIP MOVING FORWARD.
THOSE COMMITMENTS MUST EXTEND TO EVERY LIFE, EVERY AREA OF LIFE THAT THE CITY TOUCHES, ESPECIALLY AREAS AS INTER, AS INTEGRAL TO THE CITY'S IDENTITY AS LIVE MUSIC IS OUR MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES WOMEN, QUEER PEOPLE, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE RACIAL IDENTITIES.
WE STAND IN SOLIDARITY IN SOLIDARITY WITH ALL MARGINALIZED MUSICIANS IN OUR CALL FOR PREDATORS, FOR PRIORITIZATION AND NEARLY 4,000.
AUSTINITES SIGNED OUR PETITION LAST SUMMER TO THE SAME EFFECT.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE LIVE MUSIC FUND IS PUBLIC MONEY AND THEREFORE ITS ADMINISTRATION MUST REFLECT THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE IT CLAIMS TO SERVE AND THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE CITY TO MAKE UP FOR ITS PAST MISDEEDS AND MAKE GOOD ON ITS PRESENT ASPIRATIONS.
LAST YEAR IN BIG, BOLD YELLOW LETTERS, THE CITY DECLARED THAT BLACK ARTISTS MATTER FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE MANY WORRY THAT THIS WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A TOKEN GESTURE.
WE'VE HELD OUT HOPE THAT THEY WERE WRONG.
NOW IS THE TIME FOR AUSTIN TO PUT ITS MONEY WHERE ITS MOUTH IS.
SO NEXT STEP IS LARAMIE POUNCEY.
AND FOLLOWING THAT UP B IS EQUAL.
AND IF I MISPRONOUNCED ANYBODY'S NAME, PLEASE CORRECT ME WHEN YOU COME UP TO THE MIC.
HI, MY NAME IS LARAMIE POUNCEY.
I'M A SINGER SONGWRITER HERE IN AUSTIN.
I GO BY THE NAME OF A MARROW SOUL.
UM, I WANT TO SPEAK ON AGENDA ITEM THREE C TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE ACTIONS ON A LIVE MUSIC FUND TO REPAIR AND CREATE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO ADDRESS HISTORIC NEGLECT WITHIN THE AUSTIN MUSIC INDUSTRY TOWARDS THE BLACK COMMUNITY.
[01:40:01]
TWO VERY IMPORTANT WORDS I WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASIZE FROM MY LAST STATEMENT ARE TO ADDRESS AND REPAIR HISTORIC NEGLECT THAT THE BLACK BIPAP AND LGBTQ PLUS COMMUNITIES HAVE RECEIVED.IT MUST FIRST BE ADDRESSED AND NOT BY SOME, BY ALL.
I SUPPORT THE PIE FUNDS IN RELATION TO THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.
IT IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION TOWARDS EQUITY FOR BLACK BIPAP AND LGBTQ PLUS CREATIVES, VENUES AND BUSINESS OWNERS.
AS A BLACK MUSICIAN HERE IN AUSTIN, I HAVE EXPERIENCED AND WITNESSED FIRSTHAND THE NEGLECT AND DISMISSIVE ATTITUDE ATTITUDE TOWARDS US AS ARTISTS AND OUR WORK.
THE FIRST PLACE I PERFORMED IN AUSTIN WAS AT THE VICTORY GRILL, A HISTORIC VENUE THAT I WAS HONORED TO PERFORM AT.
WHEN I LEARNED ABOUT HISTORY, IT REINFORCED WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HERE TODAY.
I CAN TINA TURNER, JAMES ETTA, JAMES BILLIE HOLIDAY, CHUCK BERRY AND JANIS JOPLIN, WHERE SOME OF THE ARTISTS WHO GRACED THE STAGE AND THIS VENUE IS NOW A RESTAURANT.
IT WAS A PART OF THE CHITLIN CIRCUIT.
AND WHY DOES THE CHITLIN CIRCUIT EXIST? BECAUSE NOT ALL CLUBS AND VENUES WELCOME BLACK PATRONS AND MUSICIANS, JUST BECAUSE IT'S NOT AS OBVIOUS.
DOES THAT MEAN THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN REPAIRED.
PEOPLE GOT BETTER AT BEING LESS BLATANT ABOUT IT, BUT BLACK CULTURE AND BLACK MUSIC HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE LIVE MUSIC SCENE HERE AND SHOULD NOT BE SILENCE, STARVED OR DISMISSED.
ALL OF THE WORK THAT WE CREATE IS NOTABLE IS HISTORY IS OUR LEGACY.
THIS IS WHY WE NEED TO PRIORITIZE EQUITY BECAUSE THE ONLY TIME THERE IS SPACE FOR ALL OF US IS WHEN WE CREATE IT.
NO ONE ELSE HERE HAS TRULY LOOKED OUT FOR US, BUT US.
THEY HAVE SIMPLY ALLOWED US TO EXIST IN THESE SPACES IN NUMBERS THAT ARE COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO MAKE US SEEM REPRESENTED.
THERE IS ROOM FOR ALL OF US AND THE ILLUSION THAT THERE ISN'T WAS NOT CREATED BY US.
AND WE WON'T ACCEPT IT ANYMORE.
WE NEED MORE BLACK OWNED VENUES, MORE BLACK OWNED STUDIOS, MORE BLACK SOUND CREW MEMBERS AND MORE BLACK LIGHTING CREWS.
AND I JUST ALSO WANT TO ADD TO THAT.
I HAVE SURVIVED OFF OF PURELY MUSIC BARELY FOR THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF.
UM, THANK GOODNESS FOR DOLLAR AND GRANTS AND THE STIMULUS BECAUSE IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH PEOPLE LOOKING OUT FOR ME OUTSIDE OF MY OWN COMMUNITY.
ZKO THE MANTER BLACK AUSTIN MUSICIANS.
HOW ARE YOU DOING? MY NAME IS
I'M A MEMBER OF THE BLACK ARTS AND MUSICIANS COLLECTIVE.
I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF NICK CLARK.
UH, WE WILL REMAIN, WE WILL NOT REMAIN THE LIVE CITY, THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.
IF WE DO NOT SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC.
THESE ARE WORDS SAID BY MAYOR STEVE ADLER, SEPTEMBER, 2019.
THESE WORDS WERE SAID IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE APPROVAL OF A NEW AUDIENCE THAT BROKE REPORTEDLY GAVE, UM, AUSTIN MUSICIANS, UH, $3.6 MILLION A YEAR AND $40 MILLION, UH, FOR A DECADE.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE DECISION AROUND IT WAS A LIFELONG WAS A LIFELINE TO WORK IN MUSICIANS.
FINALLY, THE CITY WAS ABLE TO MAKE A BIG STEP TOWARDS SUPPORTING THE HEARTBEAT OF ITS MUSIC, CAPITAL, THE WORKING MUSICIAN, US ONE OF THE MANY REASONS TO VISIT AND LIVE IN AUSTIN.
ANOTHER KEY PART OF THIS AUDIT OF THIS AUDIENCE WAS THE GROWING SUPPORT OF THE EDI INITIATIVES OVER THE COURSE OF THE PANDEMIC, THE TRAGEDIES AROUND THE NATION ON EARTH, AND MANY OF THE INEQUITIES THAT HAVE BEEN DEEPLY IN TRANCE IN AUSTIN'S MUSIC SCENE IN ECONOMY FOR DECADES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO REPRESENTATION ON STAGES, TREATMENT, HOUSING AND INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIES, INCOMES THE DISCUSSION ABOUT USING TO DIRECTLY SUPPORT MUSICIANS THAT HAVE BEEN UNDERREPRESENTED AT BEST AND WORST PUSHED OUT BY SENIOR LIMITS.
SUPPORT CONTINUED TO GROW OVER THE COURSE OF THE PANDEMIC.
AS THE DISCUSSIONS GREW AROUND BLACK, LOUD MUSIC FUND AND ORGANIZATIONS BEING INTENTIONAL ABOUT EDI ISSUES.
AS THE DISCUSSIONS AROUND RACIAL TENSIONS, SUBSIDED AND LOUD MUSIC AND LIVE SHOWS BEGAN TO MOVE BEGAN MORE NORMAL.
DOES THIS DISCUSSION AROUND DIRECT SUPPORT TO MUSICIANS THROUGH THE LENS OF VDI ALSO SUBSIDED, UM, THE CONVERSATION GOT QUIET.
THIS IS WHY IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO BE INTENTIONAL, TO PRIORITIZE THE NEEDS OF THE UNDERREPRESENTED THROUGH THE PI GUIDELINES.
WE MUST PRESERVE THE HISTORY INNOVATE FUTURE ARTISTS AND ELEVATE PRESENT ENDEAVORS PI ENSURES THAT THERE'S ALWAYS A FOCUS ON MINORITY WORKING MUSICIANS WHILE THE ECONOMY STILL CONTINUES TO BOLSTER.
AND WHICH IS A WIN-WIN FOR ALL OF US.
AUSTIN HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE INNOVATORS IN HOW TO INVEST IN MUSIC INDUSTRY AND HOW TO ADDRESS THE DECADES MANY DECADES AND MARGINALIZATION OF UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES FROM THAT ANNOUNCEMENT MADE TWO YEARS AGO BY MAYOR ADLER, A SEED WAS PLANTED WITHIN THE PAST TWO WEEKS.
[01:45:01]
THREATENED BY THE BACK TO STATUS QUO PROPOSALS FROM VOICES THAT DON'T NECESSARILY REPRESENT AUSTIN MUSICIANS AUSTIN'S CAN CONTINUE TO, CAN CONTINUE ON THE PATH OF CULTIVATING THE SEEDS STARTED BY INCLUDING NEW VOICES, UPROOTING AND REVERTING BACK TO THE SAME VOICES THAT GOD IS HERE.UH, IN CONCLUSION, I'LL ASK YOU TO SAY, I HAVE BEEN IN AUSTIN FOR SIX YEARS, UH, PERFORMING FOR TWO YEARS, AND I HAVE NOTICED THE SAME THINGS THAT THE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN NOTICING FOR OVER A DECADE.
UM, I THINK I FELT THE SAME WAY THAT TAMIKA FILLED AND, UH, I JUST WANT TO SUGGEST THAT YOU GUYS, I GUESS, LOOK INTO ALL THESE THINGS AND, UM, CONSIDERED PIE.
NEXT STEP IS DISPLAYING SEAN OR JEAN.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE TONIGHT.
I ALSO WANT TO SAY THAT THIS IS A CELEBRATION MUCH LIKE, UH, DYLAN, WHERE THOSE, UM,
UM, AND SO I WANT TO HONOR MY ANCESTORS HERE TODAY AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE PI GUIDELINES.
UM, ONE THING THAT I WANT TO HA HAVE TO SAY IS I'VE BEEN HERE ALREADY.
I'VE I'VE DISCUSSED THIS EXACT SAME THING WHEN WE WERE, UM, THE 2016 TASK FORCE, UM, FOR THE EXPANSION OF THE CONVENTION CENTER, THERE WAS A COMMENT ABOUT WHO GETS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE, UM, UH, BROCHURE THAT IT LETS PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THE TOURISM AND WHERE TO GO HERE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
AND WHEN THAT WAS BROUGHT UP, WHAT WAS SAID, WHAT IS IT? THIS IS ON RECORD.
WE'LL CREATE A SEPARATE PAMPHLET FOR THE BROWN PEOPLE AND BLACK PEOPLE.
AND IT HAD TO BE NOTED THAT THAT IS SEGREGATION OF PEOPLE, OF COLOR OUT OF THE INDUSTRY.
AND WHAT IS REALLY DISHEARTENING IS THAT THERE IS NO CONSCIOUSNESS ABOUT THE FACT THAT THIS REALITY PLAYS OUT AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN.
SO I'M BACK SAYING THE EXACT SAME THING, BECAUSE THERE IS NOT AN INGRAINED UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE DISPLACEMENT THAT GETS CAUSED IN THE INDUSTRY.
IF YOU DO NOT GIVE PEOPLE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INNOVATE, NO, YOU COULD EASILY SAY THAT DO NOT INNOVATE BECAUSE YOU BOX THEM OUT INTENTIONALLY.
IF THAT IS NOT THE CASE, WHY AM I HERE SAYING THE SAME THING I SAID IN 2016, THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY AC MANABU GOOD EVENING.
I'M A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN BASED HERE IN AUSTIN.
UM, I'VE LIVED HERE FOR ABOUT EIGHT YEARS NOW, UH, THROUGH, FOR THREE OF THOSE YEARS, I WAS ALSO A LOCAL INDEPENDENT PROMOTER BOOKING AT LOCAL INDEPENDENT MUSIC VENUES, A JOB FOR WHICH I CAN UNHAPPILY, DIVULGE.
I EARNED WAY MORE PER WORKING OUT THAN I WILL EVER HOPE TO EARN AS AN ARTIST, EVEN THOUGH, UM, MY BAND ENJOYS POPULARITY AND I APPLY ALL THE BEST VENUES IN TOWN AND I HAVE A RECORD LABEL DEAL.
SO THAT'S PARTLY WHY I'M SO INTERESTED IN THE MUSIC IN THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.
UM, I'M HERE TODAY TO RESPOND TO MAYOR ADLER'S RECENT COMMENTS PUBLISHED IN THE AUSTIN MONITOR REGARDING HIS OBJECTIONS TO THE COMMISSION'S LIVE MUSIC FUND PROPOSAL.
AS IT CURRENTLY STANDS INTO VOICE, MY SUPPORT FOR THE PROPOSAL HAD YOU WENT THROUGH PEANUTS AT ME, IF YOU DISAGREE WITH ME, APPARENTLY THAT'S A THING WHERE CERTAINLY NOT A MONOLITH, BUT LAST YEAR, THE AUSTIN MUSIC COMMUNITY FOUND THAT WE COULD ALL AGREE ON ONE THING.
AND THAT WAS THAT WE ALL AGREE THAT OUR HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED PEERS DESERVED A NEED, A BIGGER SLICE OF THE PIE.
IN FACT, ALMOST 4,000 NON-BLACK MUSICIANS AND INDUSTRY FOLK HERE SIGNED A POSITION PETITION SAYING AS MUCH AS I'M SURE YOU'RE ALL AWARE OF IN MY OWN PERSONAL, VERY WIDE CIRCLE OF MUSICIAN, FRIENDS, AND PEERS, THERE HAS BEEN A CONTINUES TO BE A COMPLETE TRUST AND RESPECT FOR THE PROCESS FOLLOWED IN THE ONGOING DEVELOPMENT OF THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.
PROCESS IS SOMETHING THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR MUSICIANS BECAUSE WE HAVE LONG BEEN EXPLOITED THROUGH OPAQUE DEALINGS WITH THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.
AND THAT'S WHY THE MUSICIAN COMMUNITY ESPECIALLY APPRECIATES THE TRANSPARENCY, DEMOCRACY, AND RIGOR THAT THE, UH, THAT THE COMMISSION HAS SHINED THROUGH OUT.
AND THIS IS ALSO WHY WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE PROPOSED EMPHASIS ON DIRECTLY ELEVATING AND EMPOWERING MUSICIANS, PARTICULARLY BLACK MUSICIANS, INDIGENOUS MUSICIANS, AND OTHER MUSICIANS OF COLOR,
[01:50:01]
BECAUSE BELIEVE IT OR NOT, MUSICIANS ARE PROFESSIONAL.AND WE ARE, UH, EXPERTS IN OUR INDUSTRY AND IT'S ABOUT TIME THAT WE ARE RECOGNIZED AS SUCH.
SO WHAT WE DON'T NEED IS WE DON'T NEED MORE GATEKEEPERS AND WE DON'T NEED MORE BODIES WHO CLAIM TO REPRESENT OUR INTERESTS.
AND WE DEFINITELY DON'T NEED MORE FOR-PROFIT BUSINESSES.
YOU CLAIM TO HAVE OUR BEST INTERESTS AT HEART AS WELL.
AND WE DON'T NEED MORE WHITE ARBITERS WHO TELL NONWHITE MUSICIANS, WHAT IS IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THEM OR THEIR INDUSTRY.
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE BEST WAY TO ACHIEVE VERTICAL GAINS IS TO INVEST IN FACILITATE IN THE TALENT THAT ALREADY EXISTS IN THIS CITY TO DO WHAT THEY DO BEST, WHICH IS PUT ON SHOWS AND PERFORM.
I WANT TO FINISH BY REITERATING MY SUPPORT FOR THE CURRENT APPROACH TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE LIVE MUSIC FUND UNDER THE CURRENT PI GUIDELINES AND THANK THE COMMISSION FOR THEIR EFFORTS AS FAR.
THANKS FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK TO THAT.
AND OUR LAST SPEAKER, MORGAN DAVIS.
I WORK WITH AN ORGANIZATION CALLED OVERLOAD.
UH, I HAVE 20 YEARS OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE MUSIC MINISTRY, AND PRETTY MUCH EVERY ROLE IN THE INDUSTRY.
UH, CURRENTLY MOSTLY A MANAGER AND PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN MYSELF.
BUT SINCE MY BACKGROUND IS ALSO IN JOURNALISM, I WANTED TO FIXATE ON SOME OF THE ACTUAL DATA TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE STUFF THAT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED TONIGHT.
I THINK ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO GET INTO ON THIS TO JUST KIND OF ECHO WHAT EVERYONE IS SAYING.
THIS IS ON THE CITY OF BOSTON'S OWN WEBSITE FOR CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION, NO LOCAL ARTS ORGANIZATIONS LED BY PERSONS OF COLOR RECEIVED FUNDING THROUGH THE FEDERAL SHUTTERED VENUES OPERATORS GRANT.
SO I WANT TO REPEAT THAT THE NOT A SINGLE VENUE OWNED BY A PERSON OF COLOR RECEIVED MONEY FROM THAT.
UH, EVEN WHEN YOU BREAK THAT DOWN ON SHUTTERED VENUES GRANT, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SHEER AMOUNT OF MONEY GIVEN TO VENUES VERSUS MUSICIANS, YOU HAVE $5 MILLION GIVEN TO STUBS.
1.9 MILLION TO MOHAWK, 1.6 MILLION TO HERD, WHICH IS EMPIRE PARISH, ALL THAT BY COMPARISON MUSIC, INDUSTRY PERSONNEL, TOTAL IN AUSTIN RECEIVED 4.4 MILLION THAT'S MUSICIANS LIVE SOUND ENGINEERS, ALL OF THAT 4.4 MILLION AS BEST AS I CAN GATHER FROM CARE'S DATA AND FROM OUR OWN DATA.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT IN COMPARISON TO WHAT MUSICIANS ARE RECEIVING AS INDIVIDUALS, YOU'RE LOOKING AT MAYBE $3,000 TOTAL THAT A MUSICIAN WOULD HAVE RECEIVED IN FUNDING OVER THE PAST YEAR OF THE PANDEMIC.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT OTHER, WHAT OTHER MUSICIANS HAVE BEEN SAYING ABOUT THEIR TOTAL COST? WELL, MAGNA CARTA HAS ALSO SAID THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT A MUSICIAN HAS TO SPEND JUST TO BE PROFESSIONAL IN THIS CITY IS SO FAR BEYOND THAT.
JUST SPEAKING FOR ONE OF MY OWN ARTISTS, WE SPENT $15,000 WORKING ON OUR CURRENT PROJECT RIGHT NOW, WHICH INCLUDES PUTTING MONEY TOWARDS STUDIO OPERATORS.
OTHER BAND PERSONNEL LIVE SHOWS, GETTING IN OUT OF VENUES, FUNDING FOR EQUIPMENT, REPLACING AUTOMOBILES FOR TOURING, LIKE EVERYTHING ON THAT.
AND THEN WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ACTUAL BREAKDOWN FROM A GOLDMAN SACHS REPORT ABOUT THE TOTAL INCOME IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, YOU'RE LOOKING AT MAYBE 45% TOTAL MUSIC REVENUE THAT IS GOING TO LIVE MUSIC.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT IS GOING TO RECORDING IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS, THEY'RE EXPECTING THAT'S GOING TO BE 60%, ABOUT $80 BILLION TO $38 BILLION IS GOING FOR LIVE MUSIC.
AND YET IN AUSTIN, WE CONTINUE TO FIXATE ON ALLOWING VENUES TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS OF MUSICIANS RATHER THAN LETTING MUSICIANS DETERMINE FOR THEMSELVES WHERE THAT MONEY SHOULD BE SPENT.
THE MONEY THAT MOST MUSICIANS IN AUSTIN HAVE RECEIVED, OR THE PAST YEAR HAS COME FROM THEIR FELLOWS.
IT'S COME FROM PEOPLE LIKE SHAKA HAS COME FROM MOBLEY THROUGH BAMC.
THE CITY OF AUSTIN FAILED TO EVEN FOLLOW UP ITS OWN CENSUS REPORT.
I STARTED WITH GRAHAM IN 2014 ON THE FOCUS GROUP FOR GETTING THAT CENSUS PUT TOGETHER WITH THE PROMISE FROM THE CITY THAT THAT CENSUS WAS GOING TO BE DONE REPEATEDLY.
WE HAVEN'T HAD A SINGLE ONE UNTIL MOBILY OF HIS OWN VOLITION.
LAST YEAR, WORKED AT THE AMC TO GET A NEW CENSUS TOGETHER.
MUSICIANS IN THE CITY ARE SOLVING THE PROBLEMS OF WHAT'S GOING ON WITH MUSIC RELIEF, BUT WE ARE CONTINUOUSLY CUT OUT OF THE CONVERSATION.
WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO ACTUALLY ADVOCATE ON OUR OWN.
WE'RE NOT GETTING ANY REPRESENTATION IN THESE LARGE GRANTS THAT ARE COMING THROUGH.
MUSICIANS ARE NOT RECEIVING FUNDING FOR FORGIVABLE LOANS, JUST INCLUSION.
I WANTED TO SAY THAT WE NEED TO BE DOING MORE TO ALLOW MUSICIANS, TO ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES AND DETERMINE WHERE THIS RELIEF FUND IS GOING SO THAT THEY CAN ACTUALLY SURVIVE.
I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION FOR YOU AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR STATEMENT.
UM, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT MUSICIANS ADVOCATING FOR THEMSELVES OR SUPPORT FROM MUSICIANS, AND THEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE LIVE MUSIC FUND, THE PROPOSED GUIDELINES, CAN YOU SPEAK DIRECTLY TO THE GUIDELINES? DOES THAT AS THERE, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH HOW THEY'RE WRITTEN, DO YOU FEEL LIKE HOW CAN THEY HELP SOLVE
[01:55:01]
THAT PROBLEM OR NOT? IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE THAT NEEDS TO, I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS FOR THE MUSIC COMMISSION TO BE LOOKING AT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN HOW THIS LIGHT MUSIC FUND IS BEING APPROACHED AND SOMETHING LIKE ART IN PUBLIC PLACES.SO UNDER ART IN PUBLIC PLACES AND INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS TEAM, LIKE THE TEAM FROM BOSTON THAT WAS HIRED OUT TO CREATE THE HOURS THAT YOU'VE SEEN ON THE BUTTERFLY BRIDGE, THAT WAS $327,000 GIVEN TO, FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIVE HERE, WHO HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH AUSTIN, THEY WERE GIVEN THIS HUGE PROJECT AND THE SCOPE TO DO ALL THIS MONEY.
AND THEN WE'RE DEBATING OVER GIVING SMALLER GRANT MONEY TO MUSICIANS DIRECTLY.
I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MUSIC AND CITY OF AUSTIN, THAT IT'S ALWAYS FIXATED ON VENUES AND SPECIFICALLY COMMERCIAL VENUES.
I THINK THAT I WOULD ADVOCATE PERSONALLY FOR SOMETHING LIKE AIPP THAT IS CREATING ACTUAL, UH, BUDGETS FOR MUSICIANS TO CREATE PROJECTS, TO HIRE EACH OTHER, TO WORK WITH EACH OTHER.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ACTUAL BREAKDOWN OF CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION FUNDING, WHEN I WENT THROUGH IT, THERE WERE FEWER THAN HALF A DOZEN INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS OR BANDS THAT RECEIVED GRANTS THROUGH THAT.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF YOU HAVE EVER HAD TO TRY TO GO THROUGH THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION PROCESS TO GET A GRANT.
BUT THE OTHER ASPECT OF IT IS THAT IT IS AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AND COMPLICATED PROCESS FOR ANYBODY TO THE EXTENT THAT WE HAVE AN ENTIRE ORGANIZATION THAT RECEIVES MORE FUNDING FROM CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION THAN ANY OTHER ORGANIZATION, WHICH IS CREATIVE AUSTIN ALLIANCE.
THAT GETS ITS BASICALLY ITS INCOME COMES FROM NAVIGATING THAT STUFF FOR ARTISTS.
THEY GO AND THEY CREATE THE GRANT PROCESS.
IF YOU WANT SOMETHING LIKE, AND I KNOW THIS IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE, BUT I'VE BEEN AT THIS STUFF FOR LIKE SEVEN YEARS SPEAKING IN THIS ROOM ABOUT HOW DIFFICULT THE PROCESS HAS BEEN MADE FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL TO NAVIGATE.
AND I THINK THAT WE TALKED ABOUT IT FOR ABOUT A DECADE ABOUT MAKING THOSE PROCESSES AND THE WEBSITE AND EVERYTHING EASIER TO NAVIGATE AND MODERNIZED AND CLEANER.
AND THAT'S NOTHING'S EVER HAPPENED WITH THAT.
I, THAT WEBSITE LOOKS THE SAME AS IT DID IN 2010 WHEN I FIRST MOVED HERE, LIKE WHY AREN'T WE PUTTING MONEY TOWARDS THAT? WHY AREN'T WE DOING ANYTHING TO MAKE THE PROCESS OF GETTING THESE MUSICIANS, SOME OF THEIR MONEY A LITTLE BIT EASIER.
I JUST ALSO WANT TO REITERATE ON THAT TOO.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION FUNDING, 600,000 OF IT GIVE OR TAKE IS GOING TO CLASSICAL MUSIC AND OTHER PROGRAMS THAT HISTORICALLY HAVE SHUT OUT ARTISTS OF COLOR AND WORKING CLASS MUSICIANS.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE MONEY THAT'S IN THERE IS GOING TO A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SECTOR THAN WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN THIS ROOM.
BUT COULD I ADD TO THAT? ALL OF OUR SPEAKERS? OH SCOTT.
UH, COULD I, COULD I, UM, SO I, UM, WAS HAVING A LUNCH WITH A FRIEND RECENTLY, UH, WHEN I SAY RECENTLY, I MEAN THIS PAST THURSDAY AND THAT FRIEND WAS ACTUALLY A VENDOR FOR THE LEVIATHAN FESTIVAL THAT HAPPENED THIS PAST WEEKEND.
I'M NOT GOING TO NAME BUT LEVITATION, EXCUSE ME, SORRY, LEVITATION FESTIVAL.
UM, AND I'M NOT GOING TO NAME THIS PERSON OR WHAT THEIR OCCUPATION WAS, BUT THEY WERE TELLING ME THAT THEY WERE ALSO, UM, IT WAS THEM, THIS PERSON AND ANOTHER, UH, PERSON THAT WAS ALSO BEING NICKEL AND DIMED, UM, OUT OF THEIR FULL DAY RATE FOR PROVIDING SERVICES FOR THE LEVITATION OF FESTIVAL.
AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS INTERESTING BECAUSE LOOKING AT THE, UH, SHUTTER VENUES AND JUST LOOKING AT THE SHUTTER VENUES, GRANT NUMBERS, UH, THE LEVITATION OF THE LEVITATION FESTIVAL LLC, WHICH IS A PART OF THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT, I RECEIVED 500, $4,324 AND SHUTTERED BEEN USED GRANT MONEY THIS YEAR.
UM, SO THAT, I MEAN, THAT'S PART OF THE CONVERSATION.
THE OTHER PART OF THE CONVERSATION IS, UM, AUSTIN, TEXAS MUSICIANS.
UM, I HAVE, UH, I, I DID NOT, UH, SPEAK DIRECTLY WITH, UM, SOME OF THE STAFF THAT I'M CONVERSATING WITH HERE, BUT I DO KNOW FROM CIRCLES THAT THIS PERSON THAT IS ON, UH, AWESOME TEXTED MUSICIAN STAFF MAKES, UM, ABOUT 1% OF WHAT THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DOES.
AND UM, THAT PERSON IS A PERSON OF COLOR.
SHE IS A WOMAN AND SHE MAKES 1% OF WHAT, UH, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DOES.
AND, UH, THAT IS, IT IS WELL BELOW ANY KIND OF SUSTAINABLE WAGE HERE IN AUSTIN.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT, I ALSO SPOKE TO CODY COWEN ON THE PHONE, UH, WHEN I FOUND OUT AND THE REASON WHY WE'RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION FOR SOMEBODY THAT SAYS TOO.
AND AGAIN, IT'S BECAUSE OUR MUSIC BIG MAKES AUSTIN AS A WHOLE, INCLUDING PEOPLE THAT ARE ALSO ON THIS BOARD THAT ARE SITTING
[02:00:01]
ON THIS PANEL ON THE DIOCESE, UM, WENT AND LOBBIED BEHIND THE MUSIC.COMMISSION'S BACK TO TALK TO MAYOR, UM, ADLER AND CONGRESSMEN AND WOMEN, AND TO GET THEIR SUPPORT FOR BASICALLY WHERE WE'RE CALLING, I'M CALLING A VERTICAL INTEGRATION OF WHAT THE LIVE MUSIC FUND IS IN PART, WHICH MEANS THAT WE TAKE THE FUND TO REMOVE IT OUT OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AND WE MOVE IT TO THE AUSTIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UM, CENTER, WHICH, UM, IT'S KIND OF WEIRD BECAUSE THERE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN PREVIOUS MEETINGS, THEY'RE JUST GETTING SET UP, UM, WITH THESE FUNDS.
SO IT'S KIND OF WEIRD THAT, UM, THEY WANT TO MOVE THESE FUNDS OVER, BUT SOME OF THE REASONS WHY THESE FUNDS AND WHY I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THEY NOT MOVE OVER JUST YET.
NOT YET, NOT UNTIL WE FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE FUND.
WE CAN SEE HOW IT'S GOING TO GO.
THE REASON WHY IT'S WEIRD IS BECAUSE IT'S THE REASON WHY WE SHOULD MOVE IT OVER IS EXACTLY PROBABLY WHY IT, IT, IT, THEY'RE RECOMMENDING THAT IT MOVE OVER.
UM, AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS THERE'S A LOT OF PROBABLY INFLUENCE.
THERE'S PROBABLY SOME KIND OF, YOU KNOW, I MEAN STAFF IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, MUSIC, EXHAUSTING, BEING ABLE TO RECOMMEND PEOPLE TO GET ON THE BOARDS OF SOME OF THE BOARDS AND STAFF AND WHATNOT THAT CAN INFLUENCE THE MONEY AND, AND ROBE THIS FUND, WHICH NO ONE IS DISAGREEING WITH.
WE NEED THIS SPUN TO GROW, BUT IT NEEDS TO BE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF, FROM THE BOTTOM UP AND THE MIDDLE OUT AND NOT THE TOP DOWN.
UM, WHEN I SPOKE WITH, UM, CODY ON THE PHONE, HE MENTIONED NOTHING ABOUT EQUALITY.
YOU MENTIONED NOTHING ABOUT INCLUSION AT ALL.
THERE'S ACTUALLY A, UM, UH, A, UM, UM, ON FROM MAYOR ADLER AND FOR WHAT HE WAS SAYING ABOUT WHAT HE WANTS TO DO WITH THE SPUN AND IN TERMS OF CREATING STRUCTURES, WHICH IS NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN DO WITH HOW TO FUNDS.
UM, THERE WAS ACTUALLY SOME TALK ABOUT, UH, UM, PAIN VENUES AT PAIN PROMOTERS, AND I'M ACTUALLY ALSO IN AN ALBUM CYCLE.
AND IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN IN THE ALBUM CYCLE AS A MUSICIAN, IT'S PAINFUL BECAUSE YOU YOU'RE JUST SPENDING MONEY, DOING A LOT OF STUFF.
AND ANYBODY COULD TELL YOU THAT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THESE PROMOTERS IN TOWN AREN'T WORTH PAPER, THAT THEIR RESUMES ARE PRINTED ON IT.
AND IT'S A WAY OF, OF, OF CREATING A, MORE OF A CULTURE OF SELF-DEALING.
AND IT'S A WAY OF MARGINALIZING COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND NOT JUST COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, BUT ARTISTS THAT JUST DON'T HAVE A BLUE CHECK NEXT TO THEIR NAME.
AND IT IS ABSOLUTELY A POOR, IT, IT IS FRUSTRATING.
UM, I HAVE TALKED TO MANY OF MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS ON THIS COMMISSION WHO THINK THAT WHAT HAPPENED HERE, THEY REALLY DO SEE IT AS A SIGN OF PORTRAYAL.
AND, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO REMIND US COMMISSION THAT WHEN YOU SIT IN THAT CHAIR, YOU WORK FOR THE PEOPLE THAT APPOINT YOU TO BE THERE.
YOU WORK FOR YOUR COUNCIL, MEN AND WOMAN THAT APPOINT YOU TO BE THERE.
YOU DON'T WORK FOR GARY KELLER, YOU WORKED FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE THERE THAT PUT YOU IN THAT CHAIR TO DO RIGHT BY THE MUSICIANS AND THE INDUSTRY, MISS TOWN.
AND NO ONE IS SAYING THAT THE LIVE MUSIC VENUES DON'T NEED FUNNY, OR THEY DON'T NEED HELP.
I WAS THERE LAST YEAR DURING COVID PICKETING, LITERALLY PICKETING MAKING SURE THAT VENUES LIKE, UM, UM, UM, THE, UM, SO HEROINE LOUNGE VENUES, LIKE THE MOHAWK VENUES THAT WERE GOING TO GET THAT MONEY FROM THE SAVE.
I WAS THERE MAKING SURE THAT WE WERE MAKING OUR VOICES HEARD IN TERMS OF THAT.
BUT THE THING IS, IS THAT THE VENUES HAVE ECONOMIC INJURY, DISASTER MONEY.
THEY HAVE PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM MONEY.
THEY HAVE SHUTTER VENUE, GRANT MONEY.
THEY HAVE SAVED OUR STATE, OUR STATE MONEY.
IF THEY'RE CLOSING DOWN AT THIS POINT, IT'S PROBABLY NOT.
I MEAN, THIS THERE'S PROBABLY SOMETHING WRONG AND THEY PROBABLY JUST NEED TO CLOSE.
I'M JUST GOING TO GO AHEAD AND SAY IT BECAUSE THAT'S PROBABLY WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID.
THEY DON'T DESERVE ANOTHER BAILOUT AT THIS POINT.
WHAT THEY NEED, WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IS IT'S TIME FOR THE ARTISTS, THE ARTISTS THAT DON'T HAVE THAT BLUE CHECK NEXT TO THEIR NAME, IT'S THE ARTISTS THAT DON'T HAVE THAT REPRESENTATION, THAT LABEL, OR THAT THING, THAT ARTISTS, THAT, THAT, THAT REALLY JUST WANTS TO MAKE A DENT IN THE SCENE.
AND THEY'RE TALENTED AND THEY HAVE RESOURCES BEHIND THEM, BUT THEY MEET MORE BACK IN THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURY.
THERE WERE A GROUP OF ARTISTS THAT COULD NOT GET INTO,
[02:05:01]
UH, FAMOUS GALLERIES AND FAMOUS PLACES.WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOC ARTISTS.
I MEAN, PAINTERS THAT COULDN'T GET INTO THE TWO FAMOUS PLACES THAT COULDN'T GET THE REPRESENTATION THAT THEY DESERVED.
AND SO WHAT THEY DID IS THEY CREATED THEIR OWN SALON.
THIS WAS IN FRANCE, AND THIS IS WHERE THE IMPRESSIONIST MOVEMENT WAS BORN.
THIS IS WHERE, UH, YOUR
AND IT'S BECAUSE THESE ARTISTS HAVE THE ABILITY TO INVEST IN THEMSELVES BECAUSE OF THE RESOURCES THAT THEY HAD AND THEY BANDED TOGETHER.
AND THIS IS WHAT ARTISTS ARE GOING TO DO.
THIS IS WHAT ARTISTS DO ALL THE TIME.
AND SO TO GO BEHIND THIS, COMMISSION'S BACK AND TO RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL THAT WE GET A VERTICAL INTEGRATION OF THIS FUND, AND THEN COME BACK WITH A PROPOSAL AT NINE 30 AT NIGHT ON A WEEKEND, THE MONDAY BEFORE COMMISSION, KNOWING THAT THE SUNDAY IS A HOLIDAY.
WHEN I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT YOU, THAT THIS PLAN HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE, IT HAS BEEN REVISED A LITTLE BIT FOR AT LEAST A MONTH.
AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT I WAS LEFT OFF THE EMAIL CHAIN.
SHAKA ACTUALLY EMAILED ME THAT DOCUMENT.
AND I'VE BEEN POURING OVER THAT DOCUMENT.
I DROVE 12 HOURS TO SANTA FE, I'M IN SANTA FE RIGHT NOW.
AND I WAS POURING OVER THAT DOCUMENT AND TAKING NOTES AND DOING ALL OF THIS BECAUSE I NEEDED TO GET TO THE BOTTOM AND RIP THIS THINGS DOWN TO THE STUDS AND IT DOESN'T ADD UP AND IT DOESN'T HOLD WATER.
AND I, WASN'T GOING TO SAY ANYTHING IN THIS MEETING, BUT I'M SORRY, AFTER ALL OF THESE TESTIMONIES, AFTER EVERYTHING THAT I'VE HEARD TODAY AND HOW BY OTHER BROTHERS AND SISTERS FEEL MARGINALIZED IN THIS COMMUNITY, THIS COMMUNITY, THIS BOARD EXISTS FOR THE EXACT REASON THAT I, THIS, THIS IS THE PROBLEM WE ARE HERE BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM.
AND I KNOW I'M COMING IN AT THE 11TH HOUR, BUT WHAT I'M SEEING HERE, I DON'T LIKE, AND I WANT IT.
I, AND, AND, AND, AND, AND I WANT TO HAVE MORE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO TO BE BETTER US AS A COMMISSION.
WE NEED TO BE BETTER THAN GOING BEHIND EACH OTHER'S BACKS AND LOBBYING TO THE MAYOR, BECAUSE WE DIDN'T GET WHAT WE WANT.
WE NEED TO BE BETTER ABOUT COMMUNICATING WITH THOSE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE, TOO.
I UNDERSTAND THAT HAVE THERE BEEN ISSUES, HAVE THERE BEEN CONSERVATIONS FROM THE OTHER SIDE COMING IN IT'S POSSIBLE.
I'VE ACTUALLY BEEN CALMING YOU THROUGH THE MINUTES.
I HAVEN'T REALLY SEEN MUCH OF ANYTHING SINCE AT LEAST FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS, THERE HAVE BEEN NO COMMENTS AT ALL IN REGARDS TO THIS FUND AT ALL.
AND WHAT CHANGES SHOULD BE MADE AS IT IS REPRESENTED FROM WHAT WE GOT ON FRIDAY NIGHT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, SCOTT, SCOTT, I DON'T WANT TO CUT YOU OFF, BUT I DO KNOW WE HAVE A TIME LIMIT, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING, READING, MEETING MINUTES ON YOUR VACATION.
I THINK THAT SPEAKS A LOT TO THE DEDICATION OF THIS COMMISSION.
AND, UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR GREAT POINTS.
I KNOW WE, WE HAVE A QUESTION THERE'S A COUPLE OF US THAT WANT TO, OKAY.
AND I KNOW WE HAVE, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR STAFF, SO LET'S, I WOULD LIKE TO GO AHEAD.
CAUSE SHAKA HAD A QUESTION EARLIER FOR STAFF AND I'D LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND HAVE, LET STAFF HAVE A CHANCE TO SPEAK, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE THE COMMISSION.
I KNOW A LOT OF THE COMMISSIONERS HAVE THOUGHTS THAT I'D LIKE TO SHARE TONIGHT.
SO THE FIRST QUESTION I'LL GO AHEAD AND JUST SPEAK FOR YOU.
WAS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE LIVE MUSIC ON THE PROPOSED GUIDELINES AND CULTURAL ARTS GRANTS, UM, IS CAUSE THAT WAS RAISED BY THE MAYOR.
LIKE, IS THERE A DIFFERENCE OR IS THIS THE SAME TYPE OF PROGRAM? IT'S THE, IN THAT THIS IS CHAPTER 3 51 0.101.
THESE ARE FUNDS THAT HAVE TO BE USED TO MARKET EVENTS, TO TOURISTS AND TO CONFERENCE DELEGATES.
AND SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PUBLIC FACING EVENTS THAT CAN BE MARKETED.
NOW, WHAT CULTURAL ARTS DOES IS THEY HAVE A LOT OF CORE FUNDING THAT GOES TO PAYING FOR MORE FOUNDATIONAL BUDGETS WITHIN THE, UH, THE CONTRACTORS THAT THEY HAVE.
THEY HAVE A SMALLER PROGRAM THAT PAID FOR EVENTS, UM, THAT WAS NOT NEARLY AS BIG AS THE CORE FUNDING COMPONENTS OF THE CAD PROGRAM.
AND SO WHAT'S DIFFERENT FROM THIS ONE IS THAT WE ARE FUNDING THE TYPES OF MUSICAL ACTIVITIES.
THAT CAT IS NOT FUNDING SPECIFICALLY FOR PROFITS.
AND SO NONPROFITS WOULD REMAIN, YOU
[02:10:01]
KNOW, APPLYING TO THE CULTURAL ARTS PROGRAM AND THE FOR-PROFIT VENUES AND THE FOR-PROFIT UH, MUSICIANS AND THE FOR-PROFIT, UH, PROMOTERS.THAT THAT IS WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS TYPE OF FUND, BECAUSE, UM, YOU CAN USE HOT FUNDS, UH, FOR, FOR PROFIT ENDEAVORS, SUCH AS SHOWS THAT CAN ALSO SELL TICKETS THAT ALSO HAVE SPONSORSHIPS.
SO THIS IS JUST OFFSETTING COSTS OF EVENTS THAT WOULD BE HAPPENING ANYWAY, BUT WE WANT TO PRIORITIZE EVENTS WITH THIS PUBLIC MONEY, UH, THAT REFLECT PI SO THAT WE CAN CREATE A MORE TRANSFORMATIONAL FUND COMING OUT OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT TO FUND DIFFERENT TYPES OF EXPERIENCES THAT AUSTIN HAS TO OFFER.
AND TO PUT THAT MONEY WITH THE MUSICIAN SPECIFICALLY IN THIS PILOT YEAR TO DO THAT WORK AND GET THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING, IF THEY NEED IT TO DO THESE TYPES OF EVENTS AS THE EVENT ORGANIZER, THEY CAN PAY THEMSELVES AS THE EVENT ORGANIZER, AS WELL AS BEING TALENT ON THE BILL, IF THEY CHOOSE TO BE ON THE BILL AS WELL.
AND SO THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO GET, UM, EVERY PART OF THE INDUSTRY SECTORS PAID THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, UM, BECAUSE YOU CAN PLAY YOUR, YOU COULD DECIDE TO HAVE YOUR SHOWS AT A VENUE.
YOU COULD HAVE YOUR SHOWS AT A PARK.
YOU COULD HAVE YOUR SHOWS AT A STREET CLOSURE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT YOU WANT TO, UM, PROMOTE A CERTAIN PART OF THE HISTORY OF THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
VENUES ARE A VERY PRACTICAL WAY TO PUT ON THESE SHOWS STILL BECAUSE THEY HAVE ALL OF THE ASSETS AND THE TURNKEY COMPONENTS TO PUT ON SHOWS SO THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO BRING IN EACH INDIVIDUAL COMPONENT INTO A PLACE THAT DOESN'T ALREADY HAVE IT.
SO WE, THAT IS WHAT WE ARE DOING.
IT'S STILL FOR PROFIT SHOWS, UH, THAT ARE GETTING PAID FOR THE SOME CORE EXPENSES.
SO THAT ANYTHING THAT IS MADE BY THE SHOW, ISN'T PAYING DEBT OF THE, OF THE SHOW.
YOU'RE NOT PAYING JUST OFF DEBT AND HOPE THAT YOU GET IN THE BLACK BY THE END OF THE NIGHT, YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT YOUR BUDGET IS AND YOU CAN BUDGET FOR IT.
AND THERE'S ALSO A REQUIREMENT THAT YOU MUST PAY MUSICIANS AND THE CONTRACTORS, UM, AT THE MINIMUM, UM, YOU KNOW, $150 AN HOUR PER MUSICIAN FOR MUSICIANS AND AT LEAST $15 AN HOUR OF LIVING WAGE FOR CONTRACTORS.
SO THAT IS A REQUIREMENT OF THE PROGRAM AT THE VERY LEAST.
AND, UM, SO OUR GOAL IS TO PUT THAT MONEY WITH THE MUSICIANS, WITH THE IN SMALL, INDEPENDENT PROMOTERS TO GO AND LEARN THE INS AND OUTS OF EVERY COMPONENT OF PUTTING ON SHOWS, UH, IN OUR MUSIC INDUSTRY AND PAYING PEOPLE AS THEY GO AND LIVING WAGE.
AND ALSO, AGAIN, PRIORITIZING WITH PUBLIC MONEY, THE TYPES OF SHOWS.
WE WANT TO SEE THE TRIPE TYPE OF EXPERIENCES WE WANT TO PUT FORWARD, WHICH IS WITH A FOCUS WITH, ON RACIAL EQUITY AND ON MARGINALIZED GROUPS THAT HAVE NOT HAD THE VOICE OR THE SUPPORT TO DO IT IN THIS WAY.
AND SO IT'S VERY DIFFERENT FROM CAD IS NOT ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT.
IT'S REALLY SUPPORT GOING TO THOSE PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS, THOSE PROMOTERS TO REALLY, YOU KNOW, MAKE THEM PART OF THE PROCESS AND NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, THIS ELEMENT OF ONE OF MANY, MANY ELEMENTS OF A SHOW.
AND A LOT OF TIMES WHAT HAPPENS IS BECAUSE OF THE DEBT OF THE SHOW WHO SUFFERS AT THE END.
IT'S A LOT OF TIMES IT IS THE MUSICIANS THAT GET A PAY CUT AT THE END OF THE NIGHT BECAUSE THE SHOW DIDN'T MAKE THE EXPENSES UP.
THIS IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM CAD BECAUSE IT'S A REAL WORLD MUSIC COMPONENT THAT WE ARE USING PUBLIC FUNDS TO HELP PAY FOR SO THAT WE CAN PRIORITIZE THESE EVENTS.
AND, UH, SCOTT MENTIONED, UH, THE MAYOR'S COMMENTS AT WORK SESSION ON OCTOBER 12TH AND WHICH, UM, THE MAYOR, AFTER TALKING WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WHO HAD EXPRESSED CONCERNS, THAT THERE WASN'T SUPPORT THAT WORKED AS A RETURN ON INVESTMENT.
THERE WASN'T A VERTICAL, UM, WHERE MULTIPLE PARTS OF THE ECOSYSTEM WE'RE SUPPORTED.
AND, UM, YOU AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS A LITTLE BIT ALREADY.
SO I THINK THAT YOU DID A LITTLE BIT OF WORK ON HOW, HOW ARE WE HAVE THE IMAGE, IF YOU WANT TO PULL THIS IMAGE YOU COULD, FROM THE, FROM OUR, THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF A WORKFLOW THAT YOU WILL SEE WITH USING THESE FUNDS, UM, GOING TO THE CONTRACTOR, THE MUSICIAN, THE EVENT ORGANIZER WHO GETS THE GRANT, AND THEN THEY GO AND CAN WORK WITH VENUE COLLABORATORS AND ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF COLLABORATORS AS PART OF THEIR APPLICATION, UH, TO WORK WITH THEM.
UH, AND ONE OF WHICH IS, COULD BE A LIVE MUSIC VENUE.
SO WE SHOWED YOU KIND OF A, UH, ILLUSTRATION OF HOW THAT MONEY WOULD FLOW TO THE VENUE AND HOW ALL ELEMENTS WITHIN THAT VENUE IS PAID FOR EITHER THROUGH A RENTAL OR THROUGH A DEAL, YOU KNOW, THAT THE ARTISTS AND THE VENUE COME UP WITH AS PART OF THEIR COLLABORATION FOR THIS PROJECT THROUGH PI.
SO THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT ARTISTS AND
[02:15:01]
PROMOTERS CAN WORK WITH VENUES TO WORK.THESE DEALS OUT, INCLUDING JUST A STRAIGHT UP RENTAL.
UM, THE GOAL IS TO ALLEVIATE AS MUCH RISK SO THAT THESE TYPES OF EXPERIENCES CAN BE PRIORITIZED AND THAT, UM, YOU CAN MAKE MONEY AND KEEP THAT MONEY NOT TO GO PAY THE DEBT OF THE SHOW, BUT TO ACTUALLY EARN MORE REVENUE.
SO AGAIN, THIS IS A DIRECT CORRELATION TO THE OMNIBUS, TO REVENUE GENERATION FOR MUSICIANS, FOR VENUES, AND FOR ALL OF THE PLAYERS THAT ARE INVOLVED WITH THE LIVE MUSIC PROCESS.
AND THIS IS IF IT'S A LIVE MUSIC VENUE, IT'S ALL OF THE ELEMENTS WITHIN THE VENUE, THE CONTRACTORS AND THE MUSICIANS.
BUT IF IT'S SAY AT A PARK OR TO A MEETING SPACE THAT NEED WHERE YOU NEED TO BRING EVERYTHING IN, YOU'RE PAYING THE RENTAL OF THE STAGE, LIGHTING THE CREW, YOU'RE BRINGING IN ALL OF THE STAFF, THE SECURITY THAT TICKETING.
SO THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT WAYS THAT YOU CAN SUPPORT OUR INDUSTRY THROUGH THIS PROGRAM.
UM, ONE OF WHICH BEING THROUGH VENUES, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE GONNA PLAY YOUR EVENT AT A VENUE OR, UM, IN THE MANY DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE COULD, YOU KNOW, USE THINGS LIKE THE AUSTIN CENTER FOR EVENTS AND DIFFERENT FACILITIES AND DIFFERENT TYPES OF PARTNERS TO CREATE UNIQUE EXPERIENCES.
AND THEN YOU'RE PAYING FOR, TO BRING THAT ALL THAT CAPACITY INTO THE SPACE IN ORDER TO HAVE A REALLY GREAT SHOW.
AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, OF COURSE, IS ALL THE MARKETING THERE IS GOING TO BE MARKETING SUPPORT COMING FROM THE CITY ON TOP OF THESE GRANTS, IT'S LIKE AN ADDITIONAL SUPPORT GOING TO THE EVENTS TO GET GREAT PROMOTION OUT THERE.
NOT ONLY THROUGH OUR PARTNER VISIT AUSTIN THROUGH DIGITAL ADS THAT WE WILL PAY FOR.
AND WITH THAT ALSO TRAINING TO THE PROMOTER, TO THE MUSICIAN, TO LEARN THE BEST PRACTICES IN OUR INDUSTRY OF HOW TO MARKET THEIR SHOWS, HOW TO USE TICKETING, HOW TO COLLABORATE WITH PARTNERS AND HOW TO NEGOTIATE CONTRACTS.
SO IT'S A WIN-WIN SITUATION, NOT ONLY FOR THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, BUT FOR PAYING THE EXPENSES THAT ARE ALREADY OUT THERE SO THAT WE CAN EARN MORE MONEY AT THE END OF THE DAY, AS ERICA MENTIONED, UM, THE WHOLE ECOSYSTEM.
SO AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, WE MAY NOT DO THE VENUE, BUT YOU JUST HEARD FROM THE AEDC WHO IS OUT WORKING ON VENUES.
SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, SMALL BUSINESSES, MUSICIANS, WE WANT TO HELP THEM BE SUSTAINABLE.
SO IT'S NOT JUST GOING TO BE, UH, UH, A GRANT OR CONTRACT.
THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE HOLISTIC SERVICES THAT WILL REACH THE VARIOUS SECTORS OF THE INDUSTRIES.
ERICA HAS JUST ARTICULATED IN TERMS OF SOUND AND LIGHTING AND THE CREW.
UM, WE'VE ALREADY PARTNERED WITH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ON SOME WORKFORCE TRAINING IN TERMS OF THE CREATIVE SECTOR.
WE FEEL, UM, AS WE MOVE THE SPORT PROGRAM FOR IT, RIGHT.
I DO ALSO WANT TO BRING UP THAT AS FAR AS, UM, I MEAN, OF COURSE WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OUR CREATIVE SPACES IN THIS CITY, THROUGH THE CREATIVE SPACE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, UM, THAT AS WE WERE, YOU KNOW, SHARING THE GUIDELINES WITH THE VARIOUS COMMISSIONS AND WITH YOU GUYS IN COMMUNITY OVER THE LAST EIGHT MONTHS, WE WERE ALSO SHARING THE GUIDELINES FOR THE CREATIVE SPACE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
WE WILL CONTINUE YEAR OVER YEAR WITH THAT PROGRAM ON TOP OF THE RESOURCES, THROUGH THE AEDC TO MAKE OUR CREATIVE SPACES AND OUR VENUES, A SUSTAINABLE SITUATION HERE IN AUSTIN.
IT'S A MULTI-PRONGED APPROACH TO, UM, STABILIZE OUR INDUSTRY AND GROW THE PARTS OF OUR INDUSTRY.
OF COURSE, I WANT TO SEE MORE SYNC LICENSING HERE, MORE PUBLISHING HERE, BUT WE WON'T HAVE ANYTHING.
IF ALL OF OUR MUSICIANS CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE HERE OR MAKE IT LIVING WAGE HERE.
AND SO THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT COMPONENT.
AND, UM, WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO TO MAKE UP FOR THE SYSTEMIC RACISM THAT HAS EXISTED IN THIS CITY THAT HAS AFFECTED, UM, PEOPLE OF COLOR ACROSS MANY SECTORS, NOT JUST MUSIC.
AND SO THIS IS THAT OPPORTUNITY.
AND ON THAT NOTE, I WANTED TO QUICKLY RESTATE BECAUSE WE TALKED ABOUT SEVERAL, UM, MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY MENTIONED PI.
SO, AND Y'ALL CAN CORRECT ME IF I, IF I GET THE CLIFF NOTES ON THIS WRONG, BUT IT'S PRESERVATION INNOVATION, ELEVATION COLLABORATION OF UNDERSERVED, HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES.
AND THAT IS ACHIEVED, UH, BY A SCORING IN THE PROPOSED GUIDELINES THAT WOULD BE ACHIEVED BY A SCORING MATRIX, UH, THAT PRIORITIZES, UH, BIPAP, SMALL ORGANIZATIONS AND MUSICIANS AND BANDS ESSENTIALLY, AND ALSO, UM, AND ACTIVITIES PI ACTIVITIES.
SO YOU COULD BE A PROMOTER OF ANY COLOR AND PROPOSE A ACTIVITY THAT IS IN SYNC WITH PI AND YOU WON'T, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S, THAT'S PERFECTLY FINE TOO.
UM, OUR GOAL THOUGH, IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PRIORITIZING, UM, RACE, DISABILITY, LGBTQ, AND GENDER, AS, AS SUGGESTED AND RECOMMENDED BY THE MUSIC COMMISSION.
AND WHAT I'M HEARING PERSONALLY FROM THE COMMUNITY, FROM THE MAYOR, FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE SPOKEN HERE TONIGHT FROM OTHER COMMISSIONERS THAT I'VE TALKED TO, THAT THIS IS, UH, A
[02:20:01]
PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT COMPONENT, UM, OF THE PROGRAM GUIDELINES.SO WE HAVE THE WAY, THE GUIDELINES WHERE THE, THE PLAN, THE SPECIFIC GRANT AMOUNTS, THAT'S ONE THING, BUT WE ALSO HAVE THIS EQUITY FOCUS AND THE WAY THAT IT'S BEEN DEFINED.
AND I THINK, UM, I FEEL LIKE A LOT OF US ARE REALLY ON THE SAME PAGE THAT WE, WE WANT THAT TO STAND.
THAT'S A CORE PRINCIPLE HERE, AND, UM, WE'VE HEARD SOME VERY PASSIONATE DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT TONIGHT.
SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THE POINT THAT THAT'S THAT PART OF THE PROGRAMMING.
UM, I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF SUPPORT AND IT WAS DA MENTIONED, WAS MENTIONED DIRECTLY IN THE MMA PROPOSAL.
SO I KNOW THERE'S BEEN NEW SUPPORT FOR THIS CONCEPT AS WELL.
UM, AS IT'S, AND IT'S BEEN SPECIFICALLY DEFINED, UH, BY STAFF.
SO I HAVE TALKED A LOT AND I KNOW LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE ON THE COMMISSION HAS THINGS TO SAY, SO WHY DON'T WE START WITH NAGA VOLLEY UH, THANK YOU.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, I, I, I REALLY WANT TO THANK EVERYONE, UM, HOSEA TODAY, UM, TO EXPRESS THEIR OPINIONS AND IDEAS AROUND, UH, THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.
UM, I HOPE I WISH SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS WERE EASIER, BUT I ALSO I'M A MUSICIAN MYSELF AND THAT, ESPECIALLY, UM, WHEN, UM, ARTISTS FROM, UH, SO-CALLED MINORITY COMMUNITIES COME AND SPEAK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES.
UM, I'M VERY SURE I, MY EXPERIENCES MIGHT NOT BE THE SAME, BUT I CAN RELATE AS I, UH, I, MYSELF AM AN IMMIGRANT FROM INDIA, UM, WHO HAS TRIED TO AND CONTINUES TO, UM, WORK ON BUILDING A CAREER HERE.
I'M NOT GOING TO STAY ON THAT TOO LONG BECAUSE IT WILL MAKE ME EMOTIONAL.
AND, UH, I FEEL LIKE THAT'S NOT QUITE MY JOB HERE TODAY.
UM, I, I REALLY BELIEVE IN STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THE LIVE MUSIC FUND SHOULD HAVE TWO CORE PILLARS AND THAT IT SHOULD BE, IT SHOULD HAVE A STRONG DEI COMPONENT AT ITS CORE.
SO INCLUSIVITY IN TERMS OF UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES AND ALSO INCLUSIVITY, WE SEVERE THE AUSTIN MUSIC ECOSYSTEM.
I SEE THOSE AS FOUR PILLARS WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM.
AND I SPOKE SOME OF SOME TO THIS IN THE LAST COMMISSION MEETING AS WELL.
MUSICIANS, VENUES, FESTIVALS, AND MUSIC BUSINESSES, SUCH AS RECORDING ENGINEERS, PRODUCES STUDIOS, ET CETERA, BUSINESSES AND BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS.
I SPOKE TO A LOT OF PEOPLE MYSELF, JUST IN TRYING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS FUND, THE GENESIS OF THIS FUND, WHAT WAS THIS FUND INITIALLY INTENDED FOR? WHAT ARE DIFFERENT PEOPLE'S OPINIONS ACROSS, YOU KNOW, THE, THIS SPECTRUM OF STAKEHOLDERS IN OUR COMMUNITY, BECAUSE END OF THE DAY, WE ALL HAVE TO WORK WITH EACH OTHER.
I DON'T QUITE THINK ONE EXISTS AT SOME LEVEL WITHOUT THE OTHER.
AND HENCE THESE FOUR SILOS THAT SHOULD BE WORKING TOGETHER AND THAT THIS FUND SHOULD BE CATERING TO IT.
ALSO, I HEAR A LOT ABOUT MARKET ECONOMIES AT WORK.
AND FOR THAT REASON ALSO, I BELIEVE THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO SOLIDIFY AND STRENGTHEN ALL DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS WITHIN THIS MUSIC ECONOMY.
AND THAT'S WHY I BRING THE, THE IDEA OF PUTTING IN, IN PRODUCERS AND RECORDING STUDIOS, BECAUSE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT WHERE TICKLES, BUT NOT EVERY MUSICIAN NECESSARILY HITS EVERY ASPECT OF THAT.
VERTICAL PEOPLE TAKE DIFFERENT PATHS HERE TO BUILD A CAREER WITH THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.
I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE BUILD TOWARDS PRAGMATIC SOLUTIONS THAT WILL BE WORKED TOWARDS PRAGMATIC SOLUTIONS THAT WILL BUILD AUSTIN'S MUSIC BRAND AND AUSTIN'S MUSIC ECONOMY THAT WILL WORK TO ITS TOURISM AS THIS FUND IS INTENDED TO BE.
AND THAT WE'LL WORK WITH EDI AS ONE OF ITS CORE PRINCIPLES.
AND ALL OF THESE, IF WE LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE VIEW IN MY MIND ARE MUTUALLY COMPATIBLE AND MUTUALLY SYNERGETIC GOALS.
THESE ARE NOT EXCLUSIVE TO ONE ANOTHER.
[02:25:02]
THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF TENSION AND NERVOUSNESS AROUND THE PRESIDENTS.THAT'S ANOTHER THING THAT I JUST GATHERED FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT I SPOKE TO, THAT THIS ONE WILL SET, BECAUSE THIS IS A FUND THAT'S INTENT.
THAT'S THE IDEAS THAT IT'S GOING TO COME REPEATEDLY AND HOW IT GETS DESIGNED, HOW RIGHT.
WE GET AT THIS TIME SEEMS TO HOLD A LOT OF IMPORTANCE AND THE BELIEF THAT THIS CAN DRASTICALLY EVOLVE OVER A PERIOD OF TIME.
IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE SAME IN ALL QUARTERS.
AND HENCE I THINK EXTENDING THIS FUND TO A BROADER SET OF STAKEHOLDERS, EVEN IF WE CONSIDER THIS A PILOT HERE WITH A STRONG, WITH A STRONG EDI CORE, AND ALSO WITH THE IDEA OF DIRECT PAYMENTS, I DO NOT PARTICULARLY SUPPORT THE IDEA OF INDIRECT PAYMENTS TO ANYBODY WHO ARE IN THE RECIPIENT BASE.
I THINK IT'LL ALSO ACTUALLY A CASE COULD BE MADE THAT BROADENING THE RECIPIENT BASE WILL ACTUALLY ALLOW US TO COLLECT BETTER DATA AS TO WHAT IS STICKING, WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE, WHAT DO WE NEED TO TWEAK AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS FUND IN FUTURE YEARS? SO WITH ALL THAT, I, I HAVE TO STEP BACK AND LOOK AT THIS OBJECTIVELY AND SEE WHAT MY RESPONSIBILITY HERE AS A MUSIC COMMISSIONER IS.
AND WHAT I'M SEEING RIGHT NOW IS THAT THERE IS A PROPOSAL FROM EDD, VERY STRONGLY LEADING WITH EQUITY, AND THEY HAVE DONE A WONDERFUL JOB IN BEING, AND MAKING THAT VERY TRANSPARENT OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS AS THEY PUT FORWARD THE PROPOSAL, THERE IS A PROPOSAL FROM MMA.
THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION FROM A QUEUE.
THERE ARE SEVERAL INDEPENDENT MUSICIANS THAT HAVE COME AND SPOKEN TODAY HERE IN TELLING THEIR STORY AND WHAT THEY THOUGHT THAT THIS FUND SHOULD BE DOING.
BUT WE HAVE SOME COMMONALITIES IN THOSE SUGGESTIONS AND WE HAVE SOME DIVERGENCES.
AND I THINK IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE GIVE THIS JUST THAT LITTLE EXTRA TIME THAT IT NEEDS TO BRING THE STAKEHOLDERS AS DIFFICULT AS IT MIGHT SEEM RIGHT NOW TOGETHER AND BUILD CONSENSUS AROUND HOW THIS FUND NEEDS TO BE ALLOCATED MOVING FORWARD.
AND IT'S OKAY TO AGREE, TO DISAGREE ON SOME ASPECTS AND, AND BUILD FROM THERE.
BUT IT IS REALLY NECESSARY AT THIS POINT IN MY MIND FOR VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS, FROM THIS MUSIC ECONOMY TO COME TO THE TABLE AND LOOK AT HOW TO BEST MOVE FORWARD ON THIS FUND.
SO FROM, FROM THAT PLACE, I WOULD REALLY REQUEST THAT WE EXTEND THE DISCUSSION.
AND IF I MAY, I WOULD FORMALLY LIKE TO MOTION TO EXTEND THE DISCUSSION OF THIS LIVE MUSIC FUND SO THAT WE CAN BUILD CONSENSUS AMONGST THE VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS IN THIS MUSIC ECONOMY AND ON THE PATH FORWARD.
SO YEAH, WE HAVE A MOTION, UM, BEFORE WE HAVE A SECOND OR TAKE A VOTE ON IT.
I KNOW WE HAVE OTHER COMMISSIONERS THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK.
SO, UM, NAGA, VOLLEY, IF THAT'S OKAY WITH YOU.
YEAH, I THINK, UH, I THINK EVEN IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO SECOND, THE DISCUSSION CAN STILL CONTINUE.
THAT'S THE IDEA, AND THERE'S A DISCUSSION AND DEBATE AROUND THE SECOND.
SO WE WILL HOLD THE, WE HAVE A SECOND FOR THIS MOTION, BUT WE, I WOULD LIKE US TO HOLD OFF, UM, VOTING ON NAGA BALI'S MOTION UNTIL, UM, SOME OTHER FOLKS WHO'D LIKE TO SPEAK OF HOW THAT OPPORTUNITY, UM, THIS MICROPHONE'S REALLY SHORT.
AND SO AM I SALIN? AND, UM, SO I ALSO WANT TO THANK EVERYONE THAT CAME IN AND ESPECIALLY EVERYONE THAT'S STILL HERE, WE CAN'T LEAVE.
SO IT'S GOOD THAT WE'RE ALL STILL HERE TOGETHER.
THOSE OF US THAT ARE, UM, THANKS SCOTT FOR COMING IN FROM SANTA FE.
UH, I KNOW WE TEXTED LAST NIGHT THAT I WAS COMING IN FROM DALLAS TODAY, SPECIFICALLY TO BE HERE AT THIS MEETING.
THE THING THAT I REALLY WANT TO SHARE IS THAT IT'S EMOTIONAL FOR ALL OF US.
WE ARE ALL APPOINTED PUBLIC SERVANTS.
I'VE LIVED IN THIS TOWN SINCE 1992.
AND ALTHOUGH I'M A WHITE WOMAN AND I ABSOLUTELY RECOGNIZE MY PRIVILEGE
[02:30:01]
AS A WHITE WOMAN, I'M ALSO A WOMAN I'M QUEER.I HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY HARASSED, ASSAULTED, NOT PAID AT MY GIGS, THREATENED I'VE CARRIED WEAPONS TO PROTECT MYSELF SO I CAN TAKE MY MONEY HOME.
AFTER I WORK, I'VE HAD TO CARRY WEAPONS TO PROTECT MY BIPAP BANDMATES ON THE ROAD.
AND I WANT TO ASK OUR COMMISSIONERS.
WE ARE, WE'RE ALL VOLUNTEER PUBLIC SERVANTS HERE, ASK THE COMMISSIONERS AS WELL AS THOSE CITIZENS THAT COME IN TO SPEAK OPENLY AND VERY PERSONALLY ABOUT THESE, THESE SUBJECTS TO HAVE SOME COMPASSION, TO KNOW WHO YOU'RE ADDRESSING DON'T PROJECT ON US.
I GOT IT IN A MUSIC VENUE BECAUSE I WAS WORKING WITHOUT A MASK ON BECAUSE I HAVE ASTHMA AND I CAN'T SING WITHOUT HAVING A MASK OFF.
I'VE ONLY BEEN OVER COVID FOR ABOUT EIGHT DAYS AND WE'RE ALL TIRED.
WE'VE ALL WORKED REALLY HARD AND I'M NOT TRYING TO BE DRAMATIC, BUT I CAN'T JUST SIT HERE AND NOT SAY ANYTHING BECAUSE WE REALLY ARE TRYING TO ALL WORK TOGETHER.
AND IT'S WHY SECONDED NACA, VOLLEYS, UH, EMOTION.
BECAUSE I THINK WE ALSO NEED MORE TIME BECAUSE WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS ALL OF US COME TOGETHER AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO STOP, UM, BEING DIVISIVE AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN COME TOGETHER AND COME UP AND GET THE MOST FOR ALL OF US IN OUR COMMUNITIES OUT OF THIS OPPORTUNITY.
I WANTED TO ASK TOO, THIS HAD BEEN RAISED BRIEFLY, BUT I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROCESS FOR SOME TIME.
AND I HAVE READ THE PROPOSAL THAT I, THAT I GOT FROM Y'ALL AND I WOULD, SO I THINK I UNDERSTAND DIFFERENCES, BUT I WOULD LOVE FOR SOMEONE TO VERY CONCISELY.
IS THIS A BINARY CHOICE? IS THIS AN EITHER OR CHOICE OR DO WE HAVE OPTIONS HERE? AND WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES, YOU KNOW, HOW FAR APART IS THERE ANY COMMON GROUND OR NOT? UH, CAN WE, CAN WE NOT TALK, TALK ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW AND JUST SAY FOCUS ON THE LIVE MUSIC FUND AS WE HAVE THE PIE IN DISCUSSION ON THAT, I THOUGHT THAT'S WHAT I WAS DOING.
UM, I WOULD, UH, I'M SORRY, MAY, MAYBE I'M JUMPING THE GUN HERE, BUT LIKE I W THE CHALLENGE THAT I'M FACED WITH AS, AS, UH, YOU KNOW, A FORMER CHAIR OF THIS COMMISSION, AND, YOU KNOW, THE REASON THAT WE, THE REASON THAT WE TOOK A PAUSE ALMOST TWO YEARS AGO WAS THE FACT THAT AS A WHOLE, THE MUSIC SCENE IN AUSTIN WAS DOING A VERY POOR JOB AT ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF A VERY SPECIFIC COMMUNITY.
AND THEY'RE STILL DOING A POOR JOB OF THAT.
AND THAT'S WHAT THE PI GUIDELINES ARE ATTEMPTING TO ACCOUNT FOR.
AND THAT'S WHAT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, AND THIS IS NOT JUST, THIS DIDN'T JUST HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.
WE TALKED ABOUT THIS FOR OVER A YEAR AS A COMMISSION.
AND SINCE THESE GUIDELINES WERE PROPOSED INITIALLY BY ME IN OCTOBER AFTER DISCUSSIONS, THE SYSTEMIC RACISM WORKING GROUP, WHERE WE ALL THOUGHT THESE ARE GREAT, THESE WERE GOOD IDEAS FOR MOVING OUR INDUSTRY FORWARD UP UNTIL OUR LAST MEETING.
YOU KNOW, WHAT WAS ON THE TABLE WAS ADDRESSING THE SYSTEMIC AND HISTORIC DYSFUNCTION OF THIS AUSTIN MUSIC SCENE.
THAT THAT'S WHAT WAS ON THE TABLE.
THE PROPOSAL THAT WAS SUBMITTED DID NOT EVEN AFTER DOING THAT DURING THAT ENTIRE YEAR, FOLKS THAT SPOKE EARLIER, I'VE TALKED WITH THEM AFTER MEETINGS.
THERE WAS NEVER A REAL, UH, STATEMENT OF DISAGREEANCE, AT LEAST IN A PUBLIC FORUM WITH THAT AS A SOLUTION TO SOME OF THESE ISSUES THAT EXISTS.
AND SO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT CAME AFTER ALL THE SUCCESSION CAME WITH GUIDELINES AND, AND POINT SCORING CRITERIA AND ALL THAT.
AND THAT TOOK HOW LONG DID THAT TAKE Y'ALL I'M WELL AWARE OF.
SO I'M GETTING TO MY POINT IS THAT THIS PROPOSAL NEEDS TO GO
[02:35:01]
THROUGH AND ANY, ANYTHING THAT WE'LL DISCUSS, IT NEEDS TO GO THROUGH SIMILAR RIGOR AND EVALUATION THAT THE PI GUIDELINES HAVE GONE THROUGH BECAUSE WE HAVE AGGRESSIVELY AND VERY THOROUGHLY DISCUSSED THESE IN A DEMOCRATIC SPACE, IN A PUBLIC SPACE FOR OVER A YEAR.SO PUSHING THIS, THIS, THIS VOTE BACK DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME AT ALL AT THIS MOMENT, BECAUSE I WAS ON THE LINE WITH PI, THIS IS NOT EDI PLUS OR EQUITY PLUS OR WHATEVER THEY PUT IN THAT PLAN.
THIS IS A VERY SPECIFIC WAY OF ADDRESSING SYSTEMIC ISSUES WITHIN THE AUSTIN MUSIC INDUSTRY.
SO WHAT DO WE APPLY THAT TO MUSICIANS, ENTREPRENEURS, AND PROMOTERS AS INDIVIDUALS, OR WE TAKE THAT AND WE APPLY THAT TO VENUES OR ANYBODY ELSE THAT'S ASKING FOR LIVE MUSIC FUNDS.
WE ARE STILL SAYING THAT YOU NEED TO PUT THESE SPECIFIC SYSTEMIC ISSUES AT THE FOREFRONT OF WHAT YOU'RE APPLYING FOR THESE FUNDS FOR.
IF IT DOESN'T ADDRESS THOSE THINGS, THEN YOU ARE GOING TO BE DEPRIORITIZED IS NOT TO SAY THAT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET MONEY.
IT'S NOT GOING TO SAY THAT YOU'RE NOT ELIGIBLE, BUT IT'S SAYING THAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WITH INNOVATIVE IDEAS ABOUT PRESERVING CULTURE, ELEVATING GROUPS THAT HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY DISMISSED AND NEGLECTED.
THIS IS NOT SOME PIE IN THE SKY THING THAT IS COMES FROM MY EXPERIENCE OF BEING HERE.
I WAS ON THE VISITORS IMPACT TASK FORCE.
I'VE DONE ALL THE THINGS THAT SHOULD BE APPLAUDED FOR SOMEBODY THAT'S A MUSICIAN IN THE CITY TO LEARN ABOUT THE WAY THAT THINGS WORK AND TIME AND TIME AGAIN, I'VE SEEN THE IGNORANCE OF THESE ISSUES THAT OUR PEERS CAME HERE TO TALK ABOUT TONIGHT.
AND THE PLAN BEING PUT FORWARD WITHOUT A CLEAR PLAN ON HOW TO DEAL WITH DISCRIMINATION, SYSTEMIC DISCRIMINATION, IT'S MENTIONED A FEW TIMES AS EQUITY PLUS OR WHATEVER THAT IS.
THEY HAVEN'T THOUGHT ENOUGH ABOUT THIS.
THIS IS NOT A PART THAT THIS IS NOT A PRIORITY FOR THESE ORGANIZATIONS.
AND THAT IS, THAT IS WHAT PI IS ATTEMPTING TO ACCOUNT FOR.
THIS IS NOT AT THE FOREFRONT OF HOW THEY OPERATE AND WHEN THEY DO OPERATE AND ENGAGE WITH A LOT OF US THAT SPOKE EARLIER, IT'S AFTER DECISIONS HAVE ALREADY BEEN MADE.
WE NEED YOU AS A STAKEHOLDER, WHETHER YOU'RE A VENUE OR WHATEVER, WE'RE NOT SAYING YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE A PART OF THE CONVERSATION.
WE'RE SAYING THAT YOU NEED TO TAKE VERY SPECIFIC STEPS THAT HAVE BEEN OUTLINED CLEARLY BY THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT THAT HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED VERY CLEARLY BY THIS MUSIC COMMISSION, WHEN YOU'RE APPLYING FOR DINE MUSIC FUND.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
SO TO TAKE THIS THING THAT WAS JUST GIVEN TO US LAST FRIDAY AND SAY THAT IT'S GIVEN THE SAME AMOUNT OF WEIGHT OF ALL THE WORK THAT WE PUT FORTH TO ME, THAT IS, THAT'S NOT WHAT THAT SHOULDN'T BE ON THE TABLE.
AND IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE GOING TO VOTE AGAINST A PIE GUIDELINE THAT PEOPLE HERE HAVE SUGGESTED WILL HELP THEM IN THEIR CAREERS.
UM, AND THAT WE HAVE ALL BEEN MOVING FORWARD AND PUSHING FORWARD AS A MUSIC COMMISSION, THEN WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE TABLE AND RESET BECAUSE THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRAWN IS GOING TO HAVE TO DEVELOP NEW CRITERIA AND NEW IDEAS.
AND IF THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, THEN THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
BUT TO JUST TAKE THIS PLAN AS IT FITS, IF IT'S GONE THROUGH THE SAME RIGOR AND CRITERIA OF WHAT WE DEVELOPED HERE FOR OVER A YEAR AND A HALF, THAT'S CRAZY TO ME PLEASE.
NOT ME BECAUSE I DEFINITELY NOT.
I'M NOT, I'M NOT SAYING I JUST WANT, I WANT TO KEEP IT ON.
I ASK A QUESTION AND IF I'M CUTTING THE FIBER, SHUT IT DOWN.
WHAT'S THE QUESTION? WHAT'S THE QUESTION.
I MEAN, IF SOMEBODY CAN CLEARLY SAY WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS BETWEEN THESE TWO ARE CLEARLY STATED, I BELIEVE, I THINK I KNOW, BUT I WANT SOMEONE TO TELL ME THAT, BUT HERE'S WHAT I'M SAYING, STEWARD, AND I'M NOT, I'M NOT YELLING WHAT I'M SAYING, IS THAT OKAY? I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA KEEP MY VOICE DOWN TO THIS LEVEL.
I APOLOGIZE IF I GOT LOUD, BUT HERE'S WHAT I'M SAYING TO YOU STEWARD IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A PLAN THAT JUST HIT OUR DESKS A FEW DAYS AGO AND WHAT'S BEEN ON THE TABLE FOR OVER A YEAR IS PIE, RIGHT? SINCE OCTOBER OF 2020.
SO FOR, I DON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH YOUR CONVERSATION, BUT I FEEL LIKE IT'S, TO ME, IT'S A DERAILMENT OF US GETTING TO THE POINT OF VOTING ON PIE AND THE GUIDELINES, IF AS A MUSIC COMMISSION, WE DECIDED THAT PEOPLE DON'T WANT POD GUIDELINES AND WE'RE STARTING AGAIN, WE'RE STARTING FRESH, BUT WE S I FEEL LIKE WE STILL, WE NEED TO VOTE ON POD.
DON'T THINK THAT WE SHOULD DELAY THE VOTE.
I'M NOT SUGGESTING THAT AT THIS STAGE, SOMEONE CAN ANSWER THAT.
REALLY? JUST ANSWER AN HONEST QUESTION.
I DID WANT TO SPEAK TO STUART'S QUESTION.
SO I THINK WE'RE WHAT WE HAVE IS, SO WE HAVE COMMUNITY RECOMMENDATIONS.
[02:40:02]
UH, CERTAIN STAKEHOLDERS AND I'M A EEQ AUSTIN ALSO.SO THAT'S FEEDBACK, UM, TO BE CONSIDERED IN LIGHT OF THE PROPOSED GUIDELINES.
SO I DON'T THINK THAT WE HAVE AN EITHER OR CHOICE.
UM, WE DO HAVE A CHOICE TO BE CONSIDERED IS, AND ALSO BASED ON SOME FEEDBACK THAT WE GOT FROM THE MAYOR THAT WAS DRIVEN BY CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY, DO WE WANT TO POSSIBLY BROADEN THE STAKEHOLDER BASE THAT'S ELIGIBLE FOR, FOR THE LIVE MUSIC FUND? UM, SO THAT'S A CONVERSATION THAT'S BEEN INJECTED INTO THIS CONVERSATION, BUT WE DO HAVE A SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS THAT LEAD VERY STRONGLY WITH EQUITY, UM, THAT HAVE BEEN VERY CLEAR, VERY CLEARLY THOUGHT OUT, DISCUSSED APPROVED.
SO, UM, MY HOPE IS THAT WE COULD, YOU KNOW, AGREE THAT WE, WE REALLY LIKED THE EQUITY FOCUS, THE PI FOCUS, UM, BUT NAGA, VOLLEY HAS A MOTION ON THE TABLE THAT WE, UM, HAVE MORE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE STAKEHOLDER BASE.
SO HOPEFULLY THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION STORE, BUT I MEAN, AT THIS STAGE OF THE GAME, I'M QUESTIONING WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S, THERE'S A POINT IN MY QUESTION, YOU KNOW, AND I, I DEFINITELY DON'T WANT TO THROW AWAY WHAT WE'VE WORKED ON FOR THE LAST YEAR.
PLUS I'M VERY, VERY UNWILLING TO DO THAT.
SO FROM THAT POINT OF VIEW, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT OPENING A DOOR.
I DON'T THINK WHEN I'M ASKING THE QUESTION OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE, WHAT I'M SAYING IS I THINK THE CONVERSATION THAT YOU, YOU GUYS ARE TALKING ABOUT IS IMPORTANT, BUT WE, THE MAYOR ASKED US TO VOTE ON THE POD GUIDELINES.
AND I, I PERSONALLY, I PERSONALLY FELT LIKE THIS, LIKE, AND THIS IS ALSO OPEN TO DISCUSSION, BUT THE PI GUIDELINES ARE VERY EXPLICIT IN TERMS OF HOW THESE LIVE MUSIC FUNDS CAN BE USED NO MATTER WHO IT IS.
WE THIS WHOLE TIME, WE'RE NOT SAYING THAT ONLY ARTISTS AND INDEPENDENT PROGRAMS ARE GOING TO BE ONES GETTING THIS MONEY UNTIL ANYTIME.
WE NEVER STATED THAT WE SAID THAT IN THIS PILOT, IN THIS FIRST YEAR, WHAT WE WANTED TO DO WAS GIVE ARTISTS, PRIORITIZE ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS.
IF WE DECIDED THE MUSIC COMMISSION THAT WE WANT TO EXTEND THAT OUT TO OTHER STAKEHOLDERS, THEN FINE.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE STILL HAVE TO AGREE THAT PIE IS GOING TO BE THE FILTER THROUGH WHICH WE DO THAT.
OR WE HAVE TO AT LEAST VOTE ON THAT ASPECT.
AND I HAVE NO ARGUMENT WITH THAT.
YOU KNOW, I JUST, THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION IN THE AIR AND I THINK THAT I KIND OF READ ENOUGH TO FIGURE IT OUT.
AND MY QUESTION WAS PRETTY STRAIGHT AHEAD.
UM, I'VE ALREADY KIND OF MADE UP MY MIND ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, BUT I, I WAS CURIOUS TO KNOW.
SO IF SOMEBODY CAN EXPLAIN TO ME THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO PROPOSALS IN A VERY CONCISE FASHION, UM, I'D LOVE TO HEAR IT.
IT'S STEPHANIE WITH 10 MINUTE TIME CHECK FOR THIS MEETING, JUST GIVING YOU A HEADS UP.
SO IT SEEMS LIKE WE HAVE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT THINGS GOING ON HERE.
IT SEEMS LIKE WE HAVE, UM, A LOT OF CONSENSUS AROUND THE PI GUIDELINES AND LEADING WITH THAT NO MATTER WHO ENDS UP GETTING THIS MONEY.
AND SO WHAT I'M WONDERING IS IF WE CAN VOTE THAT WE ARE GOING TO, THAT THE PI GUIDELINES ARE GOING TO BE THE, THE BELLWETHER FOR THIS ENTIRE PROGRAM, NO MATTER WHO, WHAT STAKEHOLDERS END UP BENEFITING FROM IT, IF WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT THAT IS THE PIECE THAT IS GOING TO BE THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE FOR THE PROGRAM.
AND THEN MAYBE WE CAN ALSO TAKE SOME EXTRA TIME TO SUSS OUT THE STAKEHOLDER PIECE AND THE DETAILS, BUT THAT WE'RE ENSURING THAT, THAT WE'RE LEADING WITH PI AND THAT PERHAPS WE CAN VOTE TO AGREE ON THAT PART SEPARATELY.
SO I THINK MAYBE WE HAVE A COUNTER MOTION.
IT'S KIND OF A CAVEAT IN A WAY.
AND WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF ASKING FOR AN EXTENSION, WE'RE CHECKING WITH THE CLERK'S OFFICE FOR A SHORT EXTENSION ON TIME TONIGHT.
YEAH, I THINK, I THINK WHAT IF I MAY, UH, PLEASE, PLEASE CORRECT ME IF THAT'S NOT THE INTENTION IS, UM, YOU'RE SUGGESTING THAT WE MOTIONED TO EXTEND THE DISCUSSION OF THE LMS, UH, FUND, KEEP THAT AS IS, UM, SO THAT WE CAN BUILD CONSENSUS AMONGST STAKEHOLDERS WITH INCLUDING, UH, BUT, BUT WITH PI AS STILL, UH, ONE OF THE GUIDING ELEMENTS OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
WITH, WITH THE CAVEAT THAT, THAT, THAT PIE WILL BE THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES BEHIND WHATEVER'S DECIDED NOW,
[02:45:01]
AND ABOUT, THIS IS WHAT DOES THIS, IF SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENED, WHAT DOES IT ADD TO OUR TIMELINE? CAUSE I DO THINK, YOU KNOW, THIS SHOULD BE EXPEDIATED, YOU KNOW, THE IT'S BEEN A WHILE WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS AND IT WOULD BE NICE TO ACTUALLY ENACT IT.SO WHEN I, WHEN I'M, WHEN I'M, UH, JUST TO CLARIFY WHEN I'M REQUESTING AN EXTENSION, I AM JUST SAYING, YOU KNOW, LET'S TAKE PAUSE TODAY.
YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S, WE COLLECTIVELY DECIDE THAT IT'S ONE MONTH OR THREE MONTHS A QUARTER HONESTLY SEEMS JUST ABOUT, JUST ABOUT THE RIGHT TIME TO ME PERSONALLY, BUT WE SHOULD TIME BOUND IT.
I DON'T THINK THIS COULD BE A COMPLETELY, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, NOT A TIME BOUND DISCUSSION.
IT NEEDS TO BE IN MY MIND AT THE MOST, A QUARTER WHERE WE AGREE, UH, WHETHER IT'S WITHIN THIS MUSIC COMMISSION OUTSIDE AS A COMMUNITY WITH A MODERATOR, WHATEVER IT TAKES, BUT JUST TO BRING ALL OF US TOGETHER AND BE ABLE TO SOLVE FOR THIS AS A COMMUNITY IS MY REQUEST.
JUST FOR CLARITY SAKE, THAT WE KEEP THESE AS TWO SEPARATE MOTIONS, THEN ONE FOLLOW THE OTHER, BUT THE PI GUIDELINES GET VOTED ON VERY, VERY SEPARATELY AS THESE, THE CORE GOALPOST, THEN THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION ABOUT WHICH STAKEHOLDERS ARE INCLUDED ARE FOLLOWING THOSE GUIDELINES.
IF IT'S GOING TO EXPAND, OR IF IT'S NOT GOING TO EXPAND, IT'S STILL WITH GREAT CLARITY.
WE'VE BEEN GRANTED AN EXTENSION FOR 30 MINUTES.
SO CAN WE MAKE A MOTION? CAN WE MAKE A MOTION TO VOTE ON, ON THE PIE GUIDELINES AS A GUIDING PRINCIPLE, WE HAVE TO FINISH A HOLD ON MY EMOTIONS, FESTIVE, EXTEND THE DISCUSSION AROUND THE ELEMENT FUND TO BRING CONSENSUS TO, UH, BETWEEN VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS IN OUR ECONOMY.
THE REASON WHY I BROUGHT UP THE OTHER ONE FIRST IS BECAUSE I THINK IT MIGHT HELP SOME OF US ON THE COMMISSION TO FEEL BETTER ABOUT VOTING ON THE EXTENSION.
IF WE FIRST CLARIFY THE PI, OKAY.
UH, BUT, UH, I WOULD DEFER TO THE CHAIR.
SO THIS IS, UH, IT'S A RULES OF ORDER QUESTION AND THAT'S TO MY KNOWLEDGE IS NOT REQUIRED TO DO THEM IN ORDER THAT THEY WERE PROPOSED.
I MEAN, IF WE DO HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THE FIRST ONE, BUT I DON'T SEE THERE'S ANY REASON WHY WE CAN'T REVERSE THE ORDER AS I UNDERSTAND IT.
THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING AS WELL.
AND SO THE MOTION IN A SECOND, SO I DO WANNA MAKE A MOTION, THE MOTION.
I WOULD JUST, I WOULD LIKE TO MOTION THAT WE VOTE ON THE PIE PRINCIPLES, BEING OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.
UM, THIS IS KIM JUST INTERRUPTING.
UM, WHILE THERE'S A LIVE MOTION ON THE FLOOR, YOU WOULD NEED TO RESCIND THE MOTION AND THEN START WITH THE OTHER MOTION.
I MOTION TO RESCIND THE MOTION AND THEN RE RESUSCITATE IT LATER.
AND DO WE VOTE ON THAT MOTION? YES.
ALL IN FAVOR OF RESCINDING THAT MOTION BRIEFLY.
AND THEN GO AHEAD, COMMISSIONER.
THANK YOU, KIM, FOR KEEPING US ALL IN LINE.
UM, SO I WOULD LIKE TO MOTION THAT WE VOTE, UH, FOR THE PIE GUIDELINES THAT HAVE BEEN LAID OUT TO BE THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES BEHIND THE LIVE MUSIC FUND, HOWEVER IT MOVES FORWARD.
I WOULD ACTUALLY LIKE TO MAKE THAT LANGUAGE A LITTLE MORE SPECIFIC.
SO I WOULD MOTION THAT WE, UM, WE APPROVE THE PI GUIDELINES AS THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE FOR THE LIVE MUSIC FUND WITH A SPECIFICALLY DEFINED RUBRIC, UH, PRIORITIZING UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES IN WITH, INCLUDING A FOCUS ON WORKING MUSICIANS AND SUPPORT OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS.
SO YEAH, THAT'S MY CERTIFICATION.
I'M THE SAME MOTION OR AN ALTERNATIVE.
IT'S A, I JUST ADDED MORE WORDS TO IT, BUT I, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP THE RUBRIC IN PLACE.
THAT'S, THAT'S DEFINITELY IN THE SPIRIT OF THE MOTION, BUT I APPRECIATE THE CLARITY, WHATEVER, WHATEVER SUGGESTION WHATEVER'S THE MOST CLEAR I THINK IS PROBABLY BEST.
NOW, WE'RE ALL IT'S CLEAR TO ME.
I THINK THAT THE PYRE GUIDELINES COME WITH THE RUBRIC, THE SCORING CRITERIA AND EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN PRESENTED.
SO WHEN WE SAY POD GUIDELINES, IT'S SYNONYMOUS WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN PRESENTED SO FAR ADD TO SEEMS LIKE THE ONLY THING THAT WE'RE SAYING IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO APPLY THAT TO
[02:50:01]
A FUTURE DECISION WITH LIVE MUSIC FUND AND THEN OVER THE COMING MONTHS, TALK ABOUT STAKEHOLDERS, VERTICALS AND ALL THAT, AND HOW PI IS APPLIED TO THAT.BUT WE'LL OPEN DISCUSSION TO DO THAT.
IS THAT CORRECT? I'M FINE WITH THAT.
IF WE'RE WE PREFER THE MORE SUCCINCT VERSION.
THAT'S PROBABLY EASIER FOR STAFF TO, OKAY.
WE'LL START WITH COMMISSIONER REYNOLDS AND GO DOWN TO THIS PER DISTRICT, STARTING WITH ONE.
DISTRICT TWO LAUREN GOULD HERE.
I IT'S ME PI DISTRICT FOUR, DISTRICT EIGHT DISTRICT SIX DISTRICT SEVEN DISTRICT NINE DISTRICT 10.
SO I THINK THAT IS UNANIMOUS SUPPORT OF THE PI GUIDELINES FOR THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.
AND COMMISSIONER METTA, CHARLA, TRYING TO RESTATE YOUR MOTION NOTION.
I WOULD MENTION TO EXTEND THE DISCUSSION, UH, WITH THE MOTION TO EXTEND THE DISCUSSION OF THE LIVE MUSIC FUND SO THAT WE CAN BUILD CONSENSUS BETWEEN THE VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS WITHIN OUR MUSIC ECONOMY.
AND SO CAN WE, DO WE NEED TO DO A ROLL CALL, VOTE FOR THAT ALSO? OKAY.
SO I GUESS WE'LL, I WAS CONFUSED.
ARE WE GOING AND JUST STATING OUR, OR ARE WE GOING DISTRICT, BUT I THINK WE'RE STARTING.
SO YEAH, AGAIN, MAYOR'S APPOINTEE DISTRICT ONE DISTRICT TO DISTRICT THREE DISTRICT FOUR DISTRICT FIVE DISTRICT SEVEN, EIGHT DISTRICT NINE.
UH, COMMISSIONER ALONE SAID I, SO YEAH, WE HAVE AN UNANIMOUS AGREEMENT TO, UH, SPEND MORE TIME DISCUSSING, UH, BROADENING THE STAKEHOLDER BASE AND BUILDING CONSENSUS FOR THE LIVE MUSIC FUND GUIDELINES.
[3D. Discussion and Possible Action on which working groups are still active and which are dissolved.]
ITEM THEN TO TAKE UP IN TERMS OF HOW WE MANAGE THAT DISCUSSION.UM, SO WHICH WOULD BE THE FORMATION OF A WORKING GROUP PROBABLY WOULD BE THE WAY TO DO THAT.
SO DO, DOES ANYBODY HAVE THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT? WE HAVE ONE SET UP, RIGHT? CORRECT.
OH, IS THAT SEPARATE? I THINK THAT WAS THAT A SHORTAGE.
I THINK IT WAS A SHORT-TERM ONE.
UM, UM, JUST MY SUGGESTION WOULD BE THAT WE THERE'S BEEN LOT OF INPUTS TODAY FROM MANY DIRECTIONS.
I THINK, UH, UH, WE SHOULD, IF YOU JUST TAKE PAUSE AND COME BACK ON, HOW DO WE GROUP TOGETHER ON THIS GETS IDEAS FROM THAT AS WELL.
UM, YOU KNOW, SPEAK TO OUR OWN, UM, COMMUNITY BASIS AS WE NEED TO AND COME BACK WITH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO MAYBE PERHAPS WE CAN JUST ADD DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE LIVE MUSIC FUND AS AN AGENDA ITEM AGAIN FOR THE NEXT MUSIC COMMISSION MEETING.
WE'LL DEFINITELY BRING THAT FORWARD.
I THINK WE PROBABLY WOULD WANT TO GO AHEAD AND MAKE A MOTION THOUGH, TO FORM A WORKING GROUP TONIGHT SO THAT WE ALREADY HAVE THAT, UH, THAT'S ALREADY, THAT FORMALITY IS ALREADY TAKEN CARE OF.
SO I WILL, I'LL GO AHEAD AND MAKE A MOTION FOR THAT.
SO I MENTIONED THAT WE FORM A WORKING GROUP TO DISCUSS WHY MUSIC FUND, UM, GUIDELINES IN TERMS OF STAKEHOLDERS.
SO ALL OF THEM FOR FAVOR OF FORMING THAT WORKING GROUP.
UM, DO WE HAVE ANYONE THAT'S, UH, WANTS TO GO AHEAD AND
[02:55:01]
BE STATE THAT THEY WANT TO BE PART OF WORKING GROUP AND, AND TAKE, TAKE THE LEAD? OKAY.COMMISSIONER STRICKLAND HAS HIS HAND UP.
SO FIVE IS, THAT'S THE MOST COMMISSIONERS THAT WE CAN HAVE, UH, DUE TO QUORUM RULES.
SO AGAIN, THAT'S, UH, COMMISSIONER GOLD, COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN, COMMISSIONER STRICKLAND, METTA, CHARLIE, AND COMMISSIONER MOHAN.
SO WE, YOU GUYS HAVE SOME WORK AHEAD OF YOU.
THANK YOU FOR STEPPING UP TO DO IT.
UM, WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED A LOT TONIGHT AGAIN.
UM, WE HAVE, SO WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME LEFT.
DO WE WANT TO TALK THE DNA? YOU'VE GOT THREE MORE ITEMS LEFT ON THE AGENDA TO PUT THAT ON THE TABLE.
I MOTION TO TABLE, UH, ITEM THREE D TO NEXT MONTH.
AND SO WE CAN MOTION NEXT MONTH TO POSTPONE IT TO THE NEXT MONTH.
SO WHY DON'T, UH, YOU KNOW, GRAHAM YOU'D LIKE HAD MADE UP LIKE A CHEAT SHEET FOR US, MAYBE FOR THE NEXT MEETING, IF YOU CAN PRINT THAT OUT, YOU KNOW, SEND IT TO CAM OR OUR BRAIN COPIES.
AND THEN I THINK WE COULD PROBABLY BUST THROUGH THAT PRETTY QUICKLY.
UM, BUT I, LEADERSHIP JUST WANTS TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE CAPTURED CORRECTLY, THE VOTE THAT YOU JUST TOOK, JUST SO THAT WHEN WE REPORT BACK TO COUNCIL IN A MEMO FORM, WE ARTICULATED CORRECTLY.
SO THE VOTE THAT YOU TOOK WAS TO APPROVE PI AS THE PILLAR OF THE GUIDELINES.
AND THEN YOU'RE GOING TO PAUSE FOR A MONTH TO TALK ABOUT EXPANDING ELIGIBILITY OF WHO IS PART OF THAT PROCESS.
UM, THE, THE GOAL IS NOT TO EXPAND ELIGIBILITY AND DECIDE WHAT THAT'S EXACTLY GOING TO LOOK LIKE IN A MONTH'S TIME.
UH, WE HAVE NOT DETERMINED THAT PERIOD, THE TIME PERIOD YET, BUT WE DID AGREE ON FORMING A WORKING GROUP TO MAKE THOSE DETERMINATIONS AND HOW TO MOVE FORWARD.
I JUST WANT IT TO GET IT CORRECT ON THE RECORD.
[3E. Discussion and Possible Action after update from Systemic Racism Working Group.]
HAVE ITEM THREE E UPDATE FROM THE SYSTEMIC WORKING GROUP, SYSTEMIC RACISM WORKING GROUP.UM, YEAH, THAT'S ON A LITTLE BIT OF A PAUSE RIGHT NOW.
UM, WE, WE DEFINITELY HAVE SOME INITIATIVES ON THE TABLE, BUT OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A LOT.
AND, UM, WITH THE VOLUNTEER NATURE OF THIS, UH, SITUATION WHERE, UH, WE'RE JUST GOING TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF A PAUSE.
WE CAN TAKE IT OFF THE, FOR LIFE FOR RIGHT NOW AND I'LL GET BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
UM, CHAIR, DID YOU GET, DID YOU GUYS, DID YOU GUYS DO THREE D OR DID WE SKIP THAT, UH, GRAHAM MOTION THAT, THAT WE WOULD TABLE THAT FOR NOW.
YOU KNOW WHAT, MAYBE WE DIDN'T HAVE A SECOND.
WHAT DID ANYBODY SECOND THAT WE MOVE ITEM THREE D TO THE NEXT MEETING.
UH, AND THEN, SO WE HAVE ONE LAST, UH, ITEM ON THE
[4A. Discussion and Possible Action on possible gathering in acknowledgement of the work done to-date on the Live Music Fund.]
AGENDA FOR NEW BUSINESS, UH, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON POSSIBLE GATHERING AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE WORK DONE TODAY ON THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.I THINK WE HAVE MORE WORK TO DO SO I THINK MAYBE WE'LL THINK ABOUT THAT NEXT YEAR.
SO THAT WOULD, THAT'LL PROBABLY TAKE US INTO EARLY 20, 22.
SO ONE LITTLE THOUGHT I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY SINCE VERTICAL KEEPS COMING UP AND SINCE THE MAYOR HAD BROUGHT UP THAT PARTICULAR WORD AND I ASKED HIM WHAT HE MEANT BY IT, UM, WHICH WAS SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY ECOSYSTEM.
SO IT'S NOT, HE'S NOT SPECIFYING WHICH ELEMENTS OF THE ECOSYSTEM THINKING HOLISTICALLY, WHICH IS AS, UH, SYNOVIA WAS TALKING THAT, THAT THE APPROACH IS MEANT TO BE HOLISTIC.
AND HE WAS QUESTIONING WHETHER I THINK THERE WAS DISAGREEMENT AS TO WHETHER THE CURRENT PLAN IS HOLISTIC OR NOT.
UM, UH, BUT, UH, ANYWAY, THAT IS THE FOUR WORD DEFINITION OF VERTICAL FROM, FROM HIM.
AND I THINK ALL OF IT IS, WOULD, AS WE'VE ALREADY CLARIFIED, WOULD BE THROUGH PI GUIDELINES.
[03:00:02]
UH, YEAH, THAT'S A NICE SUMMATION, SO, OKAY.[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
AGENDA ITEMS, WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THE LIVE MUSIC FUND AGAIN.REMEMBER? YEAH, I THINK, UH, WE SHOULD HAVE LIVE MUSIC, PANDORA AGENDA NEXT MONTH.
UM, ADC UPDATE WILL COME FORWARD.
WE'LL HAVE THAT AS A STANDING ITEM WORKING GROUP.
UM, UM, WE TALK ABOUT SOURCES OF FUNDING AND THIS WORKING GROUP THAT WE HAVE BEEN PARTICIPATING IN AS WELL.
SO ARTS AND MUSIC HAVE BEEN MEETING JOINTLY TO DISCUSS, UM, ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES.
SO YEAH, THAT WOULD BE WONDERFUL TO HAVE AN UPDATE FOR A SECOND THOUGHT FOR SURE.
WE HAD THAT SPEAKER EARLIER WHO SEEMED LIKE, MIGHT BE A GREAT PERSON TO ADD THAT DISCUSSION.
CAUSE HE HAD ALL SORTS OF NUMBERS.
IS ANYBODY READY TO ADJOURN? WOULD ANYBODY LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION? OKAY.
SO NEEDING ADJOURNED NINE 30 NIGHT, WHO SECONDED? NOBODY'S SECOND.