Oct 07, 2024 Music

[CALL TO ORDER]

[00:00:04]

TO CALL THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE MUSIC COMMISSION TO ORDER.

UM, UNDER, SO SH SHELBY, UH, BOTH THE SPEAKERS ARE FOR ON THE TOPIC, RIGHT? WE DON'T HAVE ANY, UH, NO PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.

OKAY.

WE DON'T HAVE ANY GENERAL PUBLIC

[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]

IF EVERYBODY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE MEETING MINUTES FROM THE SEPTEMBER COMMISSION MEETING, UH, I THINK SOMEBODY COULD MOTION TO APPROVE.

WE HAVE A MOTION FROM, UH, COMMISSIONER CARVALHO, A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER CASADA.

ALL IN FAVOR? ALRIGHT.

AND MOTIONS APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY,

[MUSICAL PERFORMANCE]

WE HAVE, UH, FINGER PISTOL, UM, SHELBY, UH, WHICH, UH, COMMISSIONER PATTERSON.

IS THIS YOUR RECOMMENDATION? UH, DID YOU WANT TO SHARE ANYTHING BEFORE WE VIEW THE PERFORMANCE? YEAH, SO THIS IS, UM, A WELL-KNOWN BAND FOR PLAYING IN MY DISTRICT, E SEVEN.

UM, ALTHOUGH THEY PLAY ALL OVER TOWN AND OUTSIDE OF TOWN, IT'S, UH, COUNTRY BAND.

THEY'RE GREAT MUSICALITY, WONDERFUL SINGERS.

UM, JUST LIKE EVERYBODY IN THE BAND IS SUPER TALENTED.

THEY'RE REALLY FUN, REALLY NICE GROUP OF PEOPLE.

AND, UH, THEIR KIND OF HOME BASE IS JENNY'S LITTLE LONGHORN, WHICH IS A, YOU KNOW, JUST A ICONIC HONKY TONK.

AND, UM, AND I LOVE THEM.

MY HUSBAND AND I LOVE TO DANCE TO THEM, AND LOTS OF PEOPLE ALL OVER AUSTIN DO.

THANK YOU, SHELBY.

OZ.

YOU CAN HERE ALL.

SO LEMME SHARE WITH YOU THIS, IT WON'T MAKE YOU,

[00:05:08]

THANKS FOR, UH, BRINGING THIS COMMISSIONER PATTERSON, UH, SHELBY, UH, AND THE TEAM.

UM, ANY COMMENTS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS BEFORE WE MOVE ON? YEAH, JUST ONCE AGAIN, SO NICE TO HAVE THIS WAY TO, UH, SHOWCASE TALENT DURING THE MUSIC COMMISSION MEETINGS AND HAVE LIKE, YOU KNOW, ALSO JUST THESE REALLY NICE RECORDINGS SAVED.

UM, SO A BIG APPRECIATION TO SHELBY AND THE REST OF THE PRODUCTION TEAM FOR CREATING THESE.

AND OF COURSE, I THANK YOU, UH, TO FINGER PISTOL FOR PARTICIPATING AND, AND BEING PART OF THIS ENDEAVOR.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

COMMISSIONER PATSON, COMMISSIONER EXCITED, BIG FAN OF FINGER PISTOL AND, UH, THAT'S GREAT.

THE INFAMOUS DAN HARDICK, WHO'S WORKED AT THE CHRONICLE FOR OVER 30 YEARS.

SO, BIG LOVE, BIG LOVE TO FINGER PISTOL.

THANK YOU ANN CHARLOTTE FOR BRINGING THEM TO THE COMMISSION.

THANK YOU, MR. PRICE.

YEAH, JUST WANT, SO WITH, TO YOUR POINT, WITH THESE RECORDING EVERY WEEK, I MEAN, EVERY MONTH IT, IT IS JUST BEAUTIFUL MUSIC.

AND OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE THE VIDEO WITH, WITH, WITH GREAT, UM, AUDIO RECORDINGS.

BUT IS THERE A PLAN TO DO LIKE A COLLECTIVE ALBUM WITH THIS MUSIC? OR WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S THE PLAN FOR, FOR THE ACTUAL, JUST THE MUSIC ALONE? A GREAT IS, THAT'S SUCH A IDEA.

I FEEL IT'S SUCH A IDEA, SUCH A, A CHALLENGE RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE I THOUGHT WHAT WE WERE WORKING WITH WAS PRETTY COOL.

UM, , NO.

UM, THIS PROJECT IS BASICALLY LIKE IN OUR COMMISSIONER PATTERSON, EXCUSE ME, Y'ALL BROUGHT TO THE TABLE.

UM, WE WERE DOING THIS TO BRING LIVE MUSIC TO OUR MEETINGS.

JUST STARTED OUT AS THAT WAY IN A TXN SHOUT OUT TO BURTON.

UM, THERE, HE'S JUST A VISIONARY AND WE GET TO WORK WITH THIS MAN.

AND SO IT WAS A PART OF HIS IDEA TO ACTUALLY MAKE IT A SERIES.

AND SO WE WERE GONNA START THERE.

UM, AND WITH IT BEING ON YOUTUBE, WE CAN ALSO MAKE IT INTO A PLAYLIST, BUT AN ALBUM, I THINK WE'D HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THAT.

UM, BUT WE ARE CONSIDERING DIFFERENT WAYS TO WORK WITH OUR ARTISTS AND HAVE PEOPLE DISCOVER THEM.

UM, SO FROM YOUTUBE PLAYLISTS TO HOPEFULLY SOME MORE, UM, PLATFORMS WE CAN WORK WITH IN THE FUTURE.

BUT IT'S JUST A START.

HOPEFULLY THAT'LL SUFFICE FOR NOW.

.

NO, THAT'S A GREAT IDEA THOUGH.

THANK YOU.

[2. Live Music Fund collections briefing by Kim McCarson, Program Manager, Music & Entertainment Division, Economic Development Department.]

UH, MOVING ON.

UH, WE'LL, UM, WE HAVE STAFF BRIEFINGS, LIVE MUSIC FUND COLLECTIONS, BRIEFING BY KIM MCC CARSON PROGRAM MANAGER, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT DIVISION, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.

HELLO.

UH, HI, KIM.

HERE WE GO.

KIM MCC CARSON PROGRAM MANAGER, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT DIVISION.

AND, UH, LET'S HAVE THE, UM, THE PRESENTATION THAT LOOKS LIKE THIS ONE.

THANK YOU.

THERE WE GO.

ALL RIGHT, SO NEXT SLIDE.

YEAH, THERE WE HAVE, THERE WE HAVE OUR COLLECTIONS REPORT, UH, FOR 2024, AND THE LATEST IS AUGUST.

UH, SO OUR AUGUST, UH, UH, SO THE PRINTOUT IS THE LAST MONTH ONE.

ANYWAY, THE AUGUST AMOUNT IS 472, UH, 660, UM, THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR THE COLLECTIONS FOR AUGUST, WHICH BRINGS US TO A, UM, YEAR TO DATE OF 4,440,522.

IT'S THE, WHAT IS THAT TEAL COLORED BOX AT THE TOP OF OUR COLUMN OF COLORS THERE.

ANY QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, QUESTIONS.

ALL RIGHT, THEN.

THAT CONCLUDES OUR HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTIONS REPORT.

THANK YOU.

[3. FY24 Austin Live Music Fund briefing by Erica Shamaly, Division Manager, Music and Entertainment Division.]

UM, NEXT AGENDA ITEM IS A 5 24 AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC FUND BRIEFING BY IKA SHAMLEY, DIVISION MANAGER OF MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT DIVISION.

THANK YOU, IKA.

[00:10:02]

ERICA SHAMLEY, MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT DIVISION MANAGERS.

GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL.

UH, JUST A QUICK UPDATE ON OUR CURRENT AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC FUND, UH, PROGRAM.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UH, IF YOU GO TO THE AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC FUND WEBPAGE, YOU CAN ALWAYS GET THE LATEST UPDATES, INCLUDING A FULL LIST OF THE 2024 AWARDEES, AS WELL AS THE SUMMARY DASHBOARD ABOUT THE 2024 GRANT APPLICANTS AND AWARDEES, WHICH I HAD SHARED WITH YOU LAST MONTH.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

UM, FOR THE NEXT STEPS, UH, THIS IS JUST THE AWARDEE NEXT STEPS, UH, CREATE AUSTIN REPORTED TODAY.

THIS IS THE LATEST STATS.

UM, ALL 136 GRANT AWARDS HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED, AND GRANT AGREEMENTS OF 120 HAVE BEEN SIGNED SO FAR.

UH, AND WE'VE ALSO GOTTEN 85 FIRST PAYMENTS OUT THERE, WHICH IS WONDERFUL.

AND THREE SECOND PAYMENTS ALREADY.

'CAUSE PEOPLE ARE, YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE ARE JUST MOVING AND GOING REALLY FAST AND GETTING THEIR PROJECTS DONE, WHICH IS GREAT.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

AND THEN A COUPLE PEOPLE HAVE JUST ASKED BECAUSE THINGS ARE KIND OF MOVING RIGHT ALONG ABOUT MARKETING.

UM, SO DON'T YOU KNOW, IF IT'S A PUBLIC EVENT, PLEASE ADD YOUR PUBLIC EVENTS TO THE VISIT AUSTIN EVENT CALENDAR.

AND THEN JUST A REMINDER OF WHAT THE MARKETING, UM, YOU KNOW, REMARKS ARE, LIKE WHAT YOU'RE REQUIRED TO SAY FOR PROMOTIONAL TOURS AS WELL AS FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

JUST MARKETING STATEMENTS, DEPENDING, IT'S, IF IT'S A POSTER LINER NOTES, UH, YOU KNOW, LIKE A SOCIAL MEDIA POST.

UM, THESE ARE THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO USE, AS WELL AS THE LOGO SAMPLING THERE FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

UM, WE'LL FIND OUT WHERE THE LOGOS ARE LOCATED IN SUBMITTABLE FOR EVERYBODY.

PRETTY SURE THAT, UH, THOSE ASSETS ARE THERE OR WILL BE EMAILED TO ALL AWARDEES ALONG WITH THEIR, UH, GRANT AGREEMENTS.

UH, BUT JUST REACH OUT TO US IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OF THE MARKETING ASSETS THAT ARE REQUIRED, UH, JUST AS YOU KNOW, AS THINGS ARE MOVING, MOVING ALONG.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO ANOTHER JUST UPDATE, UH, UH, MENTIONED LAST MONTH THAT WE WOULD MEET WITH ANYONE WHO HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR SCORES FROM THEIR APPLICATIONS IF THEY WERE DECLINED AND WANTED TO UNDERSTAND MORE AND TO LEARN FOR NEXT YEAR.

AND SO, UH, 14 APPLICANTS HAVE ASKED FOR THIS FEEDBACK SO FAR, UH, OF WHICH NINE HAVE EITHER ALREADY MET WITH OUR MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT DIVISION STAFF, OR CONFIRMING A MEETING TIME NOW.

AND THEN WE'VE JUST GOTTEN FIVE NEW REQUESTS THAT HAVE JUST COME IN, LIKE IN THE LAST WEEK OR SO, AND THEY'LL BE CONTACTED NEXT.

UM, ALSO WORKING WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, UH, COMMUNICATIONS TEAM, UH, AND THE REST OF OUR CULTURAL FUNDING TEAM TO WORK ON A SURVEY FOR ALL THE APPLICANTS TO GO OVER A VARIETY OF QUESTIONS.

AND SO, UM, WE'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.

UM, IT'S STILL BEING COORDINATED, AND I THINK THAT IS IT.

ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, KIM.

UH, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS FROM THE COMMISSION? ANYBODY? OKAY.

ALL RIGHT.

THANKS.

THANK YOU.

I KNOW, UH, THERE'S FEEDBACK, UH, SOME FEEDBACK COMING IN FROM THE COMMUNITY.

UH, I THINK, UH, MR. PAT VICTOR FROM A TXM IS GONNA BE PRESENTING, UM, NEXT MONTH.

UM, ALSO, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST, I'M SURE THE COMMISSIONERS ARE HEARING SOME FEEDBACK AS WELL.

UH, I'VE BEEN JUST DIRECTLY GETTING SOME, UH, FEEDBACK AT MY END AS WELL, SO THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE CAN COLLECTIVELY SHARE THAT AT THE COMMISSION AND, UH, WITH STAFF AND SEE HOW WE, UH, MIGHT WANNA MOVE THINGS FORWARD IN THE, IN NEXT YEAR'S ROLLOUT.

I THINK, UH, THAT FEEDBACK COULD BE CONSIDERED, UH, FOR, UH, NEXT YEAR'S ROLLOUT.

ONE OF THE THINGS, UH, INTERESTINGLY, UH, MR. PAUL SCOTT HERE DID POINT OUT, UM, FROM HIM, UM, FOR EXAMPLE, WAS, UM, HOW, UH, HEALTH INSURANCE WAS ONE OF THE CRITERIA, RIGHT? AND, UM, ACCESS TO HEALTH INSURANCE.

AND WITH HIM, I THINK WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED IS IT'S, IT'S, YOU ALREADY HAVE TO BE BELOW A CERTAIN THRESHOLD TO GET INSURANCE, UH, AND WITH THEM.

BUT IF THAT NOW BY ANY CHANCE COMES AGAINST YOU IN ACCESSING THESE FUNDS OR KIND OF, YOU KNOW, YOU LOSE SOME POINTS, UH, THAT MIGHT DISCOURAGE FOLKS FROM GETTING HEALTH INSURANCE THROUGH HIM, RIGHT? SO, SO THOSE KIND OF THINGS, IF WE HAVE FEEDBACK, PLEASE DO SHARE, UH, BECAUSE THAT'S JUST A LEARNING IN THAT, OKAY, HAVE WE THOUGHT OF THAT SCENARIO, RIGHT? THESE ARE, WE'LL HAVE SOME EDGE CASES, SOME USE CASES LIKE THAT.

UH, SO IF YOU HEAR STUFF LIKE THAT, PLEASE DO, UM, SHARE IT DIRECTLY WITH STAFF, SHARE IT HERE AT THE COMMISSION, WHICHEVER WAY YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH PLUS, BUT PLEASE DO BRING FEEDBACK.

UM, AND I THINK, UM, YEAH, UH, SO YEAH, UH, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WE KIND

[00:15:01]

BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE UPDATE.

THANK YOU FOR, UH, PUBLISHING THE LIST.

UM, AND, UH, OBVIOUSLY, UH, CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE WHO, UH, RECEIVED THESE GRANTS THIS YEAR.

AND, UH, WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO ALL THE PROJECTS, UH, AND THE WORK THAT IS, UH, GOING TO, UH, COME OUT, UH, UH, FROM THESE, FROM THESE GRANTS, UH, OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS.

UM, ANY LAST COMMENTS, QUESTIONS BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT TOPIC? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU

[4. Presentation on House of Songs by Ali Ishaq, Board Secretary, House of Songs and Russell Tanner, ATX Manager, House of Songs.]

UH, MOVING ON TO DISCUSSION ITEMS. WE HAVE A PRESENTATION ON HOUSE OF SONGS BY ALI SHARK, BOARD SECRETARY, UM, HOUSE OF SONGS, AND RUSSELL TANNER, ATX MANAGER, HOUSE OF SONGS.

UM, YOU COULD, UH, PLEASE COME UP AND SPEAK HERE.

I AM, UM, DEFINITELY VERY EXCITED TO SEE, UH, HOUSE OF SONGS HERE TODAY.

UM, JUST VERY QUICKLY, I MEAN, THIS, THIS, THIS ORGANIZATION, AND SINCE WE, UM, ALSO TALK SO MUCH ABOUT DIVERSITY IN THIS FORUM, UH, WAS STARTED BY, UH, TROY CAMPBELL, A ASIAN AMERICAN, UM, MUSICIAN WHO HAS OPERATED, UM, IN AUSTIN FOR A LONG TIME.

AND, UM, UM, IF I QUICKLY MAY, UH, IT'S, THEY, THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE PRESENCE IN, UH, AUSTIN, IN BENTONVILLE.

I KNOW TROY, UH, WAS IN ITALY WITH CHARLIE SEXTON AND, UH, JANE JANE BRYANT.

JANE ELLEN BRYANT, UH, THEY HAVE PRESENCE IN, UH, HE, HE, I THINK, UH, HE WAS GOING THERE FROM, UH, UH, SCANDINAVIA IS GOING TO INDIA AT SOME POINT, UH, NEXT YEAR.

SO THIS IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT I'VE SEEN THAT WITHOUT ANY COST TO THE CITY OR THE MUSIC SCENE IS, HAS ACTUALLY BUILT NATURALLY BY NATURE OF HOW THEY WORK.

BUILT A, BUILT AN EXPORT PROGRAM FOR AUSTIN MUSICIANS.

UM, AND, UM, SO THAT'S JUST QUITE AMAZING TO SEE.

UM, AND, UM, UH, BENTONVILLE, I MENTIONED BENTONVILLE PARTICULARLY BECAUSE THE, IT'S HOME TO THE WALMART, UH, THE WALTON FAMILY.

AND, UH, THEY HAVE BEEN REALLY INVESTED IN CREATING A MUSIC SCENE, A CULTURAL SCENE, A TOURISM SCENE IN, UM, IN, IN BENTONVILLE.

AND, AND, AND HUBS OF SONGS IN TROY ARE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT, CREATING, UH, CREATING THAT SPACE IN BENTONVILLE.

AND AGAIN, IT DIRECTLY BENEFITS AUSTIN MUSICIANS THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING.

BUT PLEASE, UH, GO AHEAD.

THANK YOU FOR BEARING WITH ME THERE, .

YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK I NEED TO SPEAK ANYMORE.

, YOU'VE ALREADY KIND OF, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE DONE THE BEST PART.

SO, UM, YOU KNOW, BEFORE I MOVED HERE, I'VE BEEN VISITING AUSTIN FOR, FOR YEARS, COMING TO LIVE MUSIC SHOWS AND COMING TO FESTIVALS.

SO WHEN I HAD A PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY MAKE THE MOVE, I JUMPED ON IT.

I PREDICT YOU'D FIND SIMILAR THEMES AMONG SO MANY OF THE HUNDRED THOUSAND PLUS PEOPLE WHO'VE MOVED TO AUSTIN OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, UH, AND APPEAL TO THE ART AND THE ARTISTRY AND THE MUSIC THAT CHARACTERIZES THIS CITY AT THE SAME TIME, AS MANY OF YOU ARE.

AND ALL OF YOU ARE INTIMATELY FAMILIAR WITH THE EXACT MOVING OF SO MANY PEOPLE HERE, HAS MADE THE CITY LESS HOSPITABLE FOR ARTISTS WHO'VE GIVEN THE VERY CHARACTER THAT HAS ATTRACTED FOLKS LIKE ME AND MANY OTHERS HERE.

YOU'RE ALL HERE BECAUSE YOU HEAR DEEPLY ABOUT ISSUES LIKE THIS.

AND I'M HERE TO INTRODUCE AN ORGANIZATION THAT HAS BEEN DOING FANTASTIC MUSICIAN LED WORK, UH, IN A CREATIVE AND ORGANIC WAY TO SUSTAINABLY SUPPORT MUSICIANS IN AUSTIN.

MY NAME IS ALI ISAK, AND I'M THE BOARD SECRETARY FOR THE HOUSE OF SONGS AND ORGANIZATION.

COMMITTED TO BUILDING A GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF ARTISTS AND FOSTERING ORGANIC SUSTAINABLE TIES BY CONNECTING AUSTIN ARTISTS WITH ARTISTS ACROSS THE GLOBE, TRULY PERSONIFYING THE AADE THAT MUSIC IS A UNIVERSAL AND INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE.

I'M HERE TO GIVE YOU A BRIEF SETUP, AND MY COLLEAGUE, UH, UH, RUSSELL IS GONNA GIVE YOU SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

AND I'M SO, UM, HAPPY AND HUMBLE THAT WE HAVE LOCAL MUSICIANS LIKE GRAHAM AND SHAWNEE, WHO WILL COLOR IN ADDITIONAL DETAILS, UH, BASED ON THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH THIS ORGANIZATION.

I'D LIKE TO BRIEFLY TALK ABOUT WHAT APPEALED TO ME ABOUT THE HOUSE OF SONGS BEFORE WE'RE SHOWING YOU VIDEOS FROM OUR FOUNDER AND THE MUSICIAN WHO YOU REFERENCED, UH, JANE ELLEN BRYANT FROM THEIR TIME IN FLORENCE.

FOR ME, WHEN I HEARD ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION, SOME ASPECTS THAT APPEALED TO ME INCLUDED THE ARTIST CENTRIC FOCUS.

THIS IS AN ARTIST FACING, ARTIST LED ORGANIZATION, DRIVEN BY COLLABORATION AND FOCUS ON CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL ARTISTS THAT ARE RARELY AVAILABLE.

ON TOP OF THAT, THE ORGANIZATION TAKES NOTHING AT ALL FROM ARTISTS ENABLING INTERNATIONAL SONG PLACEMENTS, TOURING, AND OTHER BENEFITS THAT ARE SOLELY FOCUSED FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ARTIST.

NEXT IS WE HAVE A PROVEN THEORY OF CHANGE.

WHEN TROY CAMPBELL STARTED THIS ORGANIZATION UP 15 YEARS AGO, HE WAS WORKING WITH JUST TWO COUNTRIES, DENMARK AND THE US OVER THE 15 YEARS OF THIS ORGANIZATION, THAT COLLABORATION HAS EXPANDED TO 30 PLUS COUNTRIES, IMPACTING MORE THAN A THOUSAND ARTISTS, AND CONNECTING AUSTIN ARTISTS WITH MUSICIANS AND ARTISTS FROM

[00:20:01]

I CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO ATTEND ONE OF OUR UPCOMING EVENTS BECAUSE THERE'S NO BETTER WAY TO LEARN AND EXPERIENCE YOUR ORGANIZATION THAN THAT.

AND I DO PLAN TO SEND A DETAILED LIST OF THOSE EVENTS AFTER, AFTER MY REMARKS THAT WE CAN SHARE BY EMAIL.

ONE, ONE, UH, EXAMPLE OF AN EVENT IS WE HAVE THESE LISTEN OBSESSIONS, WHICH ARE, UM, WHERE WE, THIS, THIS HEARKENS BACK TO THE TIME WHEN I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS YOUNG GOING TO, GOING TO THE RECORD STORE.

I WAS IN BOISE, IDAHO.

SO I'D GO OVER TO THE RECORD EXCHANGE WHEN, WHEN ONE OF MY FAVORITE ALBUMS WAS COMING OUT, I'D GO BUY THAT CD, COME HOME ON RAPID, PUT IT IN THE CD PLAYER, AND LISTEN TO IT FROM START TO FINISH.

THE LISTEN OF SESSIONS ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MANY ARTISTS IN THE COMMUNITY AND FOLKS AMONG ARTISTS HERE TO INTRODUCE RECORDS OF IMPORTANCE TO THEM.

WE GET TOGETHER IN AN AREA THAT, IN A, IN A A SPOT THAT HAS A GREAT SOUND SYSTEM, WE HAVE SOMEONE INTRODUCE AN ALBUM THAT'S MEANINGFUL TO THEM, AND THEN WE SIT DOWN AND WE JUST LISTEN FROM THE ALBUM, FROM START TO FINISH AND GET TOGETHER TO, UH, REFLECT OUR FEELINGS AND, AND WHAT WE GOT OUT OF IT, INCLUDING LOCAL ARTISTS AND EVENTS THAT RELATE TO IT.

NOW, THE NEXT EVENT THAT'S COMING UP, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING THE RADIOHEAD ALBUM, UM, UH, KING OF LIMBS.

SO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THAT, PLEASE JOIN.

AND THE NEXT MONTH WE'LL HAVE A PAKISTANI ARTIST, ALI K, WHOSE ALBUM I'LL BE PRESENTING, UH, IN NOVEMBER.

NOW, I HAVE TWO REQUESTS TO YOU.

ONE IS THAT ALL OF YOU ON THIS COMMISSION ARE OUR EYES AND EARS.

ALL OF YOU REPRESENT AND HAVE YOUR OWN RESPECTIVE NETWORKS, AND WE'RE LOOKING TO BETTER AND FURTHER DEEPEN OUR CONNECTIONS WITH ARTISTS IN THIS COMMUNITY.

IF YOU HAVE ARTISTS WHO YOU THINK WOULD BENEFIT FROM BEING ASSOCIATED OR WORKING WITH AN ORGANIZATION LIKE HOUSE OF SONGS, PLEASE SEND THEM IN OUR DIRECTION.

WE'RE LOOKING TO MAKE THOSE SORTS OF RELATIONSHIPS AND INTRODUCE FOLKS TO US WHO WE HAVEN'T PREVIOUSLY BEEN EXPOSED TO.

ON TOP OF THAT, UM, AS WE APPROACH OUR 15TH ANNIVERSARY, WE ARE SEEKING CITY SUPPORT, WHICH IS SOMETHING WE HAVE NOT HISTORICALLY SOUGHT OUT, UM, WITH, UH, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY, WE BELIEVE WE CAN FURTHER GROW AND SUSTAIN THE CULTURAL ECOSYSTEM THAT'S ESSENTIAL FOR THE SURVIVAL OF ARTISTS.

UM, WITH THAT, I WANNA THANK YOU AGAIN FOR GIVING ME A CHANCE TO SPEAK TODAY FOR WHAT I HOPE IS GONNA BE THE FIRST IN AN ONGOING LONG-TERM COLLABORATIVE, UH, SET OF ENGAGEMENTS.

I WANNA GIVE A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO, UH, SHELBY AND KIMBERLY FOR ALL THE BEHIND THE SCENES WORK THEY DID IN SETTING UP THE VIDEOS.

YOU'LL SEE, AND I WILL GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR FOUNDER, UM, WHO SENDS HIS APOLOGIES FOR NOT BEING HERE TODAY, THOUGH HE DOES PLAN TO SPEAK AT AN UPCOMING, UH, UH, SESSION.

UM, TROY CAMPBELL IS AN AUSTIN AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS BASED ASIAN AMERICAN ARTIST.

HE'S A, HE'S AN INFLUENTIAL FIGURE IN BOTH LOCAL INTERNATIONAL MUSIC.

AS A FOUNDER OF HOUSE OF SONGS CO-FOUNDER IN 2009 WITH HIS LONG-TERM MUSIC MANAGER, THE LATE ROBIN SHIVERS, WHO, AS YOU KNOW, IS THE FOUNDER OF HAM.

UH, TROY HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN BUILDING CULTURAL BRIDGES THROUGH MUSIC.

HIS LYRICS AND A PHOTO WITH ROBIN ARE THE CENTERPIECE OF THE NEW ROBIN AND BUD SHIVERS, UH, HAM BUILDING, UH, WITH TROY BEING THE ORIGINAL INSPIRATION FOR ROBIN'S VISION OF HEALTHCARE FOR MUSICIANS AMONG HIS MUSICAL ACHIEVEMENTS, TROY WAS BOUGHT TO AUSTIN IN 1989 AT THE REQUEST OF THE TEXAS LEGEND ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO.

IN 1992, BRUCE AND PATTI SPRINGSTEEN DISCOVERED TROY AND HIS BAND, LOOSE DIAMONDS, PERFORMING AT TIPITINA'S IN NEW ORLEANS, WHICH LED TO AN INTERNATIONAL PRESS AND A RECORDING CONTRACT AND INTERNATIONAL TOURING, UM, AMONG IN FILM AND TELEVISION.

HE'S A PRODUCER AND CREATOR OF THE TV SHOW, CITY OF SONGS, AND THE WINNER OF ONE EMMY AWARD, ALONG WITH OTHER HONORS, INCLUDING AN AUDIENCE AWARD AT THE AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL AND SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST.

SPECIAL JURY MENTIONED IN CULTURAL LEADERSHIP.

HE'S BEEN AN ADVISOR TO OVER SEVEN MAYORS AND ARTISTS SUCH AS ROCKY ERICKSON AND BJORN OF ABBA, INSTRUMENTAL IN THE RETURN OF TEXAS MUSIC, PIONEER ROCKY ERICKSON, AND A KEY FIGURE IN NUMEROUS AUSTIN INSTITUTIONS.

AMONG HIS INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS, HE'S FACILITATED AUSTIN CULTURAL PARTNERSHIPS, UH, WITH CITIES INCLUDING NAIROBI AND KENYA, EAST LONDON, OTA IN JAPAN, UH, LULU AND SWEDEN.

AND HE'S COLLABORATED WITH ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS A SWEDISH MUSIC EXPORT, D-G-B-F-A AND NOPA NORWAY.

HE ALSO HAD A WALL STREET JOURNAL COVER STORY WHERE, UH, WHICH TALKED ABOUT HOW HE LED A GROUP OF ASAN ARTISTS TO THE SWEDISH ARCTIC CIRCLE TO COLLABORATE WITH INDIGENOUS ARTISTS PERFORMING IN AN IGLOO WITH INSTRUMENTS MADE OF ICE.

AS A CULTURAL VISIONARY, TROY HAS FOSTERED GLOBAL CONNECTIONS THROUGH THE HOUSE OF SONGS, WHICH WILL CELEBRATE ITS 15TH ANNIVERSARY THIS OCTOBER.

HIS WORK CONTINUES TO BE PIVOTAL IN UNITING DIVERSE VOICES, BUILDING ESSENCE'S CULTURAL IDENTITY, AND ADVANCING ARTIST INNOVATION GLOBALLY.

WITH THAT, I WANNA MAKE WAY FOR A COUPLE OF, UH, VIDEOS THAT WE SHARED.

HI.

HI, I'M TROY CAMPBELL.

I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE HOUSE OF SONGS.

I WANNA APOLOGIZE TO THE MUSIC COMMISSION FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO BE WITH YOU IN PERSON, BUT WE'VE BEEN WORKING NIGHT AND DAY HERE IN FLORENCE, ITALY.

WE'VE BROUGHT SEVERAL AUSTIN TOP TALENTED MUSICIANS HERE TO COLLABORATE AND WRITE WITH SOME OF THE TOP TALENT IN ITALY AND ESPECIALLY FLORENCE, ITALY.

UH, WE FINISHED OUR FIRST PERFORMANCE LAST NIGHT OF THE NEW WORKS AND WENT OVER AMAZINGLY.

TONIGHT IS THE BIG SHOW IN FLORENCE, AND IT'S ALSO ON THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HOUSE OF SONGS SINCE 2009.

WHEN I STARTED THIS

[00:25:01]

IT WAS TO BRING TOGETHER TALENTED ARTISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO COLLABORATE, CREATE NEW WORKS, FIND NEW FRIENDSHIPS, AND HELP EACH OTHER EXPORT THEMSELVES.

UM, IT'S NOW TURNED TO OVER 30 COUNTRY PARTNERS, UH, SEVERAL LOCATIONS, INCLUDING BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS, AND OUR NEW LOCATION IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, IN CHERRYWOOD IN EAST AUSTIN.

I'M GOING TO JUST GO AHEAD AND ROLL SOME FILM AND SHOW YOU A BIT OF SOME OF THE EXAMPLES OF THE SUMMITS, THE PROGRAMMING OF A PLAYER TO PLAYER, OUR VEHICLE FOR CHANGE.

AND JUST SIMPLY, THE FACES SAY IT ALL THE HOUSE'S, SONGS IS ACTUALLY A PHYSICAL HOUSE, WHICH YOU'RE STANDING IN NOW, BUT IT'S, IT'S AN IDEAL AS WELL.

I WANT IT TO BE LIKE THE HOUSE I HAD IN 1989 OR 90.

WE LIVED ON NOTHING, BUT WE SHARED EVERYTHING.

I OWN THIS HOUSE AND, AND IT'S ONLY USED FOR ART.

IT MADE ME NERVOUS AND FEEL REALLY VULNERABLE.

THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I KNEW I WANTED TO DO IT, FEEL SO ENERGIZED, AND I NEVER WANNA GO HOME .

SO YOU REALLY, YOU LIKE LIVE MUSIC HERE.

I'VE CREATED A SPACE WHERE WE CAN BRING ARTISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO COME LIVE HERE, AND THAT THEY CAN COLLABORATE WITH OUR BEST WRITERS.

WE GO AND ASK QUESTIONS, AND WE COME BACK AND WE BRING THOSE GREAT IDEAS BACK HERE.

MY AUDIENCE IS THE WORLD.

YOU DO LEARN, I THINK, AS MUCH, IF NOT MORE FROM, FROM THE FAILURE OF THINGS SOMETIMES, THAN FROM, YOU KNOW, A SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME.

SONGS AREN'T INSTANTANEOUS, BUT WHEN THEY DO GET ROLLING, IT'S, IT'S LIKE, IT'S LIKE A, A BEAUTIFUL STORM COMING THROUGH AND CLEANING THE AREA AND CHANGING THE AIR.

WE, WE CALL OURSELVES THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL, BUT THE PART OF THE WORLD IS THE MOST VITAL PART TO ME.

AND TO BE OF THE WORLD IS TO BE INTERESTED IN THE WORLD.

AND BY DOING ACTS LIKE THIS SIMPLE, ACTS LIKE PUTTING PEOPLE TOGETHER AND BEING INTERESTED, WE BECOME A, A TRULY INTERNATIONAL CITY.

I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL IN OCTOBER, WHERE WE'LL BE COMING BACK TO DO A SERIES OF SHOWS, UM, AND CONCERTS AND LIVE RADIO BROADCASTS.

AND WE'RE GONNA BRING TOGETHER SOME OF THE HUNDREDS OF ARTISTS, UH, TO JUST EAT SOME CAKE.

AND REMEMBER THAT THIS WAS ALL STARTED WITH A SIMPLE IDEA IN A SIMPLE ROOM.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

THAT, THAT WAS JUST A, A BEAUTIFUL PRESENTATION.

UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

UM, COMMISSIONERS, UH, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS.

THE HOUSE OF SONGS HAS BEEN SUCH A GIFT TO ME.

YEAH, WE HAVE ONE MORE VIDEO.

THANK YOU.

THE HOUSE OF SONGS HAS BEEN SUCH A GIFT TO ME.

UM, I NOW HAVE SONGWRITER FRIENDS ALL OVER THE WORLD, BUT IT'S REALLY ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT I'VE MADE AND, AND THE SONGS THAT HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BECAUSE OF IT.

I MEAN, DEEP, DEEP FRIENDSHIPS ARE FORMED WHEN YOU SIT DOWN IN A ROOM TO WRITE TOGETHER WITH A STRANGER.

YOU JUST LEARN SO MUCH ABOUT EACH OTHER.

HOW AMAZING IS THAT TO BE, UH, A LOCAL AUSTIN MUSICIAN, BUT HAVE THAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE WITH PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD? IT'S FORGED A PATH FOR ME THAT I NEVER KNEW WAS POSSIBLE.

AND I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR THE HOUSE OF SONGS.

IT HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED MY LIFE.

I HAVE, UM, SO MANY BEAUTIFUL SONGS TO SHOW FOR IT, AND A LIFETIME WORTH OF MEMORIES AND RELATIONSHIPS TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND ON.

GOOD.

UM, ARE THERE MORE SPEAKERS OF ON PRESENTING? OKAY, LET'S GO AHEAD.

HI, UH, I'M RUSSELL TANNER.

I'M THE A TX BRANCH, UH, MANAGER FOR HOUSE OF SONGS, UH, AND, AND EVENTS COORDINATOR.

UM, I FIRST BECAME AWARE OF HOUSE OF SONGS BACK, UH, WHEN I WAS RUNNING SOUND, UH, WORKING AT, UH, THREADGILLS WORLD HEADQUARTERS DOWN ON RIVERSIDE.

AND, UH, EVERY YEAR THEY WOULD HAVE A BIG SHOWCASE IN THE INSIDE ROOMS. AND THEN AT THE SAME TIME, TROY WOULD BE RUNNING, UH, THE ROCKY ERICKSON ICE CREAM SOCIAL AND SOME OTHER DAY PARTIES OUT THERE.

UH, SO I GOT TO KNOW HIM THAT WAY, AND HE WAS ALWAYS, UH, JUST A BLAST TO BE AROUND.

AND, UH, I ALWAYS, I ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HIM AND ALL OF THE KIND OF MADNESS THAT HE WOULD BRING TO THE, THE ICE CREAM SOCIAL.

UH, SO ABOUT A YEAR AGO, HE CALLED ME TO ASK IF I'D BE INTERESTED IN JOINING THE HOUSE OF SONGS TEAM.

UH, AND I WAS,

[00:30:01]

UM, WE'VE BEEN UPDATING THE HOUSE ITSELF, UH, AND RAMPING UP AUSTIN SPECIFIC PROGRAMS. UH, SO KIND OF OUR AIM FOR THE AUSTIN BRANCH ON MORE OF THE LOCAL LEVEL, UM, IS TO BE A COMMUNITY BUILDER FOR AUSTIN ARTISTS, UH, AND ALSO A RESOURCE FOR THEM.

SO WE'RE DOING, UH, CURATED CO-WRITE SESSIONS, THE, UH, PLAYER TO PLAYER SESSIONS THAT TROY MENTIONED IN THAT VIDEO, UM, WHERE WE, WE PICK HANDPICK ARTISTS TO COLLABORATE TOGETHER AT THE HOUSE, AND WE PAY THEM FOR THE TIME.

UM, WE'RE ALSO HOSTING MONTHLY SONG CIRCLES THAT ARE KIND OF AIMED AT MINGLING, UH, ARTISTS FROM DIFFERENT GENRES AND BACKGROUNDS.

UH, WE'VE ALSO BEEN, INCLUDING THEN THESE, THESE FOLKS IN OUR MONTHLY SHOWCASES.

WE'VE BEEN DOING, UH, SHOWS EVERY MONTH AT GUERRERO'S, UH, OAK GARDEN.

AND, UH, SO WE'RE, SO WE'RE PROVIDING THOSE PEOPLE A PAID GIG THERE, AS WELL AS BRINGING THEM TO THE PLAYER, TO PLAYER.

UM, WE'VE HAD, UH, FOLK ACTS LIKE MIRANDA HANEY OR MARSHALL MOON.

WE'VE HAD ROCK SONGWRITERS LIKE ROBIN MORDECAI AND CHRISTINE RENNER, AND A COUPLE OF R AND B ARTISTS AS WELL WITH LO GENTRY AND KIND KEITH.

AND, UH, I WANNA CONTINUE DIVERSIFYING OUR ARTISTS AND, UH, YEAH, JUST GET, JUST GET DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT STYLES, DIFFERENT SOUNDS, ALL KIND OF MIXED TOGETHER AS, AS SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MYSELF OUT OF, OUT OF THE, UH, PROGRAM.

UM, WE'VE ALSO GOT A PROMPT WRITING GROUP THAT, UH, OUR GOOD FRIEND AND HOUSE OF SONGS VETERAN SHAWNEE KILGORE IS RUNNING, AND SHE'S GONNA SAY A COUPLE WORDS, UH, HERE IN A COUPLE MINUTES.

SO WE'RE ALSO A RESOURCE FOR ARTISTS, UH, AND WHICH BEING A NONPROFIT KIND OF GIVES US THE SPACE TO DO THIS.

UM, SO THE MAIN THING THAT WE PROVIDE FOR PEOPLE IS, UH, THE SPACE.

SO WE LET PEOPLE COME INTO THE, THE HOUSE WITHOUT ASKING FOR A FEE OR ANY KIND OF RIGHTS OR ROYALTIES FROM THE SONGS THAT THEY CREATE IN THE HOUSE.

UM, WE'VE HAD, WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF PEOPLE, UH, CHRIS HAWKS, MIRANDA DAWN, AND JOHN MOOK DID A, A A COUPLE OF CO-WRITING SESSIONS.

NATALIE PRICE IS BRINGING CO-WRITERS TO WORK ON HER NEXT RECORD.

UH, MADISON BAKER, LILY HICKMAN AND KAYLIN ARE WRITING FOR THEIR NEW BAND, UH, CALLED NEXT OF KIN.

UM, AND WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS THIS PAST YEAR TOO, FROM SWEDEN, FINLAND AND SPAIN COME TO STAY WITH US.

UH, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE STARTING IS, UH, WE HAVE A NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH A BAR HERE CALLED THE DEAD RABBIT THAT JUST OPENED, UH, MAYBE A MONTH OR SO AGO, TWO, TWO MONTHS AGO MAYBE.

UM, IT'S AN IRISH PUB, UH, AND THEY, UH, SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE WELL KNOWN IN NEW YORK CITY, UH, AND IN IRELAND.

AND, UH, SO THEY'RE ACTUALLY SENDING IRISH ARTISTS TO COME PLAY AT THEIR, AT THEIR US LOCATIONS.

AND WE'RE WORKING WITH THEIR MUSIC DIRECTOR TO BE THE GO-TO PLACE FOR THE IRISH ARTISTS THAT ARE COMING INTO TOWN.

WE HAD ONE LAST MONTH.

WE'VE GOT, UH, TWO MORE GROUPS THAT ARE COMING THROUGH IN THE NEXT, UH, THE NEXT TWO MONTHS.

SO, UM, I'VE ALREADY SEEN IN THE LAST YEAR, INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIPS MADE IN THE SHORT TIME SINCE WE'VE REOPENED THE AUSTIN BRANCH.

UM, I HOPE TO KEEP EXPANDING ON WHAT WE GIVE TO THE COMMUNITY, BEING A NONPROFIT, WE ARE SO GRATEFUL TO OUR GENEROUS DONORS, BUT WE DO NEED SUPPORT FROM THE CITY AS WELL.

UH, AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE WORKING WITH THE MUSIC COMMISSION.

'CAUSE PROVIDING THESE RESOURCES TO ARTISTS, BOTH LOCALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY, IS ONE OF THE VITAL THINGS TO HELP KEEP AUSTIN, UH, UH, KEEP, KEEP AUSTIN'S TITLE OF LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

UM, BEFORE WE, UH, KIND OF OPEN THIS UP TO QUESTIONS, UH, I HAVE, UH, UH, LET ME, LET ME INVITE, UM, UM, COMMENTS FROM, FROM THE PUBLIC HERE.

I HAVE, UH, MR. GRAHAM WEBER, PLEASE COME UP AND SPEAK.

THANK YOU.

HEY, GRAHAM.

HELLO.

UH, YEAH, THANKS FOR, FOR LETTING ME TALK.

UM, UH, THE HOUSE OF SONGS IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT, UH, I STARTED WORKING WITH AS A SONGWRITER ABOUT 11 TO 12 YEARS AGO.

UM, UH, AND THEN FOR THE PAST EIGHT YEARS,

[00:35:01]

UM, I JUST WANTED TO COME HERE TODAY AND TALK ABOUT, UH, HOW SPECIAL THAT ORGANIZATION IS AND THE MISSION OF INTRODUCING OUR ARTISTS AND, AND OUR COMMUNITY AND MY COMMUNITY, UM, TO ARTISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD AND FROM OTHER CITIES, AND, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST IN DOMESTIC CITIES AS WELL.

UM, I'VE BEEN, I'VE HAD A FRONT ROW SEAT TO, UM, AMAZING COLLABORATIONS AND A LOT MORE FRIENDSHIPS AND PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS BEING MADE BECAUSE OF THIS ORGANIZATION.

UM, AND IN MY TIME, UM, ON STAFF, I, I KNOW THAT WE, WE NEVER REALLY ASKED AND WE NEVER, WE DEFINITELY DIDN'T REALLY RECEIVE ANYTHING FROM THE CITY.

UM, IT WAS ALL VERY CREATIVE IN FUNDING, OR WE HAD TO BE CREATIVE IN HOW TO FUND IT.

UM, BUT I'M, I'M SO HAPPY THAT, UH, POST PANDEMIC, UM, COMING BACK WITH THE PLAYER TO PLAYER PROGRAM AND, AND COMPENSATING ARTISTS FOR THEIR TIME.

UM, I THINK ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT THIS ORGANIZATION IS THAT IT, IT IS AN ARTIST FORD ORGANIZATION.

AND, UM, I KNOW THAT Y'ALL UNDERSTAND THIS, UM, THE GENERAL PUBLIC GENERALLY DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THAT MUSIC IS A JOB.

AND A LOT OF THE PEOPLE THAT THE HOUSE OF SONGS WORKED WITH, UM, THEY ARE PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS, AND THEY, IF IT'S NOT THEIR SOLE INCOME, IT DEFINITELY TAKES A LOT OF THEIR TIME AND IT, AND IT DOES, UM, MAKE UP PART OF THEIR INCOME.

SO IF CREATING OPPORTUNITIES, CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUNDING ARTISTS OR FOR COMPENSATING ARTISTS FOR THEIR TIME AND THEIR TALENT, UM, IF THAT'S, IF THAT CAN SOME WAY BE, UH, LOOKED UPON IN A POSITIVE WAY, UH, BY WHOEVER'S ALLOCATING THE MONEY, UH, IN THE CITY, UM, I THINK IT, IT DEFINITELY DESERVES, UM, A LOOK AND THEN A SECOND LOOK AND MAYBE A THIRD OR FOURTH LOOK AS WELL.

UM, THEY'RE DOING GOOD THINGS AND THEY'RE GOOD PEOPLE AND, UM, IT, IT, THAT ORGANIZATION REALLY DID CHANGE MY LIFE.

AND, UH, I'M HAPPY TO SUPPORT THEM AND I KNOW HUNDREDS OF ARTISTS, UM, THAT I PERSONALLY WORKED WITH THAT WOULD SAY THE SAME THING.

SO THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, GRAHAM.

UH, I'D LIKE TO WELCOME, UH, SHAWNEE KILGO TO COME UP AND SPEAK.

THANK YOU.

HELLO, I'M SHAWNEE.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING US HERE AND LISTENING.

AND, UM, I GUESS I JUST WANNA TALK ABOUT MY PERSONAL, UH, EXPERIENCE WITH THE HOUSE OF SONGS.

I'VE WORKED WITH 14 DIFFERENT ARTISTS, UM, FROM FIVE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, SIX, IF WE COUNT THE US, UM, OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS OR SO.

AND, UM, SOME OF THOSE SONGS HAVE BEEN, UH, RELEASED PROFESSIONALLY, UM, IN OTHER COUNTRIES.

AND IT'S BEEN SUCH A, UM, I THINK EVERYONE WHO DOES CO-WRITING KNOWS THAT IT'S, UM, CAN BE KIND OF A REALLY SCARY THING.

YOU'RE COMING IN AND YOU'RE NOT SURE IF YOU'RE, ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BRING THE IDEAS AND WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS? AND I REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

UM, THE HOUSE JUST PROVIDES A REALLY SAFE SPACE.

UM, AND THERE'S NO, I MEAN, THEY WOULD LOVE IT IF YOU WRITE A SONG, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO WRITE A SONG IN ORDER TO GET PAID.

UM, AND THE FACT THAT THEY DO COMPENSATE FOR THAT TIME MAKES ME FEEL LIKE IT'S NOT JUST MY PRODUCTIVITY AS A SONGWRITER THAT IS WORTH SOMETHING, BUT ACTUALLY MY TIME, UM, MY TIME ITSELF AND, UM, I JUST FEEL LIKE SUCH A VALUED MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY.

AND, UM, SO MANY LIFELONG FRIENDS THAT I'VE MADE.

AND I WAS TAKEN TO GRANDMA AND I ACTUALLY GOT TO GO TO SWEDEN TOGETHER.

UM, THEY PAID FOR OUR FLIGHTS TO GET THERE.

THEY PUT US UP, UM, THEY CONNECTED US WITH SONGWRITERS OVER THERE AND, UM, UH, MUSIC FESTIVAL AND THINGS LIKE THAT, AND JUST OPPORTUNITIES THAT I NEVER WOULD'VE HAD OTHERWISE.

AND THEN ALSO, UM, THIS MORE RECENT, UM, ITERATION CONNECTING A LOT MORE LOCAL PEOPLE TOGETHER.

YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL KIND OF DOING OUR OWN THING AND IT'S SORT OF HARD TO CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER.

AND, UM, IT'S WONDERFUL TO BE CONNECTED WITH, UM, OTHER, OTHER LOCAL ARTISTS THAT WE CAN FORGE, UM, MORE FRIENDSHIPS WITH AND COLLABORATIONS WITH.

AND, UM, I AM SO, SO GRATEFUL.

SO I'M REALLY GLAD FOR ALL THE WORK THAT, UM, THEY HAVE DONE AND GRATEFUL FOR EVERYTHING THAT Y'ALL DO TOO.

SO, THANKS FOR LETTING ME SPEAK.

APPRECIATE IT.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU SHAWNI SO MUCH.

UM, I WOULD OPEN IT UP TO THE COMMISSION IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, AND IF YOU WANT TO REQUEST ANY OF THE SPEAKERS TO COME AND ANSWER, UM, ANY, ANY QUERIES YOU MIGHT HAVE.

UH, COMMISSIONER PRICE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

YEAH, SO IT'S FANTASTIC.

AND, AND AGAIN, BEAUTIFUL PRESENTATION AND THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR SPEAKING.

CAN SOMEONE JUST GIVE A, JUST A BRIEF OVERVIEW.

WHAT IS THE WALKTHROUGH PROCESS FOR A FIRST TIME? OR YOU, YOU LEARN ABOUT HOUSE OF SONGS, YOU WANNA GO VISIT THE HOUSE, YOU WANNA CO-WRITE? WHAT, WHAT, WHAT'S THE PROCESS OF

[00:40:01]

YEAH, PLEASE.

UH, YEAH, YEAH.

SO, UM, IT CAN HAPPEN A FEW DIFFERENT WAYS.

YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE, UH, SOME PEOPLE MESSAGE US DIRECTLY AND SOME ARE JUST FOLKS THAT WE KNOW OF FROM AROUND TOWN.

UM, WE DO KIND OF OUR JUMPING OFF POINT, THE WAY I SEE IT IS SORT OF OUR JUMPING OFF POINT FOR NEW PEOPLE COMING IN IS WITH THIS KIND OF SONG CIRCLE THING THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE HOSTING.

SO, UM, WE'RE INVITING, WE'RE INVITING FOLKS TO COME TO THIS THING.

AND IT'S, IT'S ESSENTIALLY, IT'S JUST KIND OF SONGWRITERS IN THE ROUND, KIND OF LIKE AN OPEN MIC STYLE.

YOU CAN COME IN AND PLAY WHATEVER YOU WANT, BUT IT'S NOT FOR AN AUDIENCE, IT'S JUST SONGWRITERS.

WE LIKE TO KIND OF ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO TRY OUT NEW MATERIAL AND DISCUSS, YOU KNOW, IF THEY, IF THEY ARE, YOU KNOW, WANTING FEEDBACK ON STUFF, YOU KNOW, WE CAN KIND OF, UH, HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF DISCUSSION.

SO THAT'S KIND OF, THAT'S KIND OF WHERE I'VE BEEN, UM, BRINGING IN NEWER ARTISTS WHO ARE, WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THE PROGRAM BEFORE WE START BOOKING THEM IN SHOWCASES.

UH, 'CAUSE SOME OF THESE PEOPLE ARE, ARE NOT EVEN, NOT FOLKS THAT I HAVE NEVER NECESSARILY SEEN BEFORE.

SO TO BOOK 'EM AT A, AT A SHOW, OF COURSE, WE WANNA SEE, YOU KNOW, WHO THEY'LL FIT WITH AND, AND WHAT KIND OF AUDIENCE THEY'LL, UH, YOU KNOW, BE, BE GOOD FOR.

UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF THE, THAT'S KIND OF THE ENTRY PROCESS.

AND THEN ALSO, UH, WITH THE INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS, THEY WILL, UH, THEY'LL USUALLY COME TO US, UH, AFTER RECEIVING, UH, USUALLY GRANTS LIKE, UH, UH, SWEDEN AND, UH, UH, FINLAND AND OTHER SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES HAVE A LOT OF ARTISTS GRANTS WHERE THEY WILL SPONSOR PEOPLE TO GET SENT OVERSEAS.

UH, AND SO, UH, THAT CONNECTION USUALLY COMES THROUGH TROY.

SO I USUALLY GET IN TOUCH WITH THEM KIND OF AFTER THEY'VE ALREADY MADE CONTACT.

UM, BUT, UH, YEAH, SO THEY WILL, THEY WILL SAY, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY HAVE A GRANT TO COME STAY AT THE HOUSE, AND WE WILL INVITE 'EM TO EVENTS.

UM, IF WE'VE GOT A SHOW GOING ON, WE'LL INVITE THEM TO PLAY AT THAT AS WELL.

UM, AND, UH, IF THEY, DEPENDING ON WHAT THEIR GRANT AND WORK VISA SITUATION IS, WE'LL SET THEM UP WITH CO-WRITES OR, UH, JUST KIND OF HELP THEM FIND OTHER, OTHER GIGS THAT THEY CAN DO AROUND TOWN.

ANY, ANY, ANYTHING ELSE.

THAT'S GREAT, THANK YOU.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UH, COMMISSIONER CARVAL HAD FIRST A COMMENT, AND I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR THE AWESOME PRESENTATION AND THE, IT LOOKS LIKE AMAZING WORK YOU GUYS ARE DOING.

IT'S REALLY COOL TO HEAR ABOUT IT NOW.

THANKS.

UM, REALLY APPRECIATIVE.

UH, IT'S JUST A COUPLE QUESTIONS.

ONE WAS, HOW ARE FUNDS COLLECTED CURRENTLY FOR YOUR PROGRAM BESIDES THESE INTERNATIONAL GRANTS? UM, AND DO YOU HAVE OH, YEAH, NO.

OH, SORRY.

UH, AND THEN JUST THE SECOND THING WAS, DO YOU HAVE A WORKING PLAN CURRENTLY FOR, TO PROMOTE LIKE DIVERSITY AND EQUITY AND INCLUSIVITY IN YOUR, IN YOUR PROGRAM? AND, YEAH.

SO, UH, IN TERMS OF FUNDING FOR THE PROGRAM, AND THIS MIGHT ALSO BE GOOD COMMENTS FOR, UH, ALI OR, OR, UH, JOHN WHO ARE OUR BOARD MEMBERS, BUT, UM, IT'S, WE'RE, WE'RE PRIMARILY, UM, DONATIONS AND GRANTS BASED.

UM, SO WE ARE, WE ARE A 5 0 1 C NONPROFIT.

UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE MAIN INCOME IS, IS DONATIONS AND GRANTS.

UM, SO WE'VE, WE'VE APPLIED, UM, BEFORE FOR CITY GRANTS.

UH, I DON'T THINK WE GOT ANY OF THEM THIS YEAR.

I THINK THEY, I THINK THEY MAYBE HAVE IN THE PAST.

UM, AS FAR AS I KNOW, ALI, YOU HAVE ANY INPUT ON THAT? YEAH, SO THE SPECIFIC QUESTION WAS ABOUT, UM, DIVERSITY AND EQUITY AND HOW THAT'S INCORPORATED INTO .

THAT'S THE SECOND ONE, BUT YEAH.

YEAH, THAT'S, WE'D LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT IT.

YEAH, THAT'S A, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

I ACTUALLY DON'T HAVE A DIRECT ANSWER TO THAT, SO IF THAT'S OKAY, I'D LIKE TO, UM, GET THAT ANSWER FROM TOUR AND THEN, AND THEN SHARE THAT WITH YOU IN MORE DETAIL.

THANK YOU.

ABSOLUTELY.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER.

UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? YEAH.

UH, DO YOU HAVE AVENUES FOR, UH, VENUE PARTNERS TO ENTER YOUR PROGRAM AND TO MAYBE BE ABLE TO LAND, UH, THE SPACE OR BE ABLE TO BE A PART OF IT OR HELP? SURE, YEAH.

UH, YEAH, WE'VE BEEN, WE'VE BEEN PARTNERING UP WITH GUERRERO'S, UH, THE LAST FEW MONTHS TO, UH, HAVE OUR MONTHLY SHOWCASES THERE.

UH, WE'VE GOT ANOTHER SHOW WITH THEM, UH, OCTOBER 23RD, I THINK IT IS, WHICH IS

[00:45:01]

UM, SO, AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN WORK, WORK MORE WITH THEM AS WELL.

UH, WE'VE TALKED TO, WE'RE TRYING TO REACH OUT TO MORE PARTNERS TO TRY TO FIND TIMES THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WE LIKE TO TRY TO BOOK KIND OF, UH, MAYBE NOT OFF HOURS, OFF HOURS IS NOT THE RIGHT WORD, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, TRY TO BOOK MAYBE A SHOWCASE ON LIKE A WEDNESDAY NIGHT OR A THURSDAY NIGHT, OR THE G**O THINGS WE'VE BEEN DOING, UH, SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

SO INSTEAD OF TRYING TO GET THE, THE PRIME TIME SLOTS, UH, WE'LL KIND OF WORK OUT WITH THEM WHERE, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY CAN HAVE MUSIC AT A TIME WHERE THEY MIGHT NOT ALWAYS HAVE A REALLY GOOD SHOW.

UM, AND THEN WE GET TO KIND OF, UH, SPEND A LITTLE BIT LESS MONEY ON THE PRODUCTION TO, UH, TO BE HOSTED THERE.

COOL.

THAT MAKES SENSE.

THANK YOU.

MM-HMM, , OH, PLEASE GO AHEAD.

YEAH, AND IF IT, IF IT'S OKAY, CAN I ADDRESS PART OF YOUR QUESTION? UH, YOUR PREVIOUS QUESTION? YEAH, I'D LOVE THAT.

UM, SO A, A BIG PART OF WHAT APPEALED TO ME ABOUT THE HOUSE OF SONGS WAS, UH, IN MY CONVERSATION WITH TROY, UM, HIM MENTIONING THE INTERNATIONAL ARTIST WHO'D BEEN A FREE SHIRT OVER HERE, UM, I'M OF PAKISTANI DESCENT, AND I WAS IMPRESSED THAT HE HAD A LOCAL ARTIST FROM AUSTIN WHO'S UP PAKISTANI DESCENT, WHO'S PART OF THE, WHO'S BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE ORGANIZATION, ZOE VIJI.

UH, I, HE ALSO MENTIONED AN ARTIST, UH, FROM EGYPT WHO I WAS SURPRISED BECAUSE HE'S A VERY PROMINENT DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST, AND THAT'S SOMEONE WHO ALSO HAPPENED TO BENEFIT FROM HOUSE OF SONGS BEING OVER HERE, UM, LOCALLY, I KNOW BECAUSE OF HIS OWN IDENTITY AND WORK IN THE COMMUNITY, THAT THERE IS A, THERE, I THINK AS A FUNCTION OF TROY BEING PART OF THE ORGANIZATION, THERE'S A NATURAL ELEMENT TO RECRUIT AND INCORPORATE DIVERSE ARTISTS OF DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS.

UH, AND TO RUSSELL'S PART EARLIER, WE ALSO TRY TO DELIBERATELY LOOK FOR DIFFERENT GENRES, UM, UH, TO GET ARTISTS WHO CAN REPRESENT DIFFERENT SORTS OF COMMUNITIES.

SO I OWE YOU A MORE DETAILED ANSWER THERE, BUT I AT LEAST WANTED TO GIVE YOU, UH, A PREVIEW OF SOME OF WHAT, UH, APPEALED TO ME IN THE ORGANIZATION, BECAUSE THAT WAS DEFINITELY A PART OF IT.

YEAH.

AND, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE RESPONSE.

IT, IT FEELS LIKE IT, AND I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF THERE, THERE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WHERE THAT CAME FROM, BECAUSE FROM YOUR PRESENTATION, IT DOES FEEL LIKE IT IS DIVERSE, AND YOU GUYS ARE DOING A REALLY COOL THING, SO THANK YOU.

COOL.

THANK YOU.

YEAH, I, UM, ON THAT ACCOUNT, I MEAN, THIS IS ANECDOTAL OF COURSE AND PERSONAL, BUT, UM, I'VE NOT, UH, HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH, UH, HAVE OF SONGS.

BUT, UH, COUPLE OF YEARS BACK WHEN I THINK AROUND THE TIME I RELEASED MY SECOND ALBUM, UM, I WAS, I WAS APPROACHED, UH, BY, BY GRAHAM, UM, TO BE A PART OF, UM, UH, ONE OF THE, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, I THINK MORE THAN ONCE ACTUALLY.