After more than six weeks of no gigs and general uncertainty around when concerts could come back, Austin City Council voted to pull $1.5 million out of its emergency funds to support one of its essential and most vulnerable industries: live music.
The Austin Music Disaster Relief Fund will be purposed with helping the Live Music Capital of the World’s venues and musicians stay afloat through the economic devastation inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic and the social distancing measures implemented to slow its spread.
The idea for the fund was proposed to City Council by District 9 Council Member Kathie Tovo, who represents most of downtown Austin. Tovo advised city staff work as “expeditiously” as possible to get the funds out and recommended working with nonprofits in the industry to determine the best avenues for eligibility and disbursement.
City Manager Spencer Cronk said the goal is to begin sending funds out by the end of April; however, a framework still needs to be developed for deciding who gets the funds and how much they get. Cronk said he would come back to update City Council on the process.
