Chicago has the blues, New York has jazz, Nashville has country, and LA rocks…and Austin? Austin has it all! So famous is Austin for its music scene that it has come to be known as “the live music capital of the world.”
How Austin Got Its Slogan
Although its musical heritage dates back to frontier days, Austin did not officially become designated as the “live music capital of the world” until 1991. It began with Lillian Standfield, a blues musician, who was returning from a Houston gig when she saw Austin’s city limits sign and thought the city could use a good slogan to promote the city’s rich musical culture.
Standfield approached Austin’s Music Commission with the idea of naming the city the “music capital of the USA.” In exploring the idea, the Commission discovered in their research that Austin had more live music venues per capita than Nashville, Memphis, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, or New York City, all well known music meccas.
Although one Austin City Council member wanted to call Austin the “live music capital of the universe,” a compromise was made, and Austin’s official slogan was adopted by a City Council Resolution on August 29, 1991.
More Than Just a Slogan
Austin came up with a slogan, but it signified so much more about the city. Music has been and continues to be a driver of the local “creative economy,” translating into millions of dollars annually for the city. Local government recognizes that music is one of the things that makes Austin special, and several programs have been put in place to help musicians promote their music. With more than 1,900 bands and performing artists living in the Austin area, music has become not only an essential part of the economy, but a cultural essence. Austin boasts 14 Grammy Award-winning residents, from Los Lobos to Willie Nelson to Shawn Colvin and more.
In addition to the strong backing of musicians, the city also provides strong support for the businesses associated with music. More than 12,000 jobs in the Austin area are directly related to the music industry, and more than $616 million is brought to the local economy as a result.
“Don’t Just See the Sites, Hear Them”
At present there are more than 200 live music venues in Austin. From Sixth Street to the Red River and Warehouse Districts, the East Side to South Lamar, music venues flourish. In addition to clubs, Austin also loves to combine music with dining, from gospel and jazz brunches to Mexican fare accompanied by mariachis. Even Austin’s airport features local music.
No doubt, Austin’s reputation as the live music capital of the world is sealed by the success of its 3 premier festivals—South by Southwest (SXSW), Austin City Limits Music Festival (which emanated from a PBS series at the University of Texas – Austin), and Old Settler’s Days—as well as a number of smaller festivals specializing in specific music genres, like reggae.
While many cities lay claim to their musical heritage, from New Orleans to Memphis and beyond, Austin can truly say it is the live music capital of the world. No other city embraces such a diversity of musical styles and presents so many opportunities to hear the best of the best music live in so many different settings. Austin truly is the live music capital of the world, and it didn’t need a resolution to prove it.
