{"id":255003,"date":"2026-04-18T00:44:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T00:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/255003\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T00:44:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T00:44:07","slug":"austin-works-to-preserve-status-as-the-live-music-capital-of-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/255003\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin works to preserve status as the &#8220;Live Music Capital of the World&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 Live music is an economic force in Austin, and its importance is being put in the spotlight by the Chamber of Commerce. Music executives and business leaders are coming together in Austin next week to examine whether Austin can maintain its iconic status as it continues to grow.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe really want to make sure that our community understands the value of music and how it contributes to not just the cultural fabric of the city, but also the economic impact and the quality of life that we have here in Austin,\u201d said Omar Lozano, Director of Music Marketing at Visit Austin.<\/p>\n<p>The Austin Reggae Festival is bringing its relaxed, riverside vibe to Auditorium Shores this weekend. It is one example of how live music is central to the city\u2019s brand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe came here because we have been to the Rise Up in Vegas and we knew all about the festival, so we wanted to come check out the Austin version of it,\u201d said Mark Rangel.<\/p>\n<p>Rangel drove in from Houston. He thinks Austin dominates the Texas music scene.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have that scene in Houston, as well, but not as concentrated as here in Austin.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cbsaustin.com\/news\/local\/one-of-athenas-owlets-at-lady-bird-johnson-wildflower-center-dies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">MORE| One of Athena\u2019s owlets at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center dies<\/a><\/p>\n<p><p>KEYE<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>The variety of shows and types of music that you can see is a lot better here,\u201d said Rangel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI always see bands come to Austin instead of Houston. That is why we drive over here. It is not a hassle because it is really close,\u201d said Annalisa Perez.<\/p>\n<p>Singer Eli-Mac is practicing for her set at the downtown festival. The reggae performer says Austin\u2019s reputation as a live music capital of the world brought her in from Maui.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are a lot of cool cities with a lot of good music, but I definitely think Austin is up there for sure,\u201d said Eli-Mac.<\/p>\n<p>Visit Austin says live music and the jobs that come with it are a critical part of the city\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur identity and our multi-genre spirit really attract all sorts of music fans from all around the world,\u201d said Lozano.<\/p>\n<p>To bring that point home, the Austin Chamber is hosting the program, Music as an Economic Force. High-profile speakers such as actor Matthew McConaughey will underscore that music is one of the top three reasons people travel to Austin, along with shopping and nightlife experiences.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want people to walk away understanding that music is more than a nice-to-have. It is an absolute need to have within our community,\u201d said Lozano.<\/p>\n<p>Tickets are available for the program, <a href=\"https:\/\/cbsaustin.com\/news\/local\/How Live Music Drives Business Growth, Talent Attraction, &amp; Regional Impact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">How Live Music Drives Business Growth, Talent Attraction, &amp; Regional Impact. <\/a>It will be held on Tuesday, April 21, at Moody Center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 Live music is an economic force in Austin, and its importance is being put in&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":255004,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133],"class_list":{"0":"post-255003","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-austin","8":"tag-austin","9":"tag-austin-headlines","10":"tag-austin-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255003"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255003\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}