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Sugar Land board plans June 21 Make Music Day activations, artist outreach and venue directory
Summary
The City of Sugar Land Music Advisory Board outlined plans for Make Music Day on June 21, proposing activations at Smart Financial Center, Imperial’s Farmers Market and Taliards and agreeing to build an artist and venue directory to support bookings and reimbursements.
The City of Sugar Land Music Advisory Board spent the bulk of its meeting planning a local rollout for Make Music Day on June 21 and steps to build an artist and venue directory.
Staff liaison Shay told the board that the Texas Music Office is developing an electronic directory but that, for now, "it's just an Excel spreadsheet, and I turn that into them every month," and she said she would share that spreadsheet with board members so they can add performers and venues. Shay also said staff would add an online form on the city website so artists, venues and event organizers can self-submit listings.
Why it matters: Board members said the directory and a visible Make Music Day presence are ways to grow Sugar Land’s live-music ecosystem, help venue owners access reimbursement programs and connect artists to paid slots.
Event plan and slots: Staff described three activations for June 21: lessons/demonstrations at Smart Financial Center (9 a.m.–3 p.m.); buskers at Imperial's Farmers Market (10 a.m.–2 p.m.); and evening performances at Taliards (6–10 p.m.). The board discussed slot targets: about 10–12 busker slots at the farmers market and at least six performers at Taliards, with three anchor performers and three shorter/new-artist slots. The board also discussed paid slots and a small sponsorship program to underwrite performances at local venues.
Funding and incentives: The transcript records staff saying the Texas Music Office has a reimbursement program; as stated in the meeting, staff described it as reimbursing "up to $300,000 to venues that see, I think, 3,000 people a year" and encouraged the board to promote that program to venues. The board discussed packaging that information for venue owners and creating an easy, printable infographic about eligibility and the application steps.
Outreach and logistics: Board members proposed a mix of grassroots outreach (interest meetings, tabling at festivals) and outreach to institutions — for example, contacting Jazz Fest and local music schools. Staff also flagged operational issues raised by venue owners, including insurance and sound-ordinance constraints, and recommended collecting that information for a future council-level briefing.
Schedule and next steps: The board scheduled two follow-up meetings: May 12 (regular meeting) and a supplemental meeting on June 4 at 6:30 p.m. to finalize artist slots and logistics before Make Music Day. Staff committed to (1) sharing the current Excel directory, (2) publishing an artist/venue/event submission form on the city website and (3) preparing event details for the next meeting so members can recruit artists and confirm paid slots.
Ending: Members agreed to recruit artists and venues, to encourage submissions to the city form and to reconvene at scheduled meetings to finalize the Make Music Day program.
