Staff and community groups brief commission on Live Music Fund rollout, payment status and community survey

City program staff and community partners updated the Music Commission on the Austin Live Music Fund’s 2024 rollout, payment status and an ongoing public survey to shape 2025 guidelines.

Erica Shamley, music and entertainment division manager, said the program administrator and city staff are preparing for the FY25 application cycle and adjusting the application workflow to reduce missing documentation. She reported 131 signed agreements for the 2024 program, 124 first payments completed (about 85%), and 42 second payments paid (about 17%). She summarized proposed FY25 changes discussed in the working group: a $300,000 carve-out for smaller “mini grants,” $3.5 million for $20,000 grants (professional musicians and independent promoters), and $1 million for venues (approximate amounts), and a redesigned online application that reveals narrative fields only when applicants select a multiple-choice item requiring supporting documents.

Kim McCarson, program manager for Music & Entertainment (Economic Development Department), noted that December collections data were not available at the meeting and staff will provide updated collection numbers next month.

Pat Gupta, CEO of Austin, Texas Musicians (ATXM), presented survey results and community recommendations. ATXM and other community presenters recommended continued use and refinement of the Submittable platform; greater transparency of scoring rubrics so applicants can learn why they scored as they did; and marketing and outreach partnerships with community organizations (for example TALA and MOHA) to expand awareness and help applicants prepare stronger submissions. ATXM suggested changing award-size distributions to allow more, smaller awards (for example, $5k tiers) so funds reach a broader set of individual musicians.

Erica Shamley and staff said the survey (hosted on the city’s public input portal) will remain open through July 2025 and results will be used to inform final FY25 guidelines. Staff encouraged commissioners and community members to share the survey and participate in working groups and outreach sessions.

The presentations emphasized that program administration requires audit-ready financial tracking, repeated reminders that final reports and receipts are required before final payments, and that staff will coordinate with the Long Center (program administrator) to update Submittable and payment processes for the next cycle.