Today, a diverse group of prominent individuals from Austin’s music community announces the creation of Austin Music People (AMP), a new 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and growing the music culture and economy in Austin. Music venue owner and Austin Music Commission member Paul Oveisi will serve as the Executive Director of the organization.
The new music organization will provide support, advocacy and communication among the entire spectrum of Austin Music People, as well as networking and events for its members. It will work together with community stakeholders and existing music organizations in Austin to protect and grow one of the city’s most valuable cultural and economic assets, live music. AMP will support everyone from the fan to the lead singer to the bartender to the booker to the venue owner to the last door guy on shift.
“Austin’s live music business has an economic impact of more than $1 billion on the city,” says Oveisi. “That touches all of us in Austin via the creation of thousands of jobs and substantial revenues for business owners from restaurants to hotels to retailers. It’s an industry that not only needs to be protected but nurtured and grown. AMP will make sure that the music industry’s voice is heard loud and clear.”
“We have needed something like this for a long while in Austin … a central voice to address music issues when they arise and to develop strategies to maximize the many opportunities that Austin provides,” says Steve Wertheimer of the Continental Club. Wertheimer, along with many other musicians, promoters, venue owners and fans joined as a member of AMP.
“We all live here because we love music and we know what it does for our lives, our families and our economy. This is the first time that clubs, musicians, industry, fests and fans have really sat down and worked together to address common thread issues … it is really exciting,” says Pachanga Festival promoter Rich Garza.
Long time Austin City Limits Executive Producer Terry Lickona comments, ” “I’m excited to add my voice to the rest of Austin’s music community to build on our rich history of live music and take it to the next level. Together we can do great things.”
Austin Music People will be hosting its first ‘hello’ to Austin at the Austin City Limits Music Festival where it will be recruiting members, answering questions and sharing the mission and message of AMP. AMP plans to host a town hall meeting later this year and will also have a presence at Fun Fun Fun Fest in November, SXSW in March and Pachanga Fest later in 2011.
AMP welcomes anyone and everyone in the Austin music community to join. For more information on AMP please visit www.austinmusicpeople.org.
About Austin Music People
Austin Music People is a 501(c)(6) Non Profit organization formed in 2010, inspired by the belief that the ecosystem of Austin’s live music industry ties together everyone in the music scene – from the fan to the lead singer to the bartender to the booker to the venue owner to the last door guy on shift. AMP seeks to unify all Austin Music People under one common love and one common cause. In 1991, Austin City Officials passed a resolution that proclaimed that Austin would be known worldwide as the “Live Music Capital of the World” from that day forward. To this day, it is this promise that brings so many new people, ideas, and opportunities to Austin. The AMP project has been created to help secure and fulfill that promise, now and into the future.
A Sampling of Initial AMP Members
| Adrian Quesada – Grupo Fantasma & Brownout |
| Alex Maas – Black Angels
Brad Spies – SXSW |
| Brent Grulke – SXSW |
| Charles Attal – C3 Presents |
| Courtney Graber- C3 Presents |
| Elaine Garza – Giant Noise |
| Erika Wennerstrom – Heartless Bastards |
| Frank Hendrix – Emo’s |
| Davis McLarty – Davis McLarty Agency |
| Jack McCarty – Frontgate Tickets |
| James Moody – Transmission Entertainment |
| Joe Lewis – Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears |
| John Kunz – Waterloo Records |
| Matt Hickey – High Road Touring |
| Matt Luckie – Red Fez, Star Bar |
| Michael Feferman – C3 Presents |
| Nikki Rowling – Titan Music Group |
| Paige Maguire – Austinist.com |
| Randy Miller – Rainmaker Artists |
| Rich Garza – Pachanga Festival |
| Roland Swenson – SXSW |
| Steve Wertheimer – The Continental Club |
| Susan Antone – Antone’s |
| Terry Lickona – Austin City Limits Television |
| Tim Neece – ACL Live at Moody Theater |
| Tim O’Connor – Direct Events |
| Will Wynn – Former Mayor, Austin |
and many more to come…
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