The Off Beat: Music Commission Passes Recommendation to Support Texas Music Museum

20th century Edison phonograph at the Texas Music Museum (photo by Carys Anderson)

The Music Commission passed a recommendation this month suggesting City Council provide $850,000 to the Texas Music Museum – subject of The Off Beat’s Aug. 2 column – to support the Eastside gallery’s expansion, preservation of archives, and staff.

At the group’s Aug. 5 meeting, Secretary Scott Strickland spoke on behalf of a working group that’s spent recent months collaborating with the museum on a presentation to the city. The museum initially requested $333,300 to stay afloat and find a bigger exhibition space (with additional aid to come in the future), but Strickland said the team of commissioners arrived at the larger number after checking in with Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison.

“Natasha Harper-Madison’s Council office has assured us that that is not a big ask at all. That it’s very easily doable,” Strickland said. Rather than initiating a budget amendment, Strickland said the city had funds already available to help the museum with its biggest priority: ensuring its plethora of archives – including sheet music, vinyl, photographs, and interviews conducted by President Clay Shorkey – are preserved appropriately. Secondary needs include locating a bigger building for the museum and increasing its staffing budget.

“I know that this is a very, very big ask from the Music Commission, to make this kind of recommendation,” Strickland said. “But I do feel very strongly that this is about the future of Austin, and I feel like this is about the future of culture in Austin in particular.” The recommendation passed unanimously.

Commissioners addressed other recurring issues at the August meeting. Referencing past pleas from the Red River Cultural District to receive equitable funding from the city comparable to Austin’s Black Cultural District and the Mexican American Heritage Corridor, Vice Chair Anne-Charlotte Patterson brought forth a recommendation to create an economic and cultural district framework policy.

According to Patterson, the policy created by the Economic Development Department addresses the Red River Cultural District’s concerns by providing “good boundaries” for support of each local cultural district. “I want to show that the Music Commission supports this endeavor, because obviously it affects our music venues, who support our artists,” she said. “So I think any support we can give to the music community is a good thing.” The Economic Development Department will present the policy to City Council on Aug. 29.