About Us
About Us
About ATXM
Austin Texas Musicians is a community-supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to advocacy, education, and economic development for Central Texas musicians.
Representing more than 8,000 musicians across the region, ATXM works to address the economic, policy, and industry challenges that impact the sustainability of Austin's music ecosystem. Through advocacy, educational programming, and career development opportunities, we help musicians build sustainable careers while protecting Austin's identity as the Live Music Capital of the World.
Because ATXM receives no federal, state, or city funding, community support directly fuels our work to:
Advocate for fair and sustainable policies
Provide free music business education
Create economic opportunities for working musicians
Strengthen Austin's music community for future generations
Together, we're building a stronger future for the musicians who create the soundtrack of Central Texas.
It started with One Voice…
In 2008, just before competing in the first season of the television show “The Voice,” Nakia Reynoso created a private Facebook Group for musicians in Central Texas to connect, find gigs, trade gear, and access information.
As membership grew, so did the need for advocacy.
By 2019, the network had grown significantly, so Nakia gathered a small group of working musicians to formalize the next steps. Soon after, the Austin Texas Musicians™ 501(c) (3) organization was formed to provide advocacy, education, and economic development to support local musicians and community growth.
Today, through the combined efforts and resources of its members, Austin Texas Musicians is committed to elevating industry conditions and empowering professional musicians to lend their voice for change.
2026 Initiatives
This is not programming. This is infrastructure for a creative workforce.
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Advocacy: Local, State & Federal
Doubling down on the work that shapes long-term change—strengthening advocacy at every level (local to federal), AI protections for creators and fighting unfair streaming royalties to ensure musicians are paid fairly in a rapidly evolving industry.
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Advocating for Legislative Change
ATXM remains committed to advocating for legislative change at the local, state, and federal levels to protect musicians and independent artists from unauthorized use of their work, voice, likeness, and creative identity via the use of generative A.I. models.
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Expanded Education & Professional Development
Hands-on training, expert-led workshops, and career-building support to help musicians grow their skills and income. In-person, and online.
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Downtown Vision Plan
After years of work, our grand vision for a safer, more financially viable downtown for musicians advances to Council later this summer. Items include: 1.) Free late-night safety escorts until 3 a.m., 2.) significantly reduced parking fees for musicians and service industry workers, 3.) a clean, safe and sober Downtown Green Room where artists can gather, collaborate, and recharge before and after gigs, 4.) and a shuttle service connecting musicians, workers, and patrons throughout downtown.
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🛡️ Free Late-Night Safety Escorts
Every musician deserves to get home safely after a performance. In partnership with the Downtown Austin Alliance's Block by Block Ambassadors, this initiative envisions free safety escorts until 3:00 a.m. for musicians, service industry workers, and visitors—helping create a safer, more welcoming downtown after dark.
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🚗 Reduced Parking for Musicians & Service Industry Workers
Parking costs can quickly eat into a night's earnings. ATXM is advocating for significantly reduced parking fees for musicians and service industry workers, making it more affordable to work downtown while strengthening Austin's live music and hospitality economy.
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🎸 Downtown Green Room
The Downtown Green Room is envisioned as a clean, safe, and sober gathering space where musicians can recharge before and after performances. More than a lounge, it would serve as a collaborative creative hub offering a welcoming place to connect with fellow artists, prepare for gigs, and access community resources.
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🚌 Downtown Shuttle for Musicians
Getting between venues, parking areas, and downtown destinations can be challenging—especially late at night. This initiative proposes a dedicated shuttle service connecting musicians, service industry workers, and patrons, improving accessibility, reducing transportation barriers, and supporting a safer, more connected downtown experience.
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More Paid Peformance Opportunities
New venue partnerships mean more gigs, better pay, and stronger visibility for Austin artists.
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ATXM Musicians on Campus
Creating paid performance opportunities for Austin musicians through weekly live music every Friday from 11:30 AM–1:30 PM at St. Edward's University Kozmetsky Center of Excellence Garden (September 2026–May 2027), while enriching campus life and connecting the next generation with Austin's thriving music community.
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Austin Live Music Passport
Inspired by the Austin Ale Trail, the Austin Live Music Passport would combine a printed passport and interactive mobile app to guide residents and visitors through Austin’s diverse live music scene. Participants could discover participating venues and featured local artists, check in at performances, collect digital or physical stamps, unlock exclusive discounts and rewards, and earn recognition for supporting local music.
The program would encourage audiences to explore new venues, attend more live performances, and spend money with local music businesses—creating a fun, trackable way to strengthen Austin’s live music economy while connecting more fans directly with working musicians.
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A Tech-Driven Gear Theft Solution
We’re developing tools to help protect musicians’ livelihoods and reduce the growing threat of stolen equipment.
What We Do
Community Impact
Representing over 8,000 local artists, it has delivered significant impact across three core pillars—advocacy, education and economic development—to preserve Austin’s legacy as the Live Music Capital of the World.
Advocacy: The Fund has elevated the voices of musicians in policy and community decision-making, helping secure stronger pay standards and protections for artists who allow our city’s music scene to thrive.
Education: Through workshops, training, and peer networking, it has empowered musicians to build sustainable careers—arming them with business literacy, industry insight and community connection.
Economic Development: By facilitating paid performance opportunities, creating strategic partnerships and supporting career pathways, the Fund has strengthened the economic viability of working musicians and enabled more artists to choose to live and work in Austin.
Your support makes this work possible. Every donation helps the Fund continue lifting up the people who give Austin its creative heartbeat—so that the music stays alive, the musicians stay here, and our community keeps moving forward.
Check out our accomplishments in each area below to see how your support helps keep Austin’s music strong, its musicians empowered, and its creative heartbeat alive.
Results that Resonate
Results: Advocacy
The ATX Musicians’ advocacy efforts have been instrumental in securing policy changes that have yielded far-reaching impacts on our members and stakeholders alike. Some wins include:
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The advocacy efforts of ATX Musicians resulted in the first-ever sustainable recurring funding for music in the United States.
Thanks to this effort, the City of Austin created the Austin Live Music Fund, directing $8 million in grants to local musicians and venues so far—with more support rolling out every year to strengthen our city’s creative workforce.
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Worked with the Austin City Council to create a standardized pay rate of $200 per musician for all city-funded performances.
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Lobbied State Legislators to defeat anti-LGBTQIA+ bills that would have had devastating financial impact on Texas’ performing arts industry.
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Helped secure $6M in Federal Relief Grants for musicians and $5M for venues.
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Registered thousands of new voters in Travis County, El Paso, Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley.
Community Impact through Education
Educational Programs
From professional development to unbiased news reporting, ATXM offers educational programs that help the music community grow professionally, learn how to become entrepreneurs, and stay informed about issues that affect them.
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Over the years, ATXM has produced dozens of educational webinars for musicians on topics ranging from:
Copyright Royalties
The American Music Fairness Act
Mechanical Licensing Collective
Relief Grants
Unemployment
Voter Education
COVID Safety and more…
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Hosted educational events in conjunction with Texas Music Office, BMI, Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts, Austin Music Foundation, Mechanical Licensing Collective, Sound Exchange, Music Managers Forum and more.
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Launched ATXM NEWS, a 30-minute news program focused on issues and inspiration within our music community.
Community Impact through Economic Development
Economic Development
Community is the cornerstone of ATXM work. This includes economic development, preservation efforts, and community-building events. Historical efforts include:
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Through collaboration with the City of Austin and local music leaders, ATXM helped advance the creation of the Live Music Fund, which now distributes approximately $4 million annually in grants to support musicians, venues, promoters, and music industry professionals.
As of Spring 2026, $14M has been distributed to musicians and venues. -
Helped secure $6M in Federal Relief Grants for musicians and $5M for venues.
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Secured $35K to revitalize the historic Doris Miller Auditorium, serving East Austin’s Black and Latin communities
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Currently working on a permanent home for the Texas Music Museum, a downtown creative hub including parking and safety solutions, and an anti-theft solution for musical instruments.
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Secured more than $200K in paid performance opportunities for ATXM PRO members
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Offer virtual job fairs and jobs lists for musicians through partnership with Workforce Solutions
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Connected musicians with unemployment benefits, during the COVID pandemic, through partnership with Texas Workforce Commission.
Thousands of Musicians. One Voice.
Advocating, educating & empowering
Austin’s music community.
Community Partners
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🎵 Join us in protecting Austin’s creative future.
Every bit of support goes a long way in helping us help musicians. We’ve got some very impactful new initiatives in motion for 2026, including:
Expanded Paid Performance Opportunities for Musicians
Expanded Education Programming, in Partnership with Local Higher Education
A Downtown Creative Hub, Parking and Safe Escort for Musicians
To continue doing this work, we need your help. Cultivating new partnerships, investment, and donor relations both public and private will be key to our sustainability.
We're putting out a call to all interested corporate partners, angel investors, and music community members and imploring that we all come together to lift up what has proven to be a crucial service to the health of our music community, which truly serves as the cornerstone to Austin’s economic well-being. We hope you’ll help us continue our work by donating, or by contacting us directly to discuss options.