REGULAR MEETING of the MUSIC COMMISSION June 1, 2026 6:30 PM CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS ROOM 1001, 301 W 2ND STREET, Austin, Texas 78701 Some members of the Music Commission may be participating virtually. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, call or email Shelbi Mitchell, 512-974-6318, Shelbi.Mitchell@austintexas.gov. CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Nagavalli Medicharla - Chair, Pedro Carvalho – Vice Chair, Joe Silva – Parliamentarian, Nelson Aguilar, Tami Blevins, Clarissa Cardenas, Clayton England, Cornice “Ray” Price Jr., Penny Jo Pullus, Celeste Quesada AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three- minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. MUSIC PERFORMANCE Elijah Delgado APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Music Commission meeting on April 6, 2026. STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. Staff briefing on Live Music Fund collections by Kim McCarson, Program Manager, Music & Entertainment, Austin Arts, Culture, Music & Entertainment (ACME). 3. Staff briefing on FY24 Austin Live Music Fund final reports by Erica Shamaly, Division Manager, Music & Entertainment Division, ACME. 4. Staff briefing on Austin-Bergstrom Airport (AUS) live music performances/booking by Erica Shamaly, Division Manager, Music & Entertainment Division, ACME. 5. Staff briefing on ACME funding programs by Laura Odegaard, Acting Division Manager, ACME. DISCUSSION ITEMS 6. Update on Red River Cultural District economic analysis and the new strategic plan by Nicole Klepadlo, Executive Director of Red River Cultural District. 7. Upcoming Music Census for Austin led by Secretary Clarissa Cardenas. 8. Music Commission strategic goals and budget recommendations to council. 9. Downtown Commission update on priorities and recent actions presented by Parliamentarian Silva. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 10. Discussion and action item on recommendation to support preserving of Hotel Occupancy Tax funds for cultural arts, music and heritage within the RIDA Circuit of the Americas hotel negotiations presented by Chair Medicharla. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access …
Hotel Occupancy Tax Collections Live Music Fund Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment June 1, 2026 FY 26 Year-to-Date Hotel Occupancy Tax Collections – Live Music Fund April 2026 w/ Encumbrances $1,026,231 FY26 Year-to-Date w/ Encumbrances $3,241,752 % Change in Year–to-Date Total 13% $17,874 $312,748 $827,586 $19,399 $338,773 $854,923 $12,938 $323,076 $798,287 $5,509 $217,400 $744,461 $4,573 $472,660 $716,095 $36,835 $335,537 $782,771 $19,180 $288,001 $856,608 $5,354 $172,557 $754,925 $26,351 $1,123,522 $21,687 $16,485 $352,514 $816,197 $48,397 $316,607 $809,445 $17,407 $159,710 $696,141 FY 23 October April November May FY 24 December June January July FY 25 February August FY 26 March September $1,026,231 $58,521 $398,910 $798,245 $18,226 $179,271 $762,348 2
Funding Programs Update Arts, Culture, Music, and Entertainment | June 1, 2026 Appeals Process Update ▪ Funding Appeals Request Form Deadline: March 30th ▪ Only three reasons for an eligible appeal (Appendix C of Guidelines) ▪ Panel Administration error; Conflict of Interest; Reviewer or staff error ▪ 88 Appeals Submitted (4 in Spanish) ▪ Staff Role: ▪ Compiled information/ completed a preliminary analysis ▪ Sent analysis to Appeals Working Group ▪ 6 deemed Eligible to move forward to Appeals Working Group ▪ 1 Austin Live Music Fund; 1 Heritage Preservation Grant; 4 Elevate ▪ Appeals Working Group (2 Arts Commissioners, 2 Music Commissioners): ▪ Met on Friday, April 17th ▪ Approved: April 20th Arts Commission meeting ▪ Only 1 of the 6 appeals impacted score enough to make eligible for funding ($20k ALMF) 2 Nexus Program Updates ▪ Nexus Program ▪ Application: March 10th - April 16th ▪ 452 applications submitted (8 in Spanish) ▪ $500k available for 75 awards (17% of applications) ▪ $5k and $10k level ▪ Outreach: ~20,242 people reached through multi-lingual postcards, newsletters, community events, and radio placements ▪ 84 people received direct Application Assistance: ▪ 166.5 staff hours of assistance through workshops, office hours, and 1:1 meetings ▪ Next steps: ▪ 15 reviews will be trained next week. Assignments begin May 4th. No panel meeting – it is an independent review of at least 2 reviewers per application, and scores are averaged. ▪ Award announcements mid-June! 3 Awardee Status (as of 5/29/26) Program Total Awardees Pre-Agreement Not Submitted Pre-Agreements Submitted- Need Revisions Pre- Agreements Approved (Contracting Phase w/ TLC) Payment Phase ALMF Elevate CSAP HPG TOTAL 396 277 22 22 717 3 4 2 0 9 2 29 1 9 41 57 50 19 2 128 334 194 0 11 539 4 Funding Disbursement Status (as of 5/29/26) Program Total Awardees Total Funds # of Awardees Paid % of Awardees Paid $ of funds disbursed % of funds disbursed ALMF 396 $7,045,000 334 85% $3,177,000 Elevate 277 $12,616,773 184 66% $4,180,831.00 CSAP HPG Thrive Year 2 22 22 35 $1,320,000 $3,000,274 $3,850,000 0 0 23 TOTAL 752 $27,832,047 541 0% 0% 66% 72% $0 $0 $2,349,000 $9,706,831 45% 33% 0% 0% 61% 34% 5 Survey Results ▪ 360-degree perspective ▪ Panelist Reviewer Experience (68 responses) ▪ Application Experience Survey (152 responses) ▪ Commissioner Perspectives Survey (6 responses) ▪ The goal was to understand: ▪ Was …
RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL MUSIC COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 20260601-010 Date of Approval: June 1, 2026 Subject: Recommendations to Protect Cultural HOT Funds and Support Local Creatives in the RIDA COTA Agreement Recommendation Recommendations to Preserve Arts, Music, and Heritage Funding and Require Local Creative Engagement in the RIDA COTA Hotel Development Agreement Description of Recommendation to Council The Music Commission recommends that within the ongoing negotiations for the Business Expansion Program agreement with RIDA COTA Hotel, LLC, City Council includes the following directives to the City Manager and Staff: 1. Full Protection of Cultural HOT Allocations: Ensure that the legally assigned portion of Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) revenue dedicated to Arts, Music, and Heritage funds is not impacted or diminished by developer incentives. These allocations should be kept whole, calculated as though 100% of the HOT totals were being collected by the City, regardless of any gross room revenue payments or offsets granted to the developer. 2. Local Creative Requirements: Incorporate specific clauses into the agreement requiring a. A formal partnership with Rally Austin and Visit Austin to support local music talent procurement for hotel-hosted events, conferences, and public spaces. b. A set quota/percentage of budget for permanent and rotating art installations curated from local Austin artists Rationale: 1. Preserving the Integrity of Creative Funds The Music Commission maintains that HOT taxes are a key pillar to the financial health and vitality of Austin’s cultural sector. Using gross room revenue as a metric for developer incentives must not result in a "shadow cut" to the Arts, Music, and Heritage funds. By requiring these funds to be kept whole based on 100% of total HOT potential, the City ensures that incentivizing large-scale development does not inadvertently cannibalize the grants that sustain our local creative ecosystem. 2. Equitable Job Creation While we strongly support the creation of 900 union-represented hotel jobs, we must view our creative sector with equal professional gravity. Musicians and artists are essential workers within 1 of 2 the Austin economy. It is vital that the growth of the hospitality sector does not come at the direct expense of the stability of the arts. We must ensure that the "Creative Class", the people who make Austin an attractive destination to visit, does not bear the financial burden of these incentives through reduced grant availability. 3. Structural Integration of the Local Scene A 1,000-room resort at COTA provides a great opportunity for …
