News
Virtual Music Friendly Community Workshop Coming To Dripping Springs, Houston, and Arlington in October
On Wednesday, October 21, the TMO will co-host a virtual Music Friendly Community (MFC) Workshop with the City of Dripping Springs. On Monday, October 26, the TMO and the City of Houston will co-host a virtual MFC Workshop. And on Tuesday, October 27, the TMO will co-host a virtual MFC Workshop with the City of Arlington. TMO Community Relations and Outreach Specialist Chip Adams will host the workshops via livestream to represent the TMO, answer questions, and speak about how the Music Friendly Community program provides economic development opportunities for Texas communities.
Texas State Musician Nominations Due October 15
Nominations for Texas State Musician - and Poet Laureate, and Visual Artist (2D and 3D) - are open through October 15. Any Texas citizen can nominate a living Texas artist for the Texas Legislature's highest honor for artists. Artists will be selected for both 2021 and 2022, so nominate more than one artist to join folks like Willie Nelson, Ray Benson, Little Joe Hernandez, Shelley King, Emily Gimble, and more as honorees.
Texas Music Mixtape: interview with Dayglow’s Sloan Struble
This week's Texas Music Mixtape includes an interview with Sloan Struble, mastermind behind the band Dayglow. On the week's program, TMO Spring 2020 fellowship intern Evie McNeil interviews Struble about growing up & teaching himself how to play music in Aledo, TX, what it’s like balancing school & a successful music career, and we’ll learn what the LP he’s currently recording may end up sounding like. Dayglow is a Texas music success story: developing a fan base around the world via more than 200 million Spotify plays and more than 30 million YouTube views.
Governor Abbott Announces Bastrop and Lubbock Have Been Certified as Music Friendly Communities
On Wednesday, September 9, Governor Greg Abbott announced that both the city of Bastrop and the city of Lubbock, having completed the multi-step certification process, have been designated as a Music Friendly Community by the Texas Music Office (TMO). The Music Friendly Community program seeks to foster music business economic development in Texas cities and communities.
Texas Music Mixtape: interview with Charlie Leal and Jonathan Vela of Futuro Conjunto
This week’s guests on the TMO’s Texas Music Mixtape are Texans Charlie Vela and Jonathan Leal, the co-creators of “Futuro Conjunto,” an original work of speculative, transmedia Chicanx fiction. Written between 2019-2020, “Futuro Conjunto” is Vela and Leal’s second Rio Grande Valley (RGV)-focused, cross-country music collaboration (Vela works in Texas and Leal in California). It features contributions from over thirty independent RGV artists, with Leal and Vela writing and performing the music and story.
Texas Workforce Commission’s Unemployment Assistance For Contract Workers
The Texas Music Office has complied frequently asked questions about the Texas Workforce Commission's unemployment assistance benefits. Learn how to apply, what to do if you receive a letter about overpayment, and much more.
Music Friendly Community Program Marches Forward To Certify 20 Cities in 2020
July and August 2020 have proved to be very busy for the Texas Music Office's Music Friendly Community program, as multiple cities hold virtual workshops and certification ceremonies.
Governor Abbott Announces Virtual Music Friendly Community Workshop For City Of Dallas
Governor Abbott today announced the Texas Music Office (TMO) and the Dallas Creative Industries Office, a division of VisitDallas, will co-host a virtual Music Friendly Community workshop on Monday, July 13. TMO Director Brendon Anthony and TMO Community Relations and Outreach Specialist Chip Adams will host the workshop via livestream to represent the TMO, answer questions, and speak about the Music Friendly Community program. Dallas' workshop is the first step in the certification process, and when complete, Dallas will join around a dozen other Texas cities that have earned the coveted designation “Music Friendly.”