News – Outreach

3rd Annual Texas Sounds & Cities - RECAP

TMO Community Relations & Outreach Specialist Chip Adams recaps the 3rd annual TEXAS SOUNDS & CITIES Conference which took place September 9-10. "A huge thank you to our partners at the Levitt Pavilion Arlington, and the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau. Letatia Teykl, Executive Director of the Levitt Pavilion Arlington, along with Dena Rambo from Lamont Associates, made this such a great event, making us all feel at home and immersed in all things Arlington," writes Adams. "A huge thanks to the incredible staff at Globe Life Park, Texas Live!, and the Levitt Pavilion for all of their hard work."

Governor Abbott Announces Music Friendly Community Workshop In Odessa

Governor Greg Abbott today announced the Texas Music Office (TMO) and Odessa Arts will co-host a Music Friendly Community workshop on Thursday, July 8. Brendon Anthony, Director of the Texas Music Office, will be present to explain the Music Friendly Community designation and answer questions.

SBA’s SHUTTERED VENUE OPERATORS GRANT Application Portal To Reopen TOMORROW, April 24, 2021 at 11:30 a.m. CST

The U.S. Small Business Administration announced TODAY that they will reopen the  Shuttered Venue Operators Grant application portal tomorrow, April 24, 2021, at 11:30 a.m. CST for operators of live music venues, live performing arts organizations, museums and movie theaters, as well as live venue promoters, theatrical producers and talent representatives to apply for critical economic relief.

Governor’s Small Business Webinar: Update on SBA Shuttered Venue Operators Grant

The Governor's Office of Small Business Assistance, in partnership with the Texas Music Office, will provide an update on the Shuttered Venue Operator’s (SVO) Grant. The webinar will focus on the information required for small businesses to get ready to apply for the new grant through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Senator John Cornyn, author of the new bill that enacted this funding, will open the event. The expert panel will include Tim Jeffcoat, District Director of the SBA in Houston, and Blayne Tucker, music industry lawyer, venue operator and champion of the new bill.

20 in 2020 Achieved: Texas Music Office Certifies 20 Total Music Friendly Communities

The Texas Music Office's community-focused economic development program - MUSIC FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES - grew from 10 certified cities to 20 in 2020, proving a growing need for music industry resources and enhanced communication during the Covid-19 pandemic. The "20 in 2020" goal to certify 20 Texas communities by the end of 2020 that was set at the start of the year - before Covid-19 - was still able to be achieved thanks to the hard work of TMO Community Relations & Outreach Specialist Chip Adams, the various Texas cities and MFC liaisons, and the entire TMO team. The "20 in 2020" work is illustrated in the infographic herein.

June 2018 Community Outreach

Community Outreach: Texas Music Office Director Brendon Anthony held meetings with city leaders and music industry stakeholders in Lindale, TX as a part of the initial stages of the Music Friendly Community certification. Anthony attended music industry town halls in both Fort Worth and San Antonio, wherein both cities outlined economic development goals, took input from music industry stakeholders, and discussed their individual citywide music industry economic impact surveys.

November 2017 TMO Community Outreach

November 2017 found the TMO connecting with various organizations around the state, in addition to continuing its Music Friendly Communities initiative with a MFC workshop in San Antonio. Among the many organizations that the TMO worked with in November include: Texas Heritage Songwriters Association, CBI National Student Electronic Media Convention, NAMM Foundation, City of Austin's Music and Entertainment Division, SIMS, HAAM, Austin Music People, Frisco ISD, Fort Worth ISD, West ISD, and many more.

October 2017 Community Outreach

Community Outreach: Texas Music Office Director Brendon Anthony gave presentations about the Texas Music Office's economic development goals - including the office's new "Music Friendly Communities" program - during two different presentations to groups in Texas: on Tues, Oct 10, to nearly 200 adults at UT Austin's LAMP (Learning Activities for Mature People) which is a continuing education program within OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute), as well as to students in Kerrville as a part of Project Jumpstart at Schreiner University.