Austin Music Census Highlights Struggles

Austin may be known as the live music capital of the world but many local musicians are struggling to make a living there.

Music industry consulting company Titan Music Group conducted a census of the city’s music economy earlier this year, finding that more than 20 percent of Austin musicians live below the federal poverty line, 50 percent have incomes that qualify for federal housing subsidies, and about 19 percent lack health insurance.

That’s where organizations like the city’s Health Alliance for Austin Musicians come in. HAAM provides health services for more than 12 percent of Austin’s musician population, the census noted.

Reenie Collins, HAAM’s executive director, recently told local NPR affiliate KUT “close to 60 percent of our membership doesn’t even qualify for the subsidies that are given through the Affordable Care Act.” And since Texas failed to expand Medicaid, many others below the poverty line that would have qualified for savings programs aren’t eligible.

HAAM helped about 300 Austin musicians with premiums purchased through the health insurance exchange this year and also helped coordinate low-cost care for 2,000 members of the alliance through partnerships with doctors and hospitals, KUT reported.

Physician, dobro player and HAAM partner Tom Caven told the station he’s been treating musicians in the city for 20 years and rejected the notion that if musicians would simply work harder, they could afford health insurance.

“Working in a safety-net hospital, like I do, you see people that come in. They’re working really hard – working sometimes two and three jobs to support their family,” he said.

Musicians aren’t the only ones facing trouble making ends meet in the city. The Titan Music Group census also noted 16 percent of respondents employed in Austin’s music industry fell below the federal poverty level, more than 36 percent qualified for federal housing subsidies and 21 percent did not have health insurance.

Venue owners and managers seemed to fare better, averaging the lowest poverty rates for the survey and with more than half of respondents making above the city’s mean annual wage of $48,150.

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