Austin musicians to get $5 downtown parking
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Austin musician Scott Strickland spoke at a news conference on Tuesday at the 13th Floor on a new parking discount for musicians. Photo: Asher Price/Axios
Austin musicians can soon get $5 parking for gigs at some Austin venues in or near downtown.
Why it matters: As musicians move toward the suburbs, part of a broader affordability exodus from central Austin, expensive parking has been a deterrent to playing Red River and other downtown spots.
Driving the news: Metropolis Technologies, a company that operates parking lots around the country, announced Tuesday that it will offer $5 flat fee parking to musicians playing some venues, in a program it calls Park and Play.
How it works: Starting Nov. 2, musicians will access the special rate using QR codes provided by managers at a handful of Austin venues.
- The initial venues in the program include Antone's, Barbarella, Cheer Up Charlies, Elephant Room, Flamingo Cantina, Hotel Vegas, Kingdom Nightclub, Mohawk, Nica on 4th, Parker Jazz Club, Swan Dive and the 13th Floor.
What they're saying: Rising costs "are putting added pressure on the very musicians who make the city's live music scene so special," Andrew White, vice president of operations at Metropolis, said at a news conference on Tuesday. "By removing even one of those financial barriers, we hope Park and Play can make a small but meaningful difference."
- "This program is such a respite for all musicians" for whom parking can be a "nightmare," Benjamin Triesch, an Austin musician and secretary-treasurer of the Austin Federation of Musicians, said at the news conference at the 13th Floor.
Between the lines: Metropolis isn't getting a subsidy from the city of Austin to provide the cheaper parking, White tells Axios.
Zoom out: Austin is the second city to welcome Metropolis' Park and Play program, which launched in Nashville last year.
- In its first year, the program in Nashville helped thousands of musicians save nearly $1 million in parking costs, according to Metropolis.
The bottom line: "Parking is available for the employees of some of Austin's most popular tourist attractions, including the Texas Capitol, Zilker Park, Barton Springs," Kevin Russell, frontman for the Austin-based band Shinyribs, said in a statement.
- "Even the bats under the Ann Richards Bridge get free 'parking.' It only stands to reason that Austin's musicians should have access to affordable parking downtown as well."