Opportunity has a price. Much of that price can be paid with talent, ingenuity, and sweat equity … but sometimes, you need key outside support to cover it. That’s where we come in.
What does Austin Music Export do?
We help independent, Austin-based musical artists to get heard beyond the city limits. We’re funded by patrons and sponsors who provide both cash and in-kind donations, which we use to create performance opportunities around and outside of the U.S. We’ve partnered with like-minded groups throughout our national and international network, and we’re cultivating those relationships to get Austin artists in front of audiences in key cities … the places where they’re most likely to be noticed by a new crop of fans or industry influencers.
Sometimes it feels like artists are trapped under a glass dome around Central Texas. We’re here to break it.
Where does my donation go?
We spend in the following categories:
Production of showcases to introduce Austin artists in new areas of the U.S. and abroad
Sponsorship of events in Austin and other locations to raise awareness of Austin Music Export and pave the way for Austin artists to perform in those places
Basic admin costs such as website hosting and business card printing
We continually re-balance our priorities based on the amount of funding we have available. The more money we have, the more support we can give.
Examples:
An artist is invited to perform at the Underwater Sunshine Fest in New York. The festival provides excellent promotion, including coverage on the podcast and socials of founder Adam Duritz (Counting Crows), and is known to draw the attention of industry influencers. However, like most festivals, it does not pay travel expenses. Austin Music Export provides a $500 domestic travel stipend that enables the artist to accept the festival performance offer.
We produce an unofficial showcase during South By Southwest, featuring both Austin-based and visiting artists. Local and visiting industry pros attend, networking ensues, and connections are made for future opportunities in new markets.
We recognize a market as having untapped opportunity for Austin artists. In cooperation with like-minded music ambassadors in that city, we produce a showcase that puts Austin performers in front of that new audience.
Where did this idea come from?
Founder Donovan Keith has been an independent artist since 2008 and knows the uphill climb. He received a Black Fret grant in 2018 and decided to use some of that money to start Austin Music Export, as a way to help fellow artists launch beyond the Austin orbit. He partnered with musician consultant Debbie Stanley to take the lead on operations and fellow artist Zach Kanter to focus on financials and compliance. All three are depending on the strength of their ties to the local music community to develop funding support and word-of-mouth promotion for this new source of opportunity for Austin’s professional artists.