Austin Musicians, Hospitality Workers Hit By Coronavirus Aided

AUSTIN, TX — The Red River Cultural District is accepting grant applications from residents negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, officials said on Tuesday.

The group's emergency relief fund, Banding Together ATX, is accepting Phase 4 applications through Friday, Dec. 18, at redriverculturaldistrict.org. Banding Together ATX officials described the coffers as an emergency relief grant program intended to support Austin's live music community including the creative, service, hospitality, production sector workers that rely on regular programming and continual income to survive.

Local residents who are currently unemployed due to COVID-19 are eligible to apply — including those who have previously applied and/or those were approved for prior funding — although applicants must meet the following requirements in order to qualify:

• Be 18 years of age or older;
• reside in Austin or the surrounding areas;
• be unemployed at the time of application; and
• have lost employment as a direct result of the COVID-19 outbreak, in one of the following businesses:
• Music venue, musician, live performance artist, music marketing/photography/content, bar, event production/activation, food and beverage, hotel or hospitality/destination management company.

About Phase 4

For the Phase Four applications, Banding Together ATX will be awarding $45,000 in grants in the form of HEB gift cards up to $100. Since its inception, Banding Together ATX has awarded $155,000 across over 2,000 individual grants to date, which includes the most recent Phase 3 this fall that offered over $45,000 in relief grants to over 600 workers in the greater Austin area.

“Our city’s music, hospitality, and service industry workers have been out of work or underemployed since March," Executive Director Cody Cowan said in a prepared statement. "Cultural tourism is the backbone of Austin’s ongoing economic success, although many local business sectors are experiencing total employment losses up to 98 percent.

"Banding Together ATX was originally formed to help meet the growing needs of this important community which includes access to food and other basic amenities. But as the fight against COVID-19 wages on, we too must push forward because if it wasn’t for these people and their work, we all will lose the identity of this great city — plus Austin too will lose its ability to later recover economically once the pandemic is over."

About Banding Together

Banding Together was formed in March as a direct result of the cancellation of SXSW as well as the ongoing economic devastation related to COVID-19, officials explained. The Red River Cultural District initially launched a GoFundMe campaign that raised more than $150,000 this past spring, although the local nonprofit has continued to accept donations from both individual and business donors. Notable business donors for Banding Together ATX include HEB’s “Helping Here“ food assistance program as well as Tito’s Handmade Vodka’s “Love, Tito’s” philanthropic initiative.

Local residents and music lovers across the country are encouraged to donate to this ongoing fundraiser that helps to support workers from one of today’s most iconic music communities. All contributions to both Red River Cultural District and Banding Together ATX are tax-deductible, with donations being accepted online at redriverculturaldistrict.org/donate.

For future Banding Together ATX news as well as other announcements from Red River Cultural District, visit redriverculturaldistrict.org. Follow along on social media, including Facebook at @redriverculturaldistrict, Instagram at @redriverculturaldistrict, and Twitter at @defendredriver.

About Red River Cultural District

The Red River Cultural District is a worldwide cultural tourism destination for authentic live music, food and drink experiences in the heart of downtown Austin, Texas. The district is managed by the Red River Merchants’ Association, a coalition of over forty local small businesses in the District – including not only live music venues, food, hospitality, lodgings, lifestyle & entertainment businesses, but also the Austin Symphony Orchestra, First Baptist Church, German-Texan Heritage Society & Waterloo Greenway. As a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, the district is dedicated to preserving our authentic Texas live music heritage through your support. All donations are tax-deductible.

Red River Cultural District presents two annual district-wide live music programs: Free Week & Hot Summer Nights – that provide additional revenue to musicians & staff during slow seasons. These events are made FREE for all fans & guests through the generous contributions of our annual sponsors. The Red River Cultural District is a safe space for all guests, musicians & staff. For more information, visit redriverculturaldistrict.org.