Veteran Austin musician calls on city for support
Austin musician Matthew Robinson advocates for greater support for local artists.
By Logan Dubel
Austin’s own Matthew Robinson made a career out of playing the blues, performing worldwide as a member of The Mustangs and the Texas Blues Band and opening for legends like James Brown and Big Mama Thornton. But at 75, Robinson is still fighting for his livelihood.
“Our best musicians are leaving because it's too hard to stay here at this price,” said Robinson, the recipient of the Austin Blues Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award. “We need help getting housing … it’s a very dire need.”
Robinson is one of many in a chorus of musicians who say Austin, the self-proclaimed “Live Music Capital of the World,” is leaving behind artists of all ages. This comes on the heels of a 33% population boom over the last decade, according to the Austin Chamber of Commerce, and a skyrocketing cost of living. Without assistance from his caregiver and manager, Robinson said his life on the stage could instead be on the streets.
“If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have a place to stay,” Robinson said. “It’s hard to take in a person that would be homeless.”
The bluesman gained the attention of the Austin City Council last week, when he received a proclamation making Oct. 5 Matthew Robinson Day, honoring his decades-long career. Robinson expressed his gratitude and even rocked City Hall with a performance but voiced his concerns before getting his groove on.
“Austin’s a great city, and it’s moving on up, but we’re losing places to play and perform on the East Side,” Robinson told council members. “If y’all could help us get at the table so musicians won’t leave and go somewhere else, we would appreciate that.”
Robinson’s message to council members proved more than personal. The 2022 Greater Austin Music Census, prepared by Sound Music Cities, revealed 38% of musicians face housing affordability challenges and showed a significant migration of artists outside of city limits. Peter Schwarz, co-founder of Sound Music Cities, said the data quantified for City Hall what musicians already knew.
“I can't say it surprised me,” said Schwarz, also a former professional touring musician. “It came across with such gravity because of how quickly that number had gone up. When there’s a disruption and home prices go way up, (our creatives) are the first ones to feel it because they’re on the edge of making do.”
But as Robinson and others plead with the city for assistance, Gregory Gonzalez, a program manager for Austin’s Music and Entertainment division, pointed to numerous efforts such as the Live Music Fund, a multi-purpose grant program, and new zoning guidelines which allow for more local venues. Gonzalez, who has also worked as a musician in Austin for over 25 years, said trickle-down effects force out musicians.
“Everything happening is unevenly distributed,” Gonzalez said. “We’re doing as much as we can. But the reality is that it's very difficult to make a living playing your music, and this goes beyond the city's recent expansion and rising costs.”
As the wheels of local government slowly turn, Schwarz suggests relying on nonprofit organizations. He highlighted HOME, or Housing Opportunities for Musicians and Entertainers, which helps house senior musicians like Robinson.
“It’s promising that we have funds for grant recipients who are freelancing musicians – that's fairly unprecedented compared to other cities. But the way the community funds nonprofits has been a bright spot in this story,” Schwarz said. “Through some combination of nonprofits working more quickly and the government working slowly but with more money, we’re trying to close that gap.”
Although Schwarz finished compiling much of the census data earlier this year, he said he recently started digging deeper into how different communities experience the affordability crisis. The result was devastating.
“Data can (show) the harsh truth. The Black community was 32% to 37% less likely to live within Austin – a massive difference,” Schwarz said. “The degree to which our Black population has fled the city is profound.”
The historically Black East Side, where Robinson got his start, requires greater attention, he said.
“We need to help musicians on both sides of the tracks. The East side used to be thriving, and it’s disappearing,” Robinson said.
But after inking his name on an official city proclamation, the lifelong entertainer said he hopes the city goes to bat for him and fellow musicians, even though the 60s and 70s heyday may be gone.
“The city is growing, and we need to grow with it. We can’t be left behind,” Robinson said. “That’s what I tried to convey – not only through the music – but with conversation. We can make this a lot better but need to get the conversation started.”