Music Cities

Nashville vs. Austin: Musicians divide their time between Tennessee and Texas

Where Austin is known as the "Live Music Capital of the World" (an admittedly grandiose title), Nashville is known simply as "Music City." But the two cities have much in common beyond music, and many musicians have moved their home-base from one to another or spent time in both towns.

"[Austin and Nashville] have a lot in common — they are both creative as well as music centers," says Michael McCall, writer and editor at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. He explains that the differences in the music scenes can be found in the cities' monikers themselves, with Austin focused on live music in particular.

"The big difference is that Nashville is a major record label hub. The people who feed the commercial system are based here, there are more recording studios, etc. Nashville is good for getting your name out there nationally. Musicians who go to Austin are more live music oriented; they know they are grassroots, kind of outside the mainstream."

McCall adds that Texas often functions as an inspirational center for many Nashville-based musicians. "They come to Nashville to record and get their careers to take off commercially, and then go back to Austin for their roots and inspiration."

Seth Walker agrees. As a musician who has spent time in both cities, Walker moved from Austin, where he got his start, to Nashville.

"I think it's good to have a taste of both [cities] if you are going to be in music business. You just have to be very careful to balance the two, or else you will be stripped of your soul and the very reasons you started playing music." - Seth Walker

"Austin is simply soul. It's organic through and through. A great place to work, hone your chops and develop a loyal fan base," Walker says. "The community of music fans is also what makes Austin second to none. Nashville is much more business and structured, and is home to some of the best writers, musicians and studios in the world."

Austin music was a huge influence on Walker growing up in North Carolina, particularly Willie Nelson, Guy Clark and Jerry Jeff Walker. After discovering Stevie Ray Vaughan and T-Bone Walker, he moved to Austin in his early 20s and recorded his first album in 1997. The accomplished guitarist and singer says that he was greeted with a tightly-woven music community in Austin.

After more than a decade and four albums, though, Walker was ready for a change and new influences. So in 2009 he moved to Nashville, which also brought him closer to his family in North Carolina.

"I wanted to see first-hand how that city rolled," he says. There he recorded the Leap of Faith album, and has since self-produced the personal Time Can Change, which was largely financed by his fans through a Kickstarter campaign.

"Musicianship is high in both places," Walker adds. "I think it's good to have a taste of both if you are going to be in music business. You just have to be very careful to balance the two, or else you will be stripped of your soul and the very reasons you started playing music."

Husband-and-wife team Lou Ann Bardash and Tom Ovans followed the opposite trajectory, moving to Austin in 1999 from Nashville, where they spent 18 years recording and performing. Bardash, who is a painter as well as a musician, compares the entire creative scene in both cities, not just music.

"Both cities contain such creative energy and are filled with talented folks and are great places to live. Even though Nashville is known for country music, there are diverse types of creations going on there," she says. Through her work in the music business and in music journalism, Bardash says that Nashville was first and foremost a business town. "The words 'showcase' and 'deal' were prevalent."

The couple came to Austin originally in 1995 to do some shows with Toni Price, and fell in love with the city. "For years people from Europe would say to us, 'Why are you in Nashville? You should be in Austin!' And right from the start we just felt at home here, both living-wise and creatively."

Ovans is set to release his 14th CD this fall, and Bardash leads the folk-metal group The Effinghammer Trio while exhibiting her paintings around Austin and working on her next musical project.

For an Austinite's potential visit to Nashville, all three musicians have suggestions for places to visit:

McCall:The Bluebird Cafe for songwriters, Station Inn for a bluegrass hub, and 3rd & Lindsley for a more eclectic scene. And every Saturday at 11:30 a.m. the museum hosts Songwriter Sessions, often followed by panels or discussions.
Walker:Duffy Jackson is a must-see, and the Doyle & Debbie Show is hysterical. Outside of music, Walker recommends East Nashville for a growing cultural scene, and Lake Radnor as a "good place to bleed the radiator of your soul."
Bardash: Her favorite place to play and go was always Douglas Corner Cafe (in fact, it's where she and Ovans met).

Visitors can visit the official Music City tourism website for more destination information, and check out these other top spots for a great, musical Nashville getaway:

The Ryman Auditorium, where you can tour the "Mother Church of Country Music" or get tickets to see current live shows — not limited to country, acts as diverse as Mumford & Sons, R.E.M. and Coldplay.
Historic RCA Studio B, where greats such as Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Waylon Jennings and Dolly Parton got their start.
The Grand Ole Opry, for live music shows in a brand new location.
Hatch Show Print, which has been making posters using the old-fashioned letter press since 1879.

Nashville's The Stage.

Photo by Shelley Seale

Nashville's The Stage.

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High Score

Austin named the nation's pickleball capital in industry report

Photo by Henry Selis Photo

Other Racquet Social Club is back after city woes.

It's no secret that Austinites love pickleball. A new study proves just how much by ranking Austin the No. 1 city for pickleball in the whole country. Dallas and Houston also made the top 10 at Nos. 3 and 8, respectively.

The report was published by TeachMe.To, an online marketplace for learning sports (and sometimes music) from private instructors. It used data from its own platform, USA Pickleball, Places2Play, local pickleball associations, and more. It also referred to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), which named pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America, with a growth rate of 223.5 percent over three years.

Similarly, TeachMe.To ranked Austin as the fastest-growing city for pickleball, and citing this as the main reason for the overall title of "the nation's pickleball capital."

It name-checked the Austin Metro Pickleball Association (AMPA) — with approximately 3,000-3,500 members — and the Austin Pickleball League (APL), estimating that overall, "15,000-20,000 people play pickleball at least occasionally in the greater Austin area." About half of those players — about 8,000-10,000 people — play at least twice a month.

The report did not include gender data on Austin, specifically, but it did note that not only are two-thirds of pickleball players female; women's involvement in the sport is also growing 50 percent faster than men's.

New courts everywhere
This probably isn't a surprise to people who have noticed the number of courts opened around Austin in recent years. By 2024, TeachMe.To's data shows 32 dedicated courts in Austin, and thanks to with a utility rate of 92 percent it doesn't look like that'll be slowing down.

In the summer of 2023, the online booking platform Swimply noticed how many pickleball courts there were in Austin compared to such great demand, and added courts to its service. In fall 2023 and summer 2024, at least two important developments expanded that availability: Other Racquet Social Club opened as a friendly, country club-like neighborhood option, and national chain The Picklr announced it's bringing five locations to Austin and Round Rock.

Perhaps because Austin is such a food-obsessed city, there seems to be some growing opportunity for food and beverage hospitality around pickleball, too. Other Racquet recently started hosting the Bill's Dips food truck, a spinoff of the popular downtown restaurant Bill's Oyster; and a pair of bars with pickleball courts, Drifters Social Coffee & Cocktails and The Pickle Pub, also opened in South Austin this year, with strong online ratings already.

The trend has even reached into real estate (see this cute house with its own pickleball court) and inspired athletes to introduce similar sports to the local market, as in the case of the padel club Paddle39. TeachMe.To's report also mentioned tech companies adding pickleball to their campuses.

Aside from growth, the study also considered lesson activity (including information about teacher availability and diversity of clinic offerings), infrastructure, community vitality, the tournament scene.

Austin had the highest concentration of all the cities of players under 40 (65 percent), as well as the highest share of national lesson bookings. At 16.90 percent, that means about one in six of the pickleball lessons contracted through this platform were in Austin. Lesson demand, the report says, is growing 125 percent year-over-year.

Elsewhere in Texas
Dallas was No. 3 thanks in part to its "central location" according to the report.

"The city's 45 dedicated courts and 85 [percent] public accessibility rate have fostered one of the most active competitive scenes in the country, with 8,500 registered league players," it says. "The combination of strong tournament presence, extensive infrastructure, and a 112% growth in lesson bookings solidifies Dallas as a powerhouse in the national pickleball landscape."

Houston made No. 8 with an emphasis on integrating pickleball with other sports.

"The city's 22 dedicated courts have seen a 92% increase in lesson bookings, driven by innovative programming that includes the nation's first corporate league system," it says. "Houston's success in integrating pickleball into existing sports infrastructure while maintaining 72% year-round utilization demonstrates a sustainable model for rapid growth."

Overall predictions
After laying out data about the top cities in pickleball, the report made some predictions. As the Austin newcomer mentioned above believes, the report also thinks padel is the next big thing. It also guesses more cities will act like Houston by focusing on hybrid facilities.

It also expects to see an expanded professional circuit and mainstream coverage, more technology used on the court, a rise in the prevalence of young players, and more opportunities in corporate wellness and real estate. "Dedicated pickleball facilities will become as common as swimming pools in luxury developments," it says. Texans will be the judge of that one.

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