hanging on the telephone

Austin's Red River district asks live music fans to call City Council

The Red River Cultural District is asking for funds to keep events like Free Week going. (Pictured: Los Kurados during Free Week 2023)

Photo by Renee Dominguez

Even in music, nothing is truly free. In the first week of the year, Austinites descended upon Red River Street — the downtown haven for small venues and local musicians who play there — for a weekend of free shows aptly titled Free Week.

Those attendees were encouraged to give a donation, buy concessions that give back, and otherwise support the Red River Cultural District (RRCD) — both the area immediately surrounding the famous street and the charitable organization that helps it run sustainably. This allowed the organization to pay the performers, and hopefully have some funds leftover.

This grassroots funding, combined with business sponsorship, has been keeping things running, but the RRCD is hoping Austin City Council can give it a boost. It's asking fans of local music to call in and make a case for funding to be worked into 2024's mid-year budget amendment.

The RRCD asked for a grant in 2023 via the Elevate Grant Program, which "offers $10,000 to $75,000 grants for arts organizations, individual artists, and creative businesses that produce culturally vibrant and diverse artistic content." Tourism is an important part of how this grant runs; It derives funds from the City of Austin's Hotel Occupancy Tax, and it aims to support arts that cater to tourists as well as the general Austin public.

A list of 200 final recipients for the 2023-2024 grant includes many recognizable arts organizations around Austin, such as KMFA Classical 89.5 FM, Zach Theatre, Austin Film Festival, and Texas Book Festival. The RRCD did not make the cut, and its appeal was declined.

Because this avenue has closed, the RRCD sees City Council as its workaround, and hopes a council member will "champion this important community initiative," according to RRCD interim executive director Nicole Klepadlo, writing in to CultureMap.

"In order for the City Council to take action on an aid package to Red River Cultural District, it will take various City Council members' support," Klepadlo writes. "We believe the voice of the Red River Cultural District extends to the people that work here, visit here, and musicians who play here; and furthermore, we also believe it's important for our City Council members to hear from all those who see community value in ensuring the long term viability of the Red River Cultural District."

The RRCD plans to use aid funds for the following initiatives (from a release):

Developing Red River Cultural District’s signature festival events, Hot Summer Nights and Free Week
Documenting the story of live music in Austin by telling the rich deep-rooted history of the Red River Cultural District
Conducting an economic analysis of the District Supporting daily business operations while expanding full-time staffing
Year-round promoting and marketing of this worldwide cultural tourism destination and entertainment district located in the heart of the “Live Music Capital of the World”

The RRCD already has support in a City Council-adjacent entity: the Music Commission. This group advises the council on music matters. It unanimously agreed during its meeting on January 8, 2024, that the RRCD needs support.

The official ask, as delineated in a packet by the RRCD, was "Financial support ... that is financially consistent with the funding allocation given to the other City designated Cultural and Heritage Districts[, and] gap funding until further work is presented to City Council on a comprehensive District Policy Framework."

This is where the fans come in: Austinites who believe City Council should allocate aid to the Red River Cultural District in the 2024 mid-year budget can call council members to directly ask for that support. The RRCD has prepared a script for callers to read, or for interested parties to drop into an email.

The script contains prompts for personal appeals, which help council members understand that there is organic support for the issue, and people actually understand what they're asking for and why. Many callers find it helpful to read a script in advance of the call, for ideas, and ultimately speak from the heart when on the phone, to avoid sounding robotic.

Here is a shortened version of the script:

My name is ______, a local resident of [District X, in the Y neighborhood].

I am here today to request your support for the Red River Cultural District and our music economy in Austin.

I am seeking your support of the Red River Cultural District and ask that you please support funding to the Red River Cultural District with an immediate aid package.

The Red River Cultural District is such an important part of our city! My favorite memory in the Red River Cultural District is ______.

I feel strongly that you and the Austin City Council should take these steps to support the Red River Cultural District, because this organization provides so many community benefits to our City including ______.

We need your support because the local music industry in Austin and specifically the Red River Cultural District continues to face so many challenges including ______.

Supporting Red River is important to me because ______.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Please support the Red River Cultural District! [Your Name]

The RRCD has also prepared slides for easy sharing on social media, with instructions on calling, including the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of all 10 city council members. (Don't forget that Mayor Kirk Watson is also part of City Council.)

More information about the RRCD and this initiative is available at redriverculturaldistrict.org.

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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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