The Convention & Visitors Bureau is seeking volunteers to serve on the new Victoria Music Friendly Advisory Board, an unpaid board that will yield dividends for its members, the City and our community as we seek to harmonize our efforts to cultivate Victoria’s live music industry.
Before COVID-19, you could find talented musicians playing at bars, restaurants and other venues across Victoria pretty much every weekend. Our live music scene already receives support from professional organizations such as the Victoria Area Music Association, but the creation of the Victoria Music Friendly Advisory Board will increasingly bring the City to the table so we can better understand the needs of our music industry professionals.
Just like our local businesses, museums and outdoor recreation spaces, Victoria’s live music industry is a tourism product. The Convention & Visitors Bureau is committed to cultivating the features and attractions that make Victoria special, and this board will help us do that for our live music industry. While we previously had intermittent contact with the live music industry, primarily in the context of planning events, this board will provide a consistent avenue of communication and will connect us with professionals across the industry—not just musicians.
The creation of the board will be the final step for us to be named a Music Friendly Community, a designation conferred by the Texas Music Office. The process of earning this designation began last fall when we hosted a Music Friendly Community workshop sponsored by the Texas Music Office. We’ve also established the Convention & Visitors Bureau as an official liaison for the program; registered with the Texas Music Industry Directory, a public directory that will be useful to people looking for music-connected organizations and individuals here in Victoria; and demonstrated a willingness to partner with educators and nonprofits to cultivate music in our community.
The Texas Music Office keeps a record of Music Friendly Communities on its website. The designation will send a clear message to musicians, event organizers and others that we are committed to growing and maintaining our live music industry.
The Music Friendly Community program looks a little different in each of the 16 Texas cities where it’s been established because the program is always tailored to the community’s specific needs. Once the board has been created, members will be able to tell us about the challenges they face so that we can begin working together to address those challenges. I hope that this partnership will lead to transformative projects for Victoria, and I’m excited to find out exactly what that will look like.
The board is open to anyone employed in or affiliated with the live music industry in Victoria, including musicians, venue owners, promoters, members of the media, instrument retailers and members of other organizations with a vested interest in the live music industry. Board members will have a unique opportunity to be a part of shaping the next step in the development of Victoria’s live music industry as they share their experiences with each other and with the City.
To apply, go to explorevictoriatexas.com, click on “About” and click on “Texas Music Friendly Community.” Applications must be received by 5 p.m. Oct. 23. If you have any questions, you can contact me at 361-485-3117.
Joel Novosad is the director of the City of Victoria Convention & Visitors Bureau.
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