Should I move to Austin for opportunites for my band? (Atlanta: home, pros and cons)

[jmoney1776]

Hello. Thanks in advance for anyone who responds. I currently live in TN about 2 hours outside of Nashville and 2 hours outside of Atlanta. I play in a band and there is absolutely nothing going here. Me and one of my band members are going to move soon and our three main places of interest are Nashville, Austin, and Los Angeles.

Obviously I know the pros and cons of Nashville already and I have a couple of friends living in L.A. so I've got the low-down on it first hand. Austin is a bit of a mystery to me though. Any info from other musicians or artists in general would be much appreciated as to what the scene is like and the opportunities that it has for bands these days.

[hoffdano]

I am not in the business nor any kind of expert on the music business.

But.....Austin's South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in the spring is the largest gathering of musicians and industry people in the US. I think it is less about entertaining the public than getting exposure from record companies.

Austin is the home of Austin City Limits (TV show) and for several years now the ACL music festival - 3 days worth of 100s of acts on a dozen stages all day long.

I have no idea how many music venues there are in Austin. Bunches and bunches.

So the city is full of music. But I hear that Austin is also full of musicians so pay isn't great and it isn't easy to stand out.