LA or Austin, TX For Music Career? (Los Angeles, Needles: wedding, living)

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Originally Posted by sajae90

lol I suggested the amtrak if he couldn't afford a plane ticket. If he is serious about a music career, he will probably need to visit California more than a couple of times a year. Amtrak is more affordable. I think at the moment, amtrak tickets from austin to Cali runs about $150-200 and even cheaper if you pay in advance. $200 is way better than $500 (the average cost for a plane ticket from Austin to any state).

But people who live outside of LA and have to go there for these purposes are going to be on a time crunch, which is why I thought the Amtrak suggestion was insane.

[PDF]

Originally Posted by sajae90

I agree, however, having the largest public transportation doesn't make it the best. LA's PT is very flawed, and if you ask anyone in LA, they will tell you; A car is needed in LA. How would he make it to gigs or to meetings for networking purposes? LA is so spread out, that the bus could take two hours just to go up the road and around the corner. I rather the OP live out of his car (which a lot of musicians do btw), than to have a place to live with no car.

Exactly. Metro has built an extensive network, but that doesn't mean it makes things easy to live without a car in LA.

[RaymondChandlerLives]

Originally Posted by majoun

The way things are going, soon there will be no major labels in L.A.

And eventually there will be no major labels anywhere.

Any Way You Slice It, Los Angeles is the Music Capital of the US - Facts & Figures - Curbed LA

Musicians still flock to Los Angeles, with good reason.

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Well we do have the entertainment industry here. But if City-Data is anything to go by, musicians are still flocking to other cities across the country as well.

[nslander]

Originally Posted by PDF

Well we do have the entertainment industry here. But if City-Data is anything to go by, musicians are still flocking to other cities across the country as well.

But nowhere more than here.

"Lacking in every respect" my ***.

[moonsparkle]

I've never understood why anyone considers Austin liberal, besides being liberal by Texas standards. Most public universities in any state are liberal in & around campus. All of the right-wing legislation Texas is known for still goes through Austin.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by RaymondChandlerLives

Any Way You Slice It, Los Angeles is the Music Capital of the US - Facts & Figures - Curbed LA

Musicians still flock to Los Angeles, with good reason.

That article uses 2007 data, which is virtually irrelevant considering everything that has occurred in the intervening years.

The music industry is in its death throes right now.

[Marv101]

According to this week's issue of Billboard, the best city for musicians to live in when you combine salary and availability of jobs is Nashville, regardless of the type of music you'd be interested in; the cost of living is substantially lower in Music City with a much higher quality of life than LA has, and it's not even close.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Marv101

According to this week's issue of Billboard, the best city for musicians to live in when you combine salary and availability of jobs is Nashville, regardless of the type of music you'd be interested in; the cost of living is substantially lower in Music City with a much higher quality of life than LA has, and it's not even close.

I can believe that. The music industry is leaving the western US and is becoming concentrated in NYC and Nashville. Nashville has a much lower cost of living than NYC does, so I could see the attraction of living there.

[RaymondChandlerLives]

Originally Posted by majoun

I can believe that. The music industry is leaving the western US and is becoming concentrated in NYC and Nashville. Nashville has a much lower cost of living than NYC does, so I could see the attraction of living there.

Swing and a miss:

The Where of 2012's Top Music - Richard Florida - The Atlantic Cities

"L.A. dominates, being home to artists with nearly a third of the songs (30 songs from 17 artists) on the list, including massively popular acts like Maroon 5, Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Bruno Mars, to name just a few. Nashville is second with 13 tracks (from 10 artists)...Miami and New York tie for fifth with five."

This is kinda important too: "The list is based on where artists currently live and work, not where they originally hail from."

There's a second list that gauges critical accolades, and L.A. just misses the top spot there as well (behind NYC). L.A. is easily the most well-rounded city in terms of commercially and critically acclaimed artists. If it is declining as a music capital, the artists haven't received the memo.