Live Music in Austin

Officially designated the "Live Music Capital of the World" in 1991, Austin earned that title through a concentration of live music venues per capita that few cities anywhere can match. The scene runs deep across genres, from the blues history anchored by Antone's Nightclub since 1975 to the psychedelic rock pioneered by the 13th Floor Elevators, the punk and new wave surge that began at Raul's in 1978, and a country music counterculture that took shape around the Armadillo World Headquarters in the early 1970s. South by Southwest, launched here in 1986, became one of the most internationally recognized music festivals in existence. Today, venues like the Continental Club, Stubb's Bar-B-Q, and the Elephant Room keep the city's range intact, while homegrown artists from Gary Clark Jr. to Spoon confirm Austin's consistent record of producing serious musical talent.