ACL Festival snubbing Austinites

I’ve been wondering aloud for months and now I’ve got a rumor to hold on to. According to an informed source, the owners of the Austin City Limits Music Festival have given the local musicians an ultimatum: Play for free or buy a ticket and watch the show. One of the great draws for people outside of Austin is the chance to hear music from one of the riches sources of music in the country. I can go to a dozen cities around the country to see Arcade Fire and Widespread Panic. I don’t need to fly to Austin. On the other hand, the producers of the show are thinking that these local bands are getting lots of publicity and it should be worth playing for free. This is a truly symbiotic relationship and I hope they work this out next year. Otherwise, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll keep going.