Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Independent Music
Hi Austin independent music, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
1) Shelby: I grew up in north Louisiana and was never exposed to a real music scene. After moving to Austin in 2017 I became obsessed with the local music scene and was amazed how talented everyone was. I was going to shows throughout the week and wondered why there were so few people out experiencing the joys of live local music. I then started the instagram account in order to showcase local artists without spamming my personal account. The music account gained traction, people started finding the information useful and I feel like it helps make going out to shows more accessible by showing most of the information you need in one place.
2) Natalie: I remember singing and dancing for my friends and family when I was little. I’ve always been drawn to music and performance. Growing up on the outskirts of San Antonio, I didn’t have much of a local scene or a way to express myself creatively, so I spent my teenage years traveling to Austin and downtown San Antonio for live music. In 2021, I finally moved to Austin for my nursing degree. Full of excitement, not knowing anyone didn’t stop me from exploring the music scene solo with AIM as my guide. For a good while, my life revolved around school, work, and hearing music until the early mornings. Eventually, I found my crowd, which led me to cross paths with Mars. Later down the line, when AIM needed a new member, she thought of me. I happily joined and love being a key part of the community. Organizing shows, networking, and keeping the scene alive and aware. With that said, I have a new interview series bubbling in the works to further create something bigger for the community. Live music and creating has always been a part of me, so AIM feels exactly where I belong.
3) Mars: I grew up in Houston, Texas, with music woven into every part of my life. Dance was my first love—I even studied it at Texas State University—but over time, the spark started to fade. To fill the void, I dove headfirst into the local music scene, hitting up shows in San Marcos, then expanding my orbit to Austin. Eventually, I knew I had to be where the music never stops, so I made the move. Back in 2019, I stumbled upon the Austin Independent Music Instagram and used it religiously to track every show in town. Pretty soon, I became the go-to person amongst my friends for anyone looking to catch a gig. Then, in 2020—right in the chaos of COVID—Shelby put out a call for help to keep AIM alive. I jumped at the chance, we instantly clicked, and together, we kept the scene connected when it needed it most.
4) Greg: I grew up in suburban New Jersey and have been playing music as long as I can remember. At the time music seemed like it could only ever be a hobby so I went to study computer science, but I found myself unfulfilled with the experience. I dropped out of college and worked on some early stage startups, but again it didn’t feel quite right. Not sure what to do next I visited Austin with an old bandmate who was moving down for a job. After seeing just one show and talking to the bands I knew that this is where I had to be. When I visited, someone told me about Austin Independent Music and I started using it every day to find shows I liked when I moved here. Within a few days I met my closest friends to this day and joined a band within a month. After meeting Shelby at a party I joined the team a few months later and worked to add music links to the website to make it easier for others to use the site the way I found myself doing it without spending an hour to look up all the bands. Since then I’ve also started dipping my toes in booking.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
1) Shelby: It is not always easy. We are all on the team as volunteers and it takes time and effort to keep our page and website up and running. Balancing our work for AIM and our daytime jobs can be a struggle. People like to assume we have financial support because we have a good amount of followers on instagram but it is not the truth. No one is funding our efforts, we work for free to preserve the local music scene. Our efforts could certainly be more realized if we had funding (which we are working on)
2) Natalie: It’s definitely not easy for any of us trying to figure out how to execute our bigger ambitions and goals with little to no budget. Since we are all devoted volunteers, we don’t have a reliable source of income to fund AIM. That can hold us back from doing what we truly want, but I also see it as a strength in a way. It pushes us to dig deeper into the community and explore different avenues for financial support. Its always a process and a constant learning curve but that is what also makes it exciting!
3) Mars: Much like most things, it’s been anything but a smooth ride. Since AIM is a passion project, balancing it with our day jobs is a constant grind. We’ve wanted to take things to the next level—booking more shows, expanding our reach—but financial roadblocks have held us back. Even with a huge following, we don’t make money from our show listings. The little we do bring in comes from selling merch, but at the end of the day, like Shelby said, we do this for free, with zero funding.
If we had adequate funding and a proper payroll, we could finally quit our day jobs and pour everything into AIM—making it the absolute best it can be. The passion is there, the vision is there—we just need the means to match it.
4) Greg: One of the beautiful things about the arts is that there are no real setbacks. Even the biggest setbacks and tragedies can fuel your highest potential in creativity. So generally if I’m doing well I’m doing well and if I’m not it’s going to create art that helps me do better in the future. On the logistical side of things it’s a whole different ball game that definitely tests some of my weak points. I’ve always liked to go day by day, but when it comes to booking it often requires planning and coordination 2-3 months ahead for good results. I’ve found some ways to make things work on an ADD timeline, but ultimately this is something I’m working on learning and integrating. With AIM funding is definitely a tricky issue. At the moment it’s run on a volunteer basis, but there’s a lot we could improve on and do more of with a payroll. We’re averse to some easy paths towards funding that could compromise integrity, but we’ve started exploring grants and similar routes of funding for organizations like ours.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
1) Shelby: I founded AIM with the intention of getting more people out to local shows, the best way I knew how with the resources I had were to give people matter of fact information about all the shows going on on a given day. I tried to make the format easy to understand, highlighting the venue, artist, set times, age restrictions and cover. I believe the format in which we present the information sets us apart from others as well as putting set times in one place so you may be able to catch multiple artists at different venues in one night. I am proud of our impact we’ve had on the local music scene and how many people have used it to see new artists or ones they know and love.
2) Natalie: AIM is the go-to source for locals and musicians, keeping them informed on what’s happening, when, and where. What sets us apart is that we’re not outsiders—we’re part of the scene. We’re the ones at the shows, supporting bands, and surrounded by friends who make up the community. Other platforms that tried to do the same often focus on commercializing and expanding their brand eventually trying to profit being a resource, while there’s nothing wrong with that. Its not very authentic when you’re on the outside just looking for an angle to profit from whether its money or a following. Our goal is simple: to keep Austin’s music community connected, informed, and thriving, purely for the love of it. I’m proud to be part of a collective that is so adored by the very same community that provides me with an outlet to connect and express myself.
3) Mars: At AIM, I mainly handle the finances—keeping track of our funds and making sure we can keep things running. I used to be more involved in booking shows, but with my day job eating up most of my time, I’ve had to shift my focus. That said, I’m itching to get back into it, along with helping build out artist profiles for our website. Pair that with Greg’s music links, and we’d be giving people an even better way to discover, explore, and support the local artists they truly connect with.
One thing I’m really proud of is finding ways to bridge my two worlds—AIM and my career in veterinary medicine. I’ve helped plan fundraiser events that bring these two industries together, which isn’t something you see every day. Being able to create crossover moments between music and animal welfare for a good cause? That’s something really special to me.
Like Shelby said, our page format is something you don’t really see anywhere else. We’re always pushing to innovate, and it’s wild to see the impact—we’ve even had people from other cities and states hit us up, wanting to create something similar where they live.
4) Greg:As mentioned earlier with AIM I’m primarily responsible for collecting links to artists music so people can more easily listen to artists when trying to pick a show. I find this really useful since there’s so many bands in Austin it’s hard to know who you’re going to like unless you’ve seen a band before or search up all the bands playing in a given night. I think AIM really stands out because it has a more focused approach to show listings and has a simple but informative layout. As a user it was the most valuable resource I had when I first moved to Austin wanting to get into the music scene.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
1) Natalie: As heavily involved in and surrounded with music as we are, none of us ever played in a band or even know how to play any instruments. Up until a few months ago when our newest member Greg joined. People are always shocked to hear that, but hey I got gifted an accordion and now that I’m newly graduated and have my life back you might catch me one of these days harassing people’s eardrums at Zilker Park.
2) Mars: I feel like I’ve lived a hundred different lives. People—whether they’ve just met me or have known me for years—are always surprised by the things I’ve done. Dance, music, vet med… each one has opened doors I never expected. I’ve performed with the Houston Texans Cheerleaders, danced on stage with Girl Talk, and even drawn blood from a lemur (yeah, you read that right). My interests and skill set are all over the map, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Like Walt Whitman said, “I contain multitudes.”
3) Greg: Growing up I used to breed fish and make soap. I also built what at the time was the second fastest Rubik’s cube solving robot in the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.austinindependentmusic.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austindie_music/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@austindie_media
Image Credits
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